It was a hot, mid-summer day while visiting my maternal grandmother during school vacation. 


She lived in a trailer park with a lovely creek. 







My little sister, Teri, and I spent countless hours playing in or near the water. We’d slide down a large, flat rock into a waist deep pool, catch and release crawdads, and ‘fish’ with poles Grandma helped us make out of sticks, white string, and safety pin hooks baited with bits of marshmallow. 




Although I was getting older, around twelve,...