I shouldered my electric blue Perception 9.5 kayak, reached out and grabbed my yellow double-bladed kayak paddle and carried both over to the bank, stepping delicately down the seven uneven steps that lead to the Sangamon River. I brought the kayak around my shoulder and plopped it down into the Sangamon with a splash. Next is the tricky part; there’s […]
I was sitting down by the Sangamon on my red Adirondack on a surprisingly “warm” (definition: over 50) February day. The pleasantly breezy afternoon felt like a real gift from nature for a weekend day in February, at least in these parts. In a very relaxed state, I sat back, stretched out, shut my eyes for a minute or two, […]
I’m sitting by the bank of the Sangamon in my red Adirondack chair. The River flows silently by. It’s 9:30 on a perfectly cloudless full moon night. The full moon night glows blue-white. A few days back, it snowed several inches; bright white snow still blankets the ground. The River remains partly frozen, but the ice is retreating as the […]
In last week’s “Ramblings” fellow Citizen columnist Jim Matthews, writing about the water situation in Flint, Michigan, stresses “Let us not be deceived. With enough selfishness and neglect, what happened in Flint, can happen anywhere – even here.” True that. Things often go awry when we take things for granted. Such as when we drop cubes in our glass from […]
When I was young, I dreamed of a river. A river as clear and cool as ice-water, reflecting blue as a bright summer sky, white sandy bottom for barefoot toes and current carrying me along in a lazy effortless drift. And when I dreamed, I dreamed it was the Broward River, right behind my house, the first in this series […]
Our regular feature writer, Scott Hays, is taking a much, much-deserved break from writing, so in lieu of our regular column this week, we present an end-of-the-year interview with Mr. Hays as part of our continuing “Great River Writers” series. Interviewer: First of all, we’d like to say thanks for taking time from your busy holiday schedule to interview with […]