The Ouachita River, creeping up the banks.
I've been home for almost two weeks (if you count "home" as the place of your birth). Thought I'd share a photo of the Ouachita River (pronounced "Wash-i-tah"), which flows through the Ozark Mountiains and ends up in the Mississippi eventually, with a nice stretch dividing Monroe and West Monroe. I grew up right near the levee until I was six, then we moved to another house after the house next door burned down and scared my little self so bad my parents decided to move to escape the bad vibes. (That's a long story, for another blog post sometime.)
Anyway, going "behind the levee" used to be a daring thing for us teenagers to do, so I drove over with a bit of trepidation. Throughout Louisiana, levees have been built beside rivers to prevent flooding. This one has a recreational area on the river side. It was always a favorite spot for mischief of many kinds.
The area is hardly full of stoned teenagers now, in fact, I was thinking it would be a lovely spot for a picnic with my dog.
Well, except for that nightmare I had when I was four, which I vividly remember, where a lion was chasing our blue Chevrolet as we drove over the levee. No sign of him either. But you can never be too sure that nightmares don't come true.
I miss my dog, by the way. I'll be back home (if you count "home" as where you live) on Thursday.
