Those eyes

I went to Weld to turn on the hot water at camp and get a few things done for the onslaught of summer visitors. Then, I visited Pete St. John in Weld who just adopted their 5th Newfie, a puppy named Oliver who will brother-up with 8-year-old Pope. Margo and Pete have a great deal of property on the Wilton Road in Weld that winds through the woods and is backed by Alder Brook. We went for a walk with the three dogs. Because of the rain, the brook, now more a river, bubbled white with rapids and... you guessed it, Bailey decided to take a swim like he does at camp in Bowley Brook.

Before I could say a word, he slipped into the water and was instantly swept away by the rapids. He slid through the white caps in the black churning water --his head bobbed up and down, and his widening eyes showed primal fear. I suspect few times in his young life had he felt this total lack of control.


I ran down stream and watched as Bailey started swimming powerfully, his shoulders now crowning out of the water. A small bend in the river caused a calmer pool near the shoreline;  as luck would have it, he swam until he got to land. 


I didn't have a chance to get frightened. Afterwards, I looked down river and for as far as I could see, the water churned black with rocks slicing the waves. He could have gotten wacked by a rock...  finding his black coat among that black water.... 


The next day Pete emailed, "I hope Bailey wasn't banged up too much after his plunge? I can't get that image out of my mind!"  


Neither can I.