Baby Loon

For over 2o years loons have been documented nesting on Lake Purity. I love going through the historical records of Purity Spring Resort and hope someday to find records dating back further, we shall see. Some years the pair are successful in breeding, and sometimes, not. This year she laid a clutch of 2 and one hatched. The picture to the right, taken by our brilliant marketing director- is the newborn chick, the day we learned of its birth, on the back of its parent. As you can see the chick is healthy and probably yelling at its mom for its next meal. To tell you the truth, I can't tell mom and dad apart... I can when they are side by side but that's not too often. Anyhow, that particular day I was fiddling with our new camera, trying to get video for our new website and was able to spend some very intimate moments with this special, brand new family. They are so amazing to watch... their spectacular beauty is mesmerizing in itself, but their actions as a new family are so sweet and at one point, I was in my kayak not even 2 feet from dad who was checking me out. Mom is swimming the baby around and because she lets everyone get so close it seems like she's showing the new fluff-ball off. The chick moves around allot... from its mother's back to the water, hops on her back again, snuggles into mom's wing for a little nap, then back to the water. What patience a parent must need for that! Being a jungle gym for junior's every whim for three-weeks can't be easy. But they do it with such grace. Both parents are there for feeding time. Most of the time one parent stayed with the chick but I did see a time when they were both diving and the little one was like a furry, black ping pong ball dipping up and down like a row boat in a hurricane even with the smallest movements of the water. So cute... and vulnerable I think to myself... but I keep watching and realize, they can see what's going on underwater if they're down there. I watch, and learn that when the chick is in the water, its parents have their entire heads under water all the time scanning for danger. Perhaps they learned their lesson from last year when (what we think was) a snapping turtle took one of their 2 chicks. But they're taking such good care of this chick and have since moved it to a quieter spot on the lake away from the busiest beaches of the resort.

Reconnecting with nature is such a special part of this place. Kids come here from the city and suburbs and learn that there is so much in their world they know nothing about. They get such a kick out of exploring new things... like taking walks in the rain through quiet woods, tye dyeing shirts, swimming in a pristine undeveloped lake, kayaking, mountain biking, and even the kids who come here begrudgingly love it in the end. Like watching the loons, it's always fun to see families interact with their kids. I mean really interact... teaching them new things, things they themselves forgot they loved so much. To watch a dad teach his son how to catch a fish, and watching the kids pull in his first fish, eyes full of excitement, body ready to jump straight from the skin, wondering what to next, makes me as giddy as the kid. This is real happiness- and it's just another reason I love Purity Spring and what it does for people. It's the best. These experiences are EXACTLY what this world needs to combat all the bad in it. And just like the loons, our time with our kids is so limited. This is the most important time in their lives- and we need to be there to teach them everything they need to know to be okay growing up on this planet. What a perfect place to foster strong bonds, and teach them what it's like to have good, clean fun!