I wake after a good sleep, and I am taken by a small hand, requesting my presence. Coffee in my other hand. We are in the yard, bunny hunting. No bunny. But, there is a toad hopping in the bushes on the wet earth. It has rained all night, pleasantly damp and warm. Birds make a happy racket. We cross paths with a bumble bee and stop to say hello. We circle the yard and find the bunny eating clover. We creep close. She doesn’t budge for a moment or two. And then, she’s off! To the river, me and this eager passenger on my back. And what a rustle and sound of a motor is rushing along the river, just through the brush, where I cannot, at first, get a look. Is it a boat? It’s going fast, and what a noise it makes! Ah! A gigantic white heron taking off and flying low over the river, wingspread wide––Wow! Wow! What a beautiful surprise! We keep going along the river, awestruck and eager to see the next wild beauty. Here, on the river, two families of geese with their goslings, slowly cruising along. My passenger insists we watch them for a while. And then, near the wetlands, the sudden heave of an owl off a branch above our heads up into the branches of other trees. Not too much of a glimpse, but a ruckus of sound. Then, we stop at the brook, as we always do, just in time to see the flash of the white tail across the brook dashing off into the woods. We have not even left our property yet. So, it’s up the path into Rocky Narrows we go. Suzi cuts her walk short, and I’m careful to make note of that so I know she is staying safely at home. We go to the trestle bridge, and Charlie stops. He does not want to cross. But me and my passenger want to see the two families of geese cross under us. He whines. We encourage him, but no. Here come the geese. But, out of the corner of my eye I catch the slight current of a swimmer––look! Here’s a muskrat swimming to shore! We get to watch the muskrat too, and the geese pass contentedly under us, and Charlie is willing to follow us now to the other side. Red winged blackbirds perch beside is. We cross the meadow to the air field where the hobbyists launch their model airplanes just in time to see a groundhog hustle under their little shed! Oh, we have seen so much this morning! By the time we have crossed the meadow, my passenger has fallen asleep. I make my way home with my own two eyes, so grateful to have woken up in these New England woods this morning. And, once home, I find my daughter needs me for a long talk. She doesn’t want to swim with me. But I give her a few minutes and she has changed her mind. We get a special talk in, and a swim. And stop for lunch food and take that home. Sometimes a delayed departure is just what is needed. At the airport now. Perhaps this truly is our departure. I’m grateful to have had another day on the river with the goslngs.