The Water Column

"Water water everywhere;  Nor any drop to drink" The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Samuel Taylor Coleridge A reflective sunrise on Lake Miltona We  took a trip to Asheville NC in early December. You may recall this western North Carolina city of just under 100k population was hit hard by hurricane Helene at the end of September. Days of rain had preceded the hurricane winds. Creeks swelled to roaring rivers, rivers overflowed and carried houses away. The area received one to two and a half FEET of rain during the storm. The true power of water was on display.    In the aftermath of the flooding, the infrastructure was laid bare and this area was left without drinkable or useable water. Asheville is served by three separate water treatment plants that operate thousands of miles of pipes to bring water from reservoirs to homes. Two of the three plants sustained damage, including demolished waterlines, and washouts that moved 25 feet of ground. Entire waterways shifted...

  The Water Column  At the end of September, 2024 my wife and I hiked the entire length of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. This UNESCO world heritage trail follows the northern most border of the ancient Roman Empire. Begun in AD122, it was a stone wall stretching across the whole width of the island. It is the largest Roman archeological feature in Britain and was the inspiration for the Wall in George R. R. Martin’s best selling series “A Song of Ice and Fire” dramatized in the TV series “Game of Thrones.” Hiking fifteen to nineteen miles each day, we completed the 85 mile trek in six days. There were moments of awe and wonder each step of the way. When walking next to intact sections of the wall, I would marvel that I was placing my feet in the same places that Roman soldiers and citizens did in the first century. I was walking in the “old world” touching stones that had been placed almost two thousand years ago. Standing amongst the ruins of forts and castles where...