Down By The Riverside

Going Alone

You two should go alone, she said. Time for some father/son time. And she settled comfortably into a chair and pulled out a book.

The two of them set out alone. She did not seem disappointed as they left.

Colors

GREY. They followed the path thru the woods to the river. The sun was beginning to sink low and night was already settling into the dark places beneath the trees. Thru shadows of grey, Oaks and Juniper and Persimmons watched their passing.

WHITE. They followed the narrow stair down the canyon walls. The steps were made of white limestone, shining bright in the last light of day, holding the shadows in the woods at bay for perhaps another hour. But the stairs ended only halfway down -- just out of reach of the swirling torrents that sometimes crash thru the canyon.

BROWN. Where the stone steps stopped, brown wooden ones continued. Unlike the stone, the boardwalk creaked beneath their feet. The bright sun had clearly taken its toll, and some of the planks were certain to need replacing soon.

YELLOW AND RED. Cut branches and saplings had been thrown to either side of the walkway, to discourage walkers from straying perhaps, or maybe to slow the rush of water down the hill. There were Persimmon trunks and Live Oak branches. There were Agarita stems with bright yellow heartwood. And there were branches of Juniper, laden red with pollen so thick that it drifted into the air like smoke when disturbed.

GREEN. At the end of the long boardwalk, there were four deep steps down to the ground and a narrow path in the sand. The path led thru shoulder-high brush to the green water of the Pedernales River. The air was filled with the river's gurgle and hiss. It fell in bubbling rapids. It turned in lazy circles. And it gathered in silent pools.

And They Were Glad

So there they were by the water's edge, following the trail up-river, walking beside the Cypress trees, crawling over the rocks. They collected beans. They collected rocks. They skipped flat stones in the water, a few almost making it to the other side.

I'm glad we came down here, the boy said to the main.

I am too, the man said back.

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