Holding

I
The way a bobby pin clips hair in place: that's the way my Bell Buckle friends F and TJ hold me -- gently, firmly.

II
The way the American Rubyspot holds to a leaf above water in strong wind: that's the way I hold to F and TJ -- gently, firmly.

A Pall on the Afternoon

At Old Stone Fort, I took several hundred photos of two damselflies I'd not seen before: The Blue-ringed Dancer and the American Rubyspot. A beautiful afternoon, spent in sun and shade, sitting mostly by the river, listening to the waterfall, just looking at bugs.

On the way home, traffic came to a long standstill. I finally asked the truck driver next to me if she knew what had happened. "Bad wreck," she said, "three helicopters." And then I heard a siren behind us. The news report says six children were injured when a tire blew, causing the van to swerve. In an instant, I imagine, everything changed.

I loved my afternoon.

I can only hope the travelers loved what they had of theirs. May they have others.