Those Dammed Rivers

Flowing water held a fascination for me as a child. Probably it started in the bathtub where I discovered that by covering up the overflow drain with my foot, I could make the water rise to abnormal levels – causing it to find another way out. More than once did Nenna find water dripping through her bedroom ceiling (coincidently located right below the bathroom). The bathroom was simply another playroom.

(This just in! – I just had another memory -- of us taking turns standing on the stage (aka – toilet) doing Elvis imitations – Eric & David very young (3 & 5?), very naked, but enthusiastically strumming air guitars and singing Ain’t Nothin’ but a Hound Dog)

Sorry about that interruption == so anyway, after it was ever-so gently (sure!) explained to me that playing with water in the bathroom was not allowed, I had to find my fun outside. The swampy woods and streams behind Urann’s pond were always fun to play around and attempt to jump, but I didn’t have much control over them. The pond was already formed by a manmade coffer dam, but I was intreged that the outlet river actually was underneath the Ocean Spray parking lot -- you could hear it running below at the storm drain.

I discover that damming up the out-flow from tidal pools at the beach was very empowering and simultaneously creative, and an easy media to work with.

Then Wes discovered the stream flowing out of the woods beyond the Hannigans house up the street. With his 8mm movie camera in hand and younger siblings and cousins in tow, off we went to film adventure movies in the woods. Large trees fallen across the river were perfect for adaptations of Robin Hood / Little John type stories – all scripted and filmed by Director Wes. My preference was playing with the flowing water – stacking rocks and inserting sticks, diverting the direction here & there.

Just a bit further up Phillips Street was “Wampatuck Road” – an unused dirt road to nowhere (but strangely listed on every map of Hanson as if it were a Main St) with swamp water on all sides and crossing the road in many spots as tiny rivers. It started as a route to explore, but became a destination for aspiring water control engineers. Complex dam systems creating reservoirs and canals and locks were being continuously constructed. Occasionally we would be appalled to discover (because as outstanding outdoorsmen and naturalists, we could interpret the tracks) that horses had ridden through and stomped some of our creations. Yes, we worked in miniature – our stone and earthen dams were typically about 1 – 2 inches high. Undeterred, we returned on many warm sunny days, spending painstaking hours working on our dammed rivers.

Although the others were good builders and enjoyed the work, I alone was acknowledged as the Master of all Dam Creation.