Nature

I find this tree that is located on the banks of the Mississippi and heavily eroded by the water quite beautiful. It reminds me of another tree which is the banner used by Annie of Little Rock. Both trees survive despite being buffeted by other elements of nature. Humans, too, are often buffeted by elements that we cannot control, and how we survive sometimes is a miracle of nature.

The Mighty Mississippi

For a series of articles on the history of transportation on the Mississippi, click here.

There are few rivers as beautiful or as rich in history as the Mississippi. Rivers, or any body of water, have always held a special fascination for me. I was born in a city on the shore of Lake Michigan, grew up along the Fox River in Wisconsin, sowed my wild oats in Chicago again by Lake Michigan, married and reared a family in Minnesota with the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers as favorite places of recreation. Today I took darlin' 4-yr-old granddaughter Olivia to Hidden Falls, a lovely park not far from our house. She squealed with delight at the sight of a paddle boat, fascinated by speed boats rapidly moving by, intriqued by kayaks, and delighted with the barge in the above photo. I felt the same as she! For more photos of the same barge, look here.