The Kolden Report: The Kolden Report: Camp and Canoe, Part Three, August 19, 2012

Hi, kids!

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Back on the lake....

A puff of breeze blows the dragonfly's large wings. How do they keep from getting torn from their "parking place", particularly with the gale force winds of Northeast Montana?

Do you know what this plant is? The lake shore is COVERED in it.

Here is a better view. Are those "bean pods" edible? They look pretty tasty to me!

Salt cedar distress.

And what are these guys, shaped like feather dusters? They too, are numerous on ground that was under water last year.

Healthy salt cedar.

Lush and Lengthy.

Textural sandstone.

Black and orange.

Orange and black. (Wasp? I've never seen one this color....is it some other flavor bug?)

Shoreline. (Love the pattern.)

Electric blue.

Mating season.

ROUGH shoreline.

Surreal line of demarcation where lake meets shore.

Dead salt cedar in the water and above the water line. They do not like submersion, apparently. The stands in the water will make safe harbor for small fry.

Snobbery in tandem?

Cormorant explosion.

Tandem takeoff.

While we watched the others take wing, this cormorant surfaced right beside the canoe and was instantly air borne! Not sure who was the more surprised...

Love this abstract. (Shadow pattern on lake surface).

We found a "drowning man". I dipped a paddle under him and brought him closer for a look.

He immediately flipped over and began to dry. Love his furry face and the pincer points on his toes!

I turned the paddle for a better look and in an instant, he flew away! Rescue complete. Not sure what exactly it was. Sort of a cross between a dragonfly and a horse fly only with a hairy face.