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Thread: The River. A short essay

  1. #1
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    The River. A short essay

    The sun was up, I looked over at the weather station in my camper it was 15* outside. I bundled up, Fleece pants, down jacket with hood. Come on Watson it's time for your morning walk. He bounced out from under the dinette, with that lets go dad look on his furry face. Once out we took a walk down to the Carson River. It was almost dead quiet out. The frosted over grass of the meadow crunching under my feet, Watson bounding about with glee, Clarks Nutcrackers calling. As we neared the river it was covered with a thin layer of ice save for an open spot here and there. Fly Fishing would have to wait until the sun rose higher. It was a magnificent Late fall morning in the High Country.

    There is something magical about standing in a steam casting a fly with no one else around. What else would lead you to pull on thermals then fleece pants over those and wool socks for my feet , then pull on frozen waders and very cold wet wading boots, a thermal top and long sleeve shirt topped with a fleece vest, put on a fishing vest grab your fly rod and head to the river knowing that it is still below freezing out?

    That first step into the river, hearing the ice crack under your boot then feeling the ice against your waders as you venture further out. The water was just at my waist level, I could feel its coldness pierce through my insulation.

    Looking around at the mountains, the river valley, the the willow thickets, hearing the sound of the river as it flowed over the top of the beaver dam and watching the trout rise to eat unseen insects on the waters surface freed my mind of all the normal clutter.

    It is a place of inner peace. Why else would I come here to stand in freezing water for over three hours not really caring if I caught a fish or not

    I will see my friend, the river, again next year after the snow and Ice have melted, It will look different but the peace that it gives will still sing its siren song to me when we meet again....
    Last edited by TriGuy; 11-02-2020 at 11:08 PM.
    "The only thing that we learn from torture is the depths of our own moral depravity"

  2. #2
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    Send that to Readers Digest. ...... And stop making me want to leave my Bayous.
    Individual rights are protected only as long as they don't conflict with the desires of the state .

  3. #3
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    What is it they call petry that doesn't rhyme?...Oh yeah, free verse!...Nice one Eric......Ben
    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  4. #4
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    Standing balls deep in freezing water does not strike me as fun......

  5. #5
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    While autumn is arguably my favorite time of year, I get a little melancholy also. I know the feelings you describe, I'm just way too lazy to try to articulate them.

    And if I was standing ball deep in freezing water, the residue would eventually make it to Phil and Freds water supply. Jus sayin.
    "Back after 5 years. I thought you had died.

    don"


    Splitting my time between the montane and the mesas

    The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by CactusCurt View Post
    And if I was standing ball deep in freezing water, the residue would eventually make it to Phil and Freds water supply. Jus sayin.
    Sometimes it's just comforting to not only live in another time zone but also a different watershed......Ben
    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  7. #7
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    Ben downstream from Houston would be worse
    "The only thing that we learn from torture is the depths of our own moral depravity"

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by TriGuy View Post
    Ben downstream from Houston would be worse
    Agreed...Which is why I live upstream......Ben
    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by CactusCurt View Post
    While autumn is arguably my favorite time of year, I get a little melancholy also. I know the feelings you describe, I'm just way too lazy to try to articulate them.

    And if I was standing ball deep in freezing water, the residue would eventually make it to Phil and Freds water supply. Jus sayin.
    Piss away, we need it.

  10. #10
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    I've written mini essays like that to drag myself out of school. I can assure you that one would have gotten an A+. It was excellent the details made you feel like you were there and ultimately I can tell that the writer loves and most everything about the subject matter otherwise he would not have been able to bring it out to such vivid detail.
    OPINION....a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

  11. #11
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    Very nice Eric---thank you---and I was along the entire way, solitude in nature is special.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
    "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
    “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phillbo View Post
    Piss away, we need it.
    We are a little short this last few years. By the time it get to the well (360 + ft) some dead Native Indian's pee from years ago might filter thru though.
    Fred

    "Everyday I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've
    stayed alive."

    'Take care of yourself, and each other.'

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