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CTFF Feature Around the Next Bend

Around the Next Bend

by Michael Brown

This spring has been both adventurous and at the same time calm, paralleling the flows of our local rivers. Part of the adventure is in the exploration of new places, in pursuit of the calming effect that being part of nature provides. I suppose that many of you have found a common thread throughout the lifespan of this column, that it's often the little things in life tend to be the most rewarding. For some of us our reward is to see and hear birds while out on a local water; for others, it's to hear laughter and see the smiles of our family and friends; others enjoy these and a myriad of other things found in nature. Knowing that these words pale when compared to memories and their associations currently in your mind, I ask that you take a minute or two to enjoy and explore those thoughts.

When a group of us traveled to Junction to float and fish the South Llano River, most of us were apprehensive about going to someplace, on the spur of the moment. The people in Junction were quite friendly and made us feel at home. The floating and fishing (and the occasional dunking) was well worth the worry. The South Llano River is quite lovely, it's difficult to believe that there was flooding there this past October and November. Floating a new stretch of water always seems like it takes much longer than it should, due to the lack of familiarity with landmarks, and the desire to "fish it all." I'm looking forward to a return visit sometime soon.

As summer approaches I wonder what it has in store, and about the people and places I will meet and visit. Many places come to mind, almost all are within a couple days of driving. Do I go to places I've been, or do I continue the adventurous spirit of the spring, and discover new places? All this talk about internal and external exploration has set my mind to wander . . . where it will go and what it will find are around the next bend.

Note: This column first appeared in our May 2001 newsletter.

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