Evening on the Snohomish
18x16 inches
oil on linen on panel
John W. Stinson ©2011
There is a lot of snowpack in the Cascades this year as much as 200% of normal in some of the river watersheds and the spring has been very mild so when the sun comes out and actually has warmth and you start to believe summer has arrived. People naturally are heading to the local rivers for rejuvenating their body, minds and souls. The Snohomish, Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers look deceptively peaceful running with high water but the currents are swift and the water is extremely cold from the melting snowpack and dangerous. The rivers have already claimed lives this season and we have barely entered the month of June. Just a couple of years ago the Skykomish claimed the life of a friend of mine in a freak accident when she jumped in the river to save her son. Many of the victims are not boating or rafting on the river but just walking, wading or swimming near the river banks. The lawmakers in King county where I reside are trying to pass legislation making life jackets mandatory even to swim in the rivers. I don't know if that is the answer or just another misguided attempt to legislate all the possible dangers from our lives. I love the rivers in Washington and rivers in general and have caved in to the urge to jump in on a hot summer day many times but now older and wiser I just sit on the banks and watch the river flow.
