A SUMMER WALTZ

By Hilary Hobbs

“I will be rocks , I will be water”

The crooning lyrics, sung by local bluegrass band Hick’ry Switch, rise up into the evening sky.

“Lift your head up to your wind.”

I do.

I sway in time to the guitar and voice as the create a new harmony, blending with the flow of the Truckee and the wisp of an evening breeze.

Sitting near the river’s edge, I watch the setting sunlight reflect off the Truckee’s surface, as the shallow water in turn dances and churns over smooth river rocks. The crowd listens reverently, quietly acknowledging that this moment, a gathering at twilight, at the River’s edge, is not to be disturbed.

Summer performances at Sierra Water Gardens on the north bank of the Truckee River are, to me, the quintessential celebration of this river.

There is something musical about the Truckee. At times, like during this spring’s torrent, the Truckee’s rhythm is an up-tempo fiddle tune. And at times, as it slows to a languid late summer flow, it is a waltz.