We just returned from a trip to Texas where our daughter Kate Lawn lives outside of Houston, Texas, with her family, which now includes three Eagle Scouts — dad and the two boys.
Two years ago, we visited and attended grandson Anthony’s Honor Court, and last Sunday we attended grandson Drew’s. We were so glad to celebrate their achievements.
One of the elements of the ceremony was a slide show of Drew’s scouting years, beginning as a Tiger Cub. We saw Drew when he was camping, hiking, rafting and even scuba diving, and it struck me how often water was involved.
Drinking water had to be arranged for the camp outs, streams were crossed on hikes — the boys had to be in the water. They had to learn how to swim, of course, and they needed to know the importance of safe drinking water, and water safety when around water. It was wonderful to watch this record of his growing up, his participation in Scout projects, and his participation in the community.
I was especially happy to see that his required Eagle project was planning, organizing and building, a tiny free library for children, which now lives in the Town Hall, where parents and children can find a book to entertain themselves while attending to business. They can even take the book home, because the sight of the tiny free library has generated donations from others.
As part of our celebratory visit, we took a family trip to Houston and the historic Cistern in the 160-acre Buffalo Bayou Park, an area that is once again becoming an active waterfront with hiking and bike trails, a dog park, native plantings, the resurrection of Lost Lake, and pontoon boat tours that travel into the downtown area on the bayou.
Part of the renovations include flood abatement measures.
Un-Houston-like temperatures were in the 40s and windy, so we didn’t explore the whole park, but we did attend the video art installation called “Rain: Magdalena Fernandez in the Houston Cistern.”
The Cistern was one of the city’s underground reservoirs and was built in 1926 for fire suppression and for drinking water. This 87,500-square-foot concrete space has 221 elegant concrete columns that are 25 feet tall. At full capacity, it holds 15 million gallons of water.
It operated for decades, but an irreparable leak forced the city to close it in 2007. It still has a low level of water in it. Fortunately for us, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership saved it and has turned it into a venue for art installations.
“Rain,” created by Magdalena Fernandez, uses the Perpetuum Jazzile vocal group — only body percussion — to create the sound of rain, soft and torrential, using their snapping fingers and slapping hands while lights flash and move among the columns.
We entered the Cistern with a guide who prepared us for the deep dark. The occasional loud booms that reverberated in my chest interrupted the splashing sound of rain from time to time. It was a mysterious experience.
After our summer drought, the sound of that rain was just wonderful. Water seemed to be a theme of our travels. We flew over the eastern seaboard to change planes in Baltimore, Md.
We recognized Manhattan, N.Y., surrounded by water, and tried to name all the local rivers and pick out where friends live on the shores of Long Island. When we got to the coastal area around Maryland, we saw many little islands, and were frustrated at not knowing anything about them.
When we flew home, we went through Orlando, Fla., which has no coastline, but it does have many bodies of waters — lakes and ponds — and what appear to be large man-made lagoons with regular shapes.
The cliché is, “water water everywhere and not a drop to drink,” and I couldn’t help wondering how much of the water below us was drinkable.
The December issue of Smithsonian magazine in my lap told the story of how the drinking water in Flint, Mich., was revealed as having poisonous levels of lead, and how difficult it had been to get the problem recognized, and how expensive it will be to correct it.
The story about Flint ended with information that in 2016, the Natural Resources Defense Council identified 5,300 water systems in the United States that do not comply with federal lead standards.
We are fortunate that here in Massachusetts we have close oversight of our water systems.
I am proud to say that my daughter, “Doctor” Betsy, as she is known in the family, is responsible for tracking the water quality of the Quabbin Reservoir, and the underground Norumbega Storage Facility, which is located northeast of Worcester and supplies water for the 61 communities served by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
Here in Greenfield, we can be grateful that the Water Distribution and Water Facilities Divisions of the DPW monitor our water and the infrastructure of the town’s water system. They make all the information about the water and system available online: www.greenfield-ma.gov
It is easy to see that Greenfield is in compliance with all regulations. The town’s website also includes contact information if you need a (free) water analysis or have any questions.
As I prepare the holiday feasts, I am grateful for the gift of clean water. In this holy season I send you all my wishes for a healthy and joyous year.
Pat Leuchtman had written and gardened since 1980. She lives in Greenfield. Readers can leave comments at her Web site: www.commonweeder.com