The Boy Who Could Draw the Bottom -- and more Remainderings

A few days ago, as I was walking downriver, right south of the Dillingham Street Bridge, I first heard and then saw a speedboat flyin’ up the River, toward the Eagle and Phenix Dam, going about … I don’t know … How fast do speedboats go? Anyway, this guy was steppin’ ON it. I thought to myself, I hope he knows where the channel is. He must have, ‘cause he got on outta my sight and I didn’t hear any loud crash. All those rocks … yikes.

Once, years ago, I had a student, a ninth-grade boy, who could draw, in detail, the bottom of the river, with all its elevations, from Eagle and Phenix Dam down past Rotary Park. And he might have been able to draw more – the portion I just described is what I saw him draw. He explained that ever since he was a little bitty kid he’d spent lots of time fishing with his granddaddy out on this portion of the River, from his granddaddy’s boat. He said that his granddaddy would carefully explain all the “suckholes” and rocks and ups and downs and structural remnants and piles of debris on the bottom of the River – and that they spent time on the River when it was high and when it was low and when it was in between. That boy loved the River. I’m pretty sure he loved his granddaddy, too. Was my student’s drawing accurate? Hell if I know, but he surely did seem to know what he was drawin’ about.

Switchin' topics, here are some recently snagged remainderings, including both a few visual ones as well as a coupla audials:


That's a MUSHROOM growing on the bank of the River! (It's been HUMID 'round heah lately.)







It occurred to me after a while that my whole beloved Powerhouse is a remaindering -- unto itself.





And the audial:

One woman cyclist to another: "And, ya know, you have to know all the little TEENY words to put in there."
The other cyclist: "Right!"

***

One male cyclist to the whole flock of cyclists behind him, as he points to the "west bank" -- "No! That's PHENIX CITY!"