Early Summer Day by the Lake
A whole day by the lake and almost no ground covered, which was the point. Coffee on the deck under the orange umbrella first, the planters along the rail already going with pansies and marigolds. Then down the steps through the garden, where a little stream runs over flat stones into a pond — lily pads, one white bloom open, yellow irises at the edge — and from there the lawn goes straight to the water.
The pontoon boat stayed on its lift with its blue covers on; it never went in. Most of the afternoon happened instead at the end of the dock, where a pergola strung with lights shades a bistro table and a couple of red wicker chairs, and the far shore is nothing but trees.
There's a realtor's sign standing in the water down the shoreline, a seven-digit phone number and no area code. Couldn't tell if it marks this lot or the next one over.