Only on one of summer’s unhurried weekday afternoons would you meet a small family fishing off a North Lake Tahoe pier.
Peering into the water from this rickety structure with its missing planks of wood that show you how high you’re suspended, you’re instantly thrilled when they offer to show you how to pluck crawdads from the Tiffany waters. This means you’ll have a reason to be on your knees instead of standing upright and wishing into the bright sky that there was more to hold onto.
This family has tied a rope to rock and fastened a hunk of pork on top to lure the creatures. They can reel the rock and pork to the dock with great speed. Enough speed to catch a bucket full.
You fail at fishing several times and develop a deep appreciation for their collection, for the hard work and patience the pail represents.
You think about summer and how long it seemed to stretch when you were a young girl. You think about how quickly it can recede if you let it.
The semester has started and you may not be able to catch a crayfish, or enjoy the Tahoe sky in the middle of a Wednesday, but you can enjoy other people’s adventures, including this semester’s Creative Writing students who start sharing right after Labor Day:
defineanyproppriate.wordpress.com
6ladiesandadude.wordpress.com
sevenstalkers.wordpress.com
literarypotluck.wordpress.com
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