Lake Woodlands - Santana
July 7, 2019
by Kent Walters
We met at the end of the loop near Lake’s Edge Boat House, quickly unloaded boats and gear, parked in the Whole Foods parking lot, put everything together and, after a brief safety orientation and PFD check, got in the water from a low dock in excellent condition.
We followed the west shore of the lake north to the two small bayous that sprout above the bridge at Research Forest Drive, paddling through the shade of several office buildings and passing a lone great blue heron on sentry duty. We paddled as far as was convenient on the two bayous (this was not a forced march trip), and enjoyed the peaceful sights in the secluded swamps juxtaposed with the sounds of tires hitting the expansion joints of the nearby bridges.
A couple of green herons swept up into the trees from the shore as we glided past. It was in this area that we cataloged our only, but mandatory, dead animal of the trip – a 4” fish.
We followed the east shore, startling a solitary great blue heron standing with a large flock of cormorants that were all sunning themselves on the grassy shore:
We continued along the shore, quickly exploring the two small fingers before passing our put-in and continuing down the east shore, finally slipping in behind the soon-to-be-developed island for some much appreciated shade.
We waved to a snowy egret resting on a branch that was hanging low over the water, presumably a prime fishing location:
We passed under a bridge and came out from behind the island into a palatial residential area, complete with semi-faux-gargoyle statuary (horses head with fish/snake tail), where we irritated yet another great blue heron:
It was here that we heard the concert starting, so we exited the residential area and paddled back past the island and into the canal, confirming that the Doobie Brothers had indeed started their set. We tied off to a cleat on the dock and settled in with snacks, drinks, sporadic conversation and commentary.
The Doobie Brothers sounded surprisingly good - better than original - good harmony and crisp execution on recognizable songs. Santana played all of the good ones from Abraxus (Evil Ways, Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Hope You're Fellin’ Better) and "Smooth". His keyboard guy was fantastic, and his (Carlos's) riffs were great.
Sound systems for both were just right for our venue, as predicted.
Our obstructed view of the bands:
Since we had no gate closing to worry about, we stayed for the whole concert. A very pleasant, low-key time was had by all.
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The author,Kent Walters |