How’s Your Butt?

Paddling out from the rental house into the fog, Pine Island Pond Texas

Kayak seats, like bicycle seats, are notoriously uncomfortable and become more so with time perched on their sadistic surfaces.  Coincidentally, the rented car we picked up at Shreveport Louisiana was almost as bad.  My friend had the brilliant idea that we should see what might help us with the car, and with the kayaks we’d be dropping into the next day.  We went to Walmart, in the automotive department.  After a very dignified session testing the little cushions by sitting on the floor, we dropped $35 each without regrets.

We met two more friends, and made a trip to Walmart in Marshall  Texas so that they could pick up matching pads for the car, the boats, and (if I’m honest) for the dining room chairs in our lovely rental house on the lake. Some of us amused ourselves by repeatedly inquiring as to the comfort of each other’s derrieres. Old lady humor at its best.

Majestic Bald Cypress in Monotone, Pine Island Pond, Texas

So we were back to Caddo Lake, where we had paddled and photographed together twice before.  This time, in a brilliant stroke which I can’t claim credit for, we were in a rented house. This place was spectacular, right on an alcove off the bayou called, idyllically, Pine Island Pond.  It was as much of an upgrade from the previous accommodations as the Walmart cushions were.  Among other things, we could roll right out of bed, into our tall muck boots, and into the kayaks (with seat cushions, of course).  No hoisting the boats into the pickup and strapping them down, no driving in the predawn gloom. 

The dock at our rental

Pine Island Pond itself is one of the more lovely areas I’ve seen around the lake and offered access to a network of paddling trails (conveniently marked to prevent disorientation) which are spectacular as well.

We planned the trip nearly a year ago, and unfortunately, we couldn’t know that it would be a poor year for fall color, despite making our best guess at ideal timing.  There was a cold snap a few weeks before, which triggered the color change early. Most of the trees had already done their thing.

I compensated for the lack of color in several ways.

Great Blue Heron

 First, with wildlife. This is not my specialty, so I concentrated on the large, obvious birds like great blue herons, egrets, and cormorants, and on the occasional pod of turtles sunning on logs.

A little spooky

Then there were some foggy mornings, when spooky compositions held my interest. Even bare trees decorated with Spanish moss (which, it turns out, is neither) were of interest in the mist. Black and White images worked well, too

Leaf Detail, Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

Smooth Beggerticks, Carter Lake Texas

Photographing details is another option when fall color isn’t spectacular.  There are lovely flowering aquatic plants - the white (Floating Heart), purple (Water Hyacinth), and yellow (Smooth Beggarticks) flowers make great subjects but are, unfortunately, invasive species. One day it was very windy, so we shot on land at the state park.

Grace and color, Williamson Park, Louisiana

Finally, when there’s a lone tree which still shows color, I’d happily shoot that.

Incidentally, we dedicated an afternoon to looking for a large alligator.  We’d been tipped off about where he hung out, and that some turtles liked to climb onto his tail to sun themselves.  We really wanted those images, from a distance of course, but we had no luck.

And my keester is just fine, thank you for asking.

As always, there’s more in the Autumn 2025 Gallery on the website.