Under the Surface

We never know what lies under the surface. Our exterior may be tough and exhibit an "I'm fine" attitude, while underneath there is pain, suffering and sorrow. We may see someone who is beautiful and think, "wow, they've got their life together." But does outer beauty equate to perfection or happiness?

How often do we dare look under the surface? Probably easier to do on others than ourselves. We know from experience that the more we are exposed, the more vulnerable we feel.

Peel away some layers and you might be surprised at what you find. There may be some trash, yes. But there may also be some treasure. A hidden talent or two. Possibly some strength you didn't know you had.

My friend Cindy and I got to see firsthand some of what lies beneath when we took a walk around a nearby lake that, like many of us, is sort of under construction and due for a good cleansing.

The county lowered the water level of Lake Wazeecha last month to clean out extra debris and sediment buildup and prepare for dam maintenance. Over time, sand and sediment flows into the east side of the lake and builds up into a sand bar. They don't want the whole lake (home to the state water-ski tournament) to fill up.

People love that sand bar, though. (Not all "defects" are bad, right?) We always see teens out there in the summer, tossing around a Frisbee or playing volleyball. I just assumed it was always there, but that's because the last time the county did the "draw down" was 1994, before I moved to the area. Now that they are back into a cleaning mode, it made for some interesting photos...

Pretty much every sandy surface you see is typically under water.

We could tell by lots of footprints in the sand that we were not the first explorers.

Got around to the swimming area with its much expanded "beach" area and noticed a commotion.

Quite the gaggle of Canada geese gathered. And note that they are staying within the swimming boundary buoy lines removed from the lake.

One heckuva party before flying south, I guess. Or do they go to Canada? I don't even want to think about all that goose poop in the water when it comes time for swimming next summer. Not me.

This is some of the area near shore where the kayaks would hit bottom. Now we know. The sand goes pretty far out!

 Looks like a Mississippi delta or something. Yeah. Me and my photographic imagination!

In the distance we recognized a tree we normally see dangling in the water. Time to get brave and check it out.

 Whew. No quick sand!

You know how the cattails look 2 feet tall or so above the water?

 They are actually more like 6 feet tall according to my 5'2" frame swaying with them in the wind!

Whatever that scary object is, we will note not to dock by that shore with our kayaks. It could be a prop from one of those Friday the 13th movies. Just sayin'.

 Funky roots.

This is one of the little inlets that went from a flowing creek bed to a depository for fallen leaves. For now.

Now this tree looked scary but we just had to get close to take pictures. It's not black crappy sediment hanging from those branches. It's zebra mussels! If you didn't think we had a problem with this invasive species, here's proof.

Almost pretty but no, they're not!

 Gross.

And grosser.

The highway bridge can be seen in the distance, marking the east end of the lake where the big sand bar is / was.

We're not talking a little sand bar here. You see from Cindy's height, that's kind of a big deal.

Not sure what the buoy lines are needed for. Maybe to keep the geese out of the construction zone?

They drive out, scoop up sand and haul it to some nearby county land, I guess.

You can see the water rushing in still. Must not be too much if the lake level is still so low.

View from the 80th Street bridge.

Quite the undertaking. Guess we'll see what sort of difference it makes. I know when I uncover something good, I want the world to know about it and see it! The zebra mussel-type stuff, not so much. Always a work in progress.

Just need to dredge up the crap on occasion and remove it.