And later, above Lake Mahkeenac, two bald eagles circling the greening hills--lazy and languid, as if they had all the time in the world? And next, as they floated off into the blue sky beyond the cloud portals, two red-tailed hawks, again circling, again unhurried, again riding the wind with such ease?
A trout lily. A trillium. A catbird. A black-masked common yellow throat. A song sparrow singing. A pileated woodpecker suddenly slipping out of the near trees, flashing its bright white underwings in our direction before vanishing on its way down toward the water.
When the sun was gone, we set out the Scrabble board and leaned in to draw our letters. Beside me, the wind whistled and raindrops drummed on the window. I got up to get a piece of cinnamon coffee cake, and on my way back, Look, Look, Look, was all I could say. The rainbow was wide and bright in the dark sky, spanning the whole lake, from the far mountaintops to the nearby trees. We do not know what beauty awaits us. We never do.