Aki has to squint when looking at the lake. I have to screw up my eyes too. With no clouds to block out the sunlight, the lake’s surface is painfully bright. For relief. the little dog and I follow a bear trail into a patch of lakeside alders. 

           You would think that after our recent stint of cloudy weather, we would welcome a bright day. But it cool among the alders and the light is gentle. Looking out for bears, I don’t see a small raft of mallard hens that have tucked themselves up in the lakeside grass.

          Aki and I might never have known about the mallards if I hadn’t stepped into a bog hole. I curse and the mallards crash out into the lake, splashing the water like a group of kids in a school pool.