Editor’s Letter

The Throes of Summer

Recently, I had the pleasure of a road trip with my 13, almost 14-year-old granddaughter, Jentry. The Queen and I have a special relationship with that young teenager, seeing that she stayed with us as a baby as both parents worked and we didn’t see the value of raising a youngster in daycare. She actually was with us from Sundays through Thursdays until starting school. Jentry is a kind-hearted joyful young lady and spending time rolling across the nation was meaningful.

The primary purpose of our trip was to give a speech for Drew Hay at his pond management seminar at their farm near Butler, Pennsylvania. I didn’t particularly want to be incarcerated in a big silver school bus with wings in these days of cancelled flights and remnants of diseases filtered through pressurized air for several hours each way, not to mention the cattle call at airport security.

So, we drove.

Left Texas on Thursday, drove through Arkansas, Tennessee, Memphis and Nashville, on to Louisville, Kentucky. Saw literally hundreds of ponds along the way. Friday, we drove to Hay Valley and hung out, watching family interact to put this event together. Close to 75 people came together to hear our words. There were a handful of us speaking and three key vendors to answer questions and present information to a thirsty audience. It amazes me at the number of folks who don’t realize what they can learn toward stewardship. They soaked it in.

The setting was beautiful. Under a tent, a two-day respite from hot summer temperatures, nestled next to the pond, a focal point in the middle of family property. I sat on a rock, carefully placed by Drew, a pond builder there in Pennsylvania, with Jentry and just absorbed the peace and tranquility. You can join me in that moment…look at the cover of the magazine.

In today’s world of crashing stock markets, distracting political issues, and social strife, those handful of days on the road with a soft-spoken, happy grandchild was exactly what was needed.

Peace.