Algonquin Park by Susan L.

  Our campsite overlooked Mew Lake. It's one of half a dozen campgrounds within the huge park accessible by road. There are sites only available to canoeists. One day, I'd like to do that: paddle into the interior but for now I am more than content to pitch a tent and stay on one site. Having a view of the water kept me entertained for hours as I watched the surface change from hour to hour, moment to moment as the wind rose and fell. Sometimes it was like a mirror, reflecting the massive pines at its edge. Other times it was choppy with glistening sparks of light dancing over its surface.

  A loon came and settled on the lake the first night. Its haunting cry stirs an emotional response to a memory of the days when we were more connected to the land. We saw a moose grazing at the edge of a beaver pond. A beaver was close enough to hear his teeth munching a lunch of water lilies, undisturbed by a human audience.
  A chipmunk scared me into laughter the first morning. One minute I was sitting peacefully enjoying my morning coffee, the next, I felt something land on my lap. I don't know who jumped higher: me, the seasoned camper, or the chipmunk. Starting the day with a laugh was the best! A few peanuts made up for it and he allowed me hold the camera inches from his face as he perched on my hand.
  That night, just as I was about to fall asleep, H spoke, "Sue! What are you doing?!"
  "Wha? Huh?" There was a brief rustling noise.
  "There's a racoon in the tent!" The surprise and shock in her voice apparent. With a brave, "Shoo!" she convinced the coon there was nothing inside to eat. He quietly left through the zippers he'd skillfully opened to get inside in the first place! The two of us collapse into laughter. A perfect end to the day. (H used a clip to fasten the zippers together so the critter couldn't get back in again.)
  A nightly chorus of frogs, a ruffed grouse, black ducks, a marsh lemming (kind of like a mouse), a baby painted turtle, a bigger one, songbirds, butterflies and dragonflies, wildflowers, water lilies, blueberries, ferns, tiny, brilliant mushrooms and massive trees, the world around us teemed with life. Some seen, some only heard. All of it greatly enjoyed.
  "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good." Gen 1:31