THE CREEK.
One of the very first things I did on my first visit to Bugtussle Farm was to take a walk with the family to the creek. I was surprised when we reached our destination - what looked to me more like a lake or a river. But it was a creek. The Creek, as it is known to me now.The Creek has become a salvation to me. It is our swimming hole, our bathtub, a place where we come to be, as Eric calls it, "born again." There is truly nothing better after a long day of working in the sun, 95 degrees and sweating and dirty and itchy, than plunging into The Creek. You truly feel reborn, renewed. It is sometimes the only thing that can motivate me to finish a very difficult summer project - the hope of The Creek. The symbolism of a baptism makes a new kind of sense to me now.We never take it for granted - the Smith family is down at the water at least once a day, swimming or bathing or cooking over a campfire or fishing. It is one of the best parts of summer around here - right up there with tomatoes and eggplant and melons.- Hannah.