Lake of the Sky
East Shore Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Matt Reardon and Amy Blankenship
Camera: Nikon D810
The story: MUSIC OF THE LAKE OF THE SKY
After the tremendous force of last winter's unprecedented precipitation, it sure feels
like our long drought is finally over. I can't help but feel that our beautiful lake is back at
last, refreshed and replenished to the rim. Revisiting some of my recently favorite
Tahoe beaches, I discover that many have all but disappeared, submerged and
reverted...and our home once again feels like a new place, the old place, returned and
renewed.
On this particular evening, after a fun-filled Memorial Day, I was catching my breath,
floating off the east shore with friends as thunderheads roiled over the western front of
the Sierras. It was a warm evening and I lost myself in the rhythm of the oddly oily
looking surface of pure Tahoe water. As ripples gently undulated back and forth,
reflected light vacillated in classic range from pure white to middle-value grey before
drowning in pitch black. On the left, contrasting tones fragmented into abstraction. To
the right, calmer waters reflected and refracted dramatic light from above, highlighting
the majestic orchestration of billowing clouds. A quiet calm filled the air, yet in my
heart I could clearly hear and feel the music and the magic of this evolving moment as
atmospheric cumulonimbus clouds ballooned in force and majesty, heralds of weather
to come approaching us across the lake.
As this surreal scene unfolded, I marveled at the lovely serendipity of my dear, newly
engaged friends, Amy and Matty, paddling across the horizon. They were so small,
perched on Lake Tahoe's pristine vastness. Both pushed along alone, physically apart
but clearly together. Their duet intuitively connected the dots for me visually and
conceptually, bridging water and sky while firmly establishing a clear connection to the
heart in grand scale. Seemingly by divine direction, this shared moment in time
crystallized and conducted a thunderous crescendo.
