The duck paddled expectantly over to where I stood near some docked boats. He hoped for a handout. It was a bright, windless afternoon on Fontana Lake in the mountains of western North Carolina.. Yes, the water really was this color. I marveled at the emerald clarity of this deep lake and the almost too-graphic-to-be-real ripples. Disappointed, the duck swam away, leaving me mesmerized by the green glow of deep water.