Morning Chat
China 2003
I had wandered down a mucky, muddy riverbank looking for scenes from “old China”. Old houses made of homemade brick lined the river. Abandoned puppies huddled on the steps. Ramshackle houseboats anchored a few feet from shore. The houseboat people gained the shore by balancing across thin boards used as a gangplank.
I saw these women who lived in one of the houseboats. They sat chatting as they plucked ducks or chickens for their mid-day meal. The slow flowing river was their kitchen sink. Beyond the women, a lovely arched bridge on the opposite bank floated in the hazy, air. Lacy trees towered over lush, verdant fields.