Take Me to the River

Today was a typical NW rainy day in Clark County, Washington. Living in California, I missed days like this, which were few and far between. The Fall leaves also seem particularly vibrant this season, with the hillsides colored gold and green with splashes of red. This morning, my stepfather and I dropped my mom off at my cousin Helen's (Hunny'z) beauty salon and took a ride up to Woodland, WA. He wanted to check out some of his old fishing spots. He hasn't been out fishing for a couple of years because of not wanting to leave my mother alone for long due to her poor health. We drove along the Lewis River on top of the dike, and then the Columbia. I was suprised that we could see St. Helens, Oregon across the river. I lived there for a few years when I was a child. It looked very picturesque, with the courthouse and the marina in view. We only saw two people out fishing, and my father commented that it was probably a little too early for the salmon run. He told stories about his old fishing buddies, some of whom have passed on. I haven't done much fishing in my life, other than catching a trout once and going smelt dipping a couple of times. Maybe I'll go out fishing with my stepdad one of these days.