Where Will This Take Me?

Where Will This Take Me?
By John R. Greenwood

For some reason I always need a photograph to start my writing. It's like priming a stubborn engine with a spritz of ether. The other day I was drawn to the Hudson River in Thurman where this photograph was taken. I have been overcome by the need to embrace the river of my youth. The Hudson solidified my love of water and the shores that ran it's length. To this day I find no greater joy than rolling into a well worn and vacant pull-off along the Hudson and savoring the moment. My father initiated this ritual when as a young boy he would take the long way from Greenfield Center to Glens Falls via Spier Falls and the Hudson River. When I became an adult, years of long work days and few vacations limited those opportunities. Today I feel compelled to recapture those riverbank moments that acted like a calming salve for my soul. The timing of my yearning coincides with loss of the Hudson's greatest friend Pete Seeger. Naive to the entire scope of Mr. Seeger's contributions I now find myself playing catch-up. I have been researching many things about the river and its history. My heart aches to see the dredging equipment tearing up the internal organs of my friend. I have resolved myself to the fact that this was necessary. It may take multiple generations for this majestic body of water to return to the once vibrant river it once was but in the end it was the right thing to do. Let's hope our knowledge and experience insure that something like this never happens again. For now I have work to do. I have a 1960's book stirring up my curiosity, a river begging for company, and a motorcycle and camera itching for spring. I can't wait, can you?