Encounters at Calhoun Falls

"Dad, I caught one!" Little Legs screamed!

Her volume would have scared the fish off her line had it not been secruely snagged.  The gril was so proud.  She had only just flung her line into Lake Russel at Calhoun Falls State Park when the unkowning swimmer took her bait.  It was the first fish she had ever really caught by herself.  She looked at it as stood as tall as her seven years could muster.  Her self confidence shot through the air and she became a fisher.

Anchor became a fisher's handler, scurrying from one child to the next attaching bait, assisting casts, detangling lines and releasing the small finned captives.  He laughed to himself about the stupidity that he had to have a fishing licence to detangel fishing line.  I laughed too.  He was enjoying it, the age old joy of fishing with your children.

Wet Foot got bored with fishing quickly as she had no luck luring fish onto her hook and had rather more luck attracting fire ants to her ankle.  Thoreau was finding a niche.  Imagine finding an activity in which one is encouraged to be quiet and still, daydream and imagine, think deep thougts and enjoy the stillness of not thinking at all.  Thoreau's quietness beckoned the fish to his hook and he too beamed and brightened as he found success at the end of his line.

I enjoy many aspects of the state parks.  I love hiking, exploring and discovering.  I hate to fish.  I don't care for the concept of fishing:  standing still, impaling mouths, dragging gilled creatures from their only known world of water and then throwing them back.  Thanks, but no.

Ben and I headed to the gift ship.  He was patient as I looked for bargains and I rewarded him with ice cream from the freezer in the back.  Wet Foot joined us and we watched the people enjoying the park as the others in our family fished.  We saw houseboats which very much confused Ben.  We talked to a family that had camped the week at Calhoun Falls.  The little girls must never have seen someone with autism before.  Their mother looked as if she wished she could hide her daughter's probing eyes.  This is always difficult but for us as Ben's family, not for Ben himself.  Ben is not very socially aware and so does not get embarrassed by undue attention.  He doesn't understand societal cues- and that protects him tremendously.

Still, I woud much prefer to answer the honest questions of a child than to endure cruelty by those who do not understand about persons with special needs.  I approached them.  We talked, those children and I, about special needs.  Just for a quick moment.  Just to quiet fears.  Just to introduce them to the very cool person Ben happens to be.

Then the girl spied a slushie machine and tantrumed to have one.  Her mother took the child after Ben noted that she was "sad".  We left the gift shop and its assortment of light up fish and t shirts.  We gathered our family from the shores of Lake Russel and left never quite figuring out why this tranquil water was called Calhoun Falls.