Bagpipes and mud clouds and tiny fish.

Hot this evening, but not unbearable. Walking with the girls toward the Trinity River, contemplating a major life change, an impending decision to be made. Somewhere in the distance, bagpipes.

***

At the river's edge, treading on slippery moss while minnows scurry away from our feet. Mad and V are delighted with them. We scoop some up in the tupperware we brought, and Mad manages to hold a larger one in her hand for a moment before sending it back to the water. Clouds of mud bloom and hide our toes.

***

On the way home, Mad asks if we will hear the "pipes" again. Her tricycle is tucked into the wagon, and the girls are walking next to me. A woman on a bike asks how the water was. "Good," she tells me when I say the girls had fun. It is 7:30 p.m., and I think, I won't be missing out on this stuff.

This is the best stuff anyway.