It was the morning after the wedding. Some of us were still on east coast time. I woke up very early (but not early enough to see one of my siblings off to the airport, it seems). Daylight was breaking and I could hear the sounds of the birds outside the window of our cabin at the Fern River Resort. The rest of the folks seemed to be safely asleep in their cabins. They were probably recovering from the festivities of the previous night. It was a quiet time.
The resort lay among tall redwood trees,
on a hillside overlooking a point where a little stream met the San Lorenzo river down below us. (The name of the resort seems to be a misnomer. Perhaps the little stream used to be called the Fern River, but I could not find any confirmation of this anywhere.) 
The sun had not risen high enough to break through the hills, the tall redwoods, and the early morning clouds. 
I decided to enjoy my moment of quiet down by the river side.
I crossed over the rocks and little sand dunes beside the river (probably a part of of the river bed itself when the waters were high) and arrived at a little open stretch of land beside the water itself. It was quite narrow at this point, and the river was possibly crossable on foot if the water had not been flowing swiftly. 
Upstream, just behind an overhang of leaves, I noticed a family of mergansers. They had been floating downstream and had abruptly stopped in the water, having sighted me in the open space on the river bank. They seemed to be considering their options to proceed downstream. I had my camera in hand.
All of a sudden, they were moving downstream, effortlessly. They had simply moved into a position to be caught by the swift current, to let it take them forward. I pulled up my camera to take pictures, but I was unsuccessful because of the speed and the light. They floated by, with mamma and papa duck leading the way, and the little one trailing behind, trying to keep pace. The moment passed by quickly and I stayed by the riverside for a few more minutes to simply absorb the soothing sounds of its flow. What a peaceful and glorious morning.
I am so happy to have met some of young people who were present at the wedding. We will certainly not forget the ones who went out of their way to quietly serve the people and help make the event happen. Remarkable human beings, and good examples for all of us to follow!
There was this other time when we were talking about how we were planning to get to church in the nearby town of Felton for Sunday services, and they offered up their car keys without hesitation, and without even being asked. Their minds had jumped one step ahead to how they could help us in any way. It is not as if we even knew them well.
Splattered Brains 