Lowe River, 10/11/06

"A river man, or a man of the woods, or of any farm-life

of these States or of the coast, or the lakes or Kanada,

Me wherever my life is lived, O to be self-balanced for

contingencies,

To confront night, storms, hunger, ridicule, accidents,

rebuffs, as the trees and animals do."

-from Walt Whitman, Me Imperturbe

The levee that keeps this river from channeling through our neighborhood failed on Tuesday night. When we left, our road was crumbling and water was rushing toward our home. Today, we returned under blue skies. Water levels everywhere are back to normal. The puddle in our driveway is the only reminder of how close we came to losing our few possessions. My favorite memory of the evacuation is stopping to watch a salmon cross the highway at a swollen stream.

We live two miles away from this gorgeous box canyon. It's the only road out. Read more here . Or for a more beautiful perspective, click here.