090813 #dog I was in McLean at Christmastime; there wasn't much to do. I took a walk around the block along with you know who. 081313 #copperhead Do i feel a little foolish to realize that everything is less slightly sinister now? That canoes aren't so bad really, once you get used to them and stop trying to act like you're totally in control; that it's okay if it gets dark and cold; that the relentless mezzo-forte rush of water isn't really a harbinger of deepest, darkest uncertainty and aloneness in the vastness of space? Can a cup of roasted bean juice really do all that? It seems as if, at least in this case, it can. So I crunch with my friend back over the weeds and reeds and puddles and rocks, and wait for him to get his gear stowed.