Wednesday it reached 96 degrees. Bluh.
It was my day off from work. I was updating my financial spreadsheets on the laptop in the shade of the back yard and Tara popped her head out at me earlier than I expected. Wednesday is also early release day at the high school.
“It’s soooo hoooooottt….” she moaned, by way of hello. She had just walked home through the hot sun from the bus stop.
“Wanna skip ballet and go to the river?”
I didn’t have to ask twice.
The people at the river felt so real, so local. What a different group than I usually find myself amongst, when in Portland. No tourists here. No hipsters. No elitism.
Instead, there were families. Old guys with cigars, babies, dogs, giggling girls, young mothers, and beer guzzling young men. There were bad tan lines, sagging skin, sun browned limbs, old clothes, plastic sunglasses and flip flops. Yes, it felt pretty darn redneck, and happy, and simple.
It was a perfect place to be. 🙂
Conscious Engagement 
Love this post!! Your photos are wonderful and I can almost feel the cool water!
I can not imagine what it would be like to not have a river within minutes of my home! That photo of the young women in the chairs reminds me of a friend’s annual labor day gathering on the Little River. We all bring our chairs, with a bucket of beer, and just sit in the water. Heaven on earth!
And the floating couch? When it’s a pretty day and the students are not home on break, it looks like a flotilla of rafts, blow up mattresses, tubes, etc coming down the river.
Aww, thanks for your enthusiastic appreciation! I asked the young women if I could take their photo and one asked, “Well, should we pose or can I keep talking?” ha ha ha! A river is such a simple pleasure. So wonderful. So naturally refreshing.