It had not been the best of weeks. There had been a few unnecessary things on my mind, and I was a bit in the dumps. But I had to get over it. 

So on Saturday Linda had us head to the lake for a day on the boat. It was a good day for the lake. The weather was sunny, the sky almost cloudless, and the water still warm enough to take a dip. We wandered up one of the creeks, found a nice quiet cove, dropped anchor, and had some lunch. Not long after we were in the water.

While floating along relaxed and half-asleep, I looked up and saw an eagle soaring the thermals. His wings were straight out and not moving. Like me, he was just floating along. As I watched, he made circle after circle, going higher with each lazy circuit. Circle after circle. Higher and higher. From eagle to speck in the sky. He was going nowhere. Just riding the air. No effort. Wings not moving. Just floating along. Soaring. Circling. Higher. Another circle. Higher still. Then so high, he was gone.

As I watched, I wondered if an eagle goes soaring for the pure joy of it. He wasn't hunting - he was much too high. And he wasn't courting - there was no partner. So what was left but just having fun? Perhaps just looking down with his eagle eye, seeing me in the lake and thinking to himself, "Hah, I can soar and you can't." Who knows? It's possible. If I were an eagle, I think I might do that.

Once more I looked up and he had reappeared, now no longer going in circles or climbing higher. Now he had set a course and was heading north, up the lake. I just knew that he was on his way home and thinking to himself that life is good. And watching him while floating along on the lake, the not-so-good week went away, and I thought to myself that life is good, very good indeed.

Sometimes you don't have to travel very far at all to see neat things. Sometimes a wonderland will show up in your own front yard. 

After some rain last week, a couple of groups of mushrooms appeared on our front lawn - alas with no wee folk or faeries in sight. And despite what Alice saw in her wonderland, there was also no caterpillar smoking a hookah.

The mushrooms were fascinating to me, and I thought I would take some photos just for fun. 

When I was processing the photos, I saw that an elf had indeed been peaking out and watching me. So rev up your fantasy side and see if you can find that wee, mischievous elf who showed up in one or more of my photos. You just don't know where he might turn up. Enjoy the hunt!