In a trip that lasts a month, it is important, we have discovered, to have some down time. Yesterday was a day of down time. Robert and Gosha went to work. The kids had finished school the previous day, so we enjoyed getting to know them in the morning. Carlton, who just finished first grade, shot hoops in the back yard and built a virtual house on the family tablet. Anya gathered flowers and built her own house with chairs and towels while Maya danced gracefully around the living room.
After lunch Peter went off exploring with the father of a friend in MA, and I followed Gosha's advice to walk along the Link River Wildlife Trail. The afternoon was hot and dry as I started the walk by the southern point of Lake Klamath.
There were many water birds: pelicans, grebes, ducks, egrets, herons, cormorants. I looked for eagles, but didn't see one. As I walked the trail I saw many red winged blackbirds. They would sit on a wire, point their heads toward me and start to sing. 
Many birds hid in the fragrant wild rose bushes, singing their joy in the hot afternoon air. A brook ran along to my left and swallows dipped to the surface looking for insects. I walked for about an hour, and finished my water bottle, so when I saw a cool, shady spot to sit, I took a rest. The low trees formed a canopy overhead filled with the joy of birdsong. 
It had cooled a bit as I walked back to the car. After dinner we saw deer in the back yard, peeking through the window to watch a bit of TV with the kids. Kate, Gosha and I followed a trail that looks out over he mountains that rim the lake as the sun was setting. The full moon and my flashlight lit our way as we followed the trail home.
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