The Proverbs 32 Woman: 2 Senior Southerners Visit California: Post 5 -- I'll Never Wring All the Water Out of My River Rat

My Silver Fox knows the North Alabama portion of the Tennessee River ALMOST as well as he knows the Bible -- particularly the Book of Proverbs. He grew up a block from Blue Haven swimming pool in Decatur and rarely missed a day there during the summer, stopping only to hurry home to eat a quick bologna sandwich and then head right back. He probably started learning to cast a rod and reel shortly after he took his first step. Under the careful tutelage of their father, Steve and his brother David spent many hours trying to lure a big bass into the boat. I wonder just how many pictures were made through the years of the three of them with their day's haul of fish proudly displayed. Just between us, they all looked mighty similar to me, but THEY can tell you almost without fail where they were caught, what baits they used, and how much they weighed.

For those of you who "aren't from around here," allow me to explain that the Tennessee River runs between Athens, AL and Decatur, AL, but is MUCH closer to Decatur. People from Athens have occasionally referred to people from Decatur as "River Rats" -- in the most affectionate way, of course. Steve grew up in Decatur, and I was born in Athens.

We didn't meet until college days, but I learned quickly that Steve Pearson and the river (or almost any body of water) were synonymous. When we started to "get serious," I figured my best chance to capture his attention would be by agreeing to go fishing WITH him. Our children are probably doubled over laughing at that sentence since they know that I can't even swim, and they probably saw me sipping lemonade and perusing the latest Southern Living magazine while I was in the boat more often than they saw me "reeling in a big one."

Never mind all that. The point of this post is that Steve LOVES the water, and actually, nature in general, and in recent years he has added a love for photography. He had a ball on our recent trip to California. Well, think about it, endless stretches of the Pacific Ocean coupled with the waterfalls and river flowing through Yosemite -- how could he NOT like it? I caught him making an occasional picture of a flower or two -- mostly at my insistence, but the majority of his photographs involved the water and nature in general. And, he looked pretty happy waiting for good meals to arrive and when he was hanging off the side of a cable car in San Francisco. You'll see his signature Auburn hat in quite a few of the pictures, too. Just sit back, keep scrolling, and see some of the sights that I saw most frequently on our trip.