The boat was small and open, with blue seats in rows and a line of red flags along its edge. I sat near the front and waited for the moment when both shores looked equally far away.
That moment is the stop. Mid-lake, the mountains stand back on every side and the water is so calm that the boat seems to be resting rather than moving.
What the middle is for
On land a journey is measured by what you pass. On the water there is nothing to pass, so you start measuring by other things: the colour of the lake, the shape of the far hillside, how long the flags stay still.
Notes for the road
- Blue seats, red flags, green water. I wrote the three colours down before anything else.
- No one spoke for most of the crossing.
- I did not take out the camera until we were past the middle.