Seniors get to use the park for free, so I took advantage of that. I launched my kayak at the swimming beach. Winds were picking up but the waves looked quite manageable. I soon noted how clean the lake appeared. It's delightful and so much clearer than Winnipesaukee. It's also much less developed around its shores. I really enjoyed the paddle around an island out in the middle and then back to the park beach. Waves were perhaps two feet high out in the broad open areas but dead calm on the lee side of the island.

On return to the beach I was greeted by an elderly man and woman in park ranger uniforms, plus a pretty young blonde in a nice red swimsuit. She was the lifeguard. They all showed great interest in my kayak, something quite different from the ubiquitous canoes in the region. I offered to let the girl, whose name I found out to be Mary, try my kayak. She was delighted and readily took to it on a paddle up and down the beach area. The other two declined to try it. Mary is off to college this Fall to start the long academic pursuit off a medical degree.

I loaded the kayak atop my truck and headed back to Wolfeboro for some more Winnipesaukee paddling. The owners of a new kayak sales and rental store offered to let me launch from their beach, so I took 'em up on yesterday's invitation. This weekend is the store's grand opening. I even took advantage of the hospitality buffet set up inside the store. And though I didn't buy anything they treated me most hospitably, even to helping me unload and later reload my truck-top kayak. Kayakers are members of a friendly brotherhood one soon discovers.
My paddle today was very enjoyable. The Wolfeboro waterfront was busier than yesterday. Dozens of speedboats, some sailboats and a few cabin cruisers crowded the dock and the fuel pump area. I paddled in and around the fascinating collection in my little one-manpower yacht. Great fun.