Leavett Lake near Sonora Pass, California

  I woke to the first signs of light on the peaks and overlapping rings of rising fish on the lake. Dressed and rigged in a minute, I fished but couldn't catch any from shore. A cup of coffee warmed me as I read a chapter in William Brewer's Up and Down California. With the sun fully up I painted, and caught a good sketch. There was still silence as I set up my float tube, paddled around the perimeter of the lake and caught four trout.