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W e d n e s d ay, au g u s t 14, 2024
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Danny Heitman AT RANDOM
Small changes can open us to miracles While I was deep in the newspaper the other morning, a sound from the patio, like the steady shake of a maraca, took me out of the headlines. Glancing out the window, I quickly solved the riddle. My wife was working among her tomatoes and cucumbers, salting their roots with grains from a jar. With jolts of fertilizer, she was trying to give them a second life. August is an in-between time in Louisiana gardens. Fall isn’t within reach, but summer is bottoming out. Plants that seemed strong and vibrant when the season began now tend to look a bit shopworn, so a little perspective helps. Old gardeners know that the doldrums will pass, and in the meantime, it’s best to wait things out. Or so I tell myself when I glance at our tomatoes, which have gotten stingier with their fruit. Our cucumber vine is a little played out, too, as if it’s decided that summer is a hill it no longer wants to defend. The hydrangeas wilt more these days when the weather’s dry, but I stand over them with a hose at dusk to give them courage. Out in the front yard, our big sycamore is shedding as it does every summer, strips of bark littering the yard like leaflets dropped from enemy planes. This August, other parts of life have also seem a little tired. Summer is supposed to be a restorative season, but it’s had a different feel this year. The news cycle doesn’t seem to chime with summer’s celebration of carefree times. Even so, the days bring their gifts. I was watering our pencil tree the other evening when a rainbow appeared in the spray. The colors faded in and out as I moved the nozzle, reminding me that the tiniest changes in how we see things can open us to miracles. I‘ve been thinking about this more deeply after finishing “And Then? And Then? What Else?,” novelist Daniel Handler’s new memoir. Near the end of his book, Handler wonders whether appreciating this little stuff matters very much in a broken world. “How,” he asks, “can such a loss be comforted, and how can it be repaired? You must — we must — build it back the same way, layer by layer, out of tiny things we find and love.” This seems like wise and timely advice, which I’m trying to keep in mind as we all navigate a challenging year. In the spirit of respite and renewal, I hope to do a better job at noticing goodness close at hand in this final leg of summer. One recent weekend, my wife and I smiled when our
This Louisiana swimming organization teaches more than swimming lessons BY LAUREN CHERAMIE and JAN RISHER
rawfish Aquatics co-founder Steven Ripple is as concerned with teaching everyone how to swim, along with core values, as he is helping gifted swimmers reach the Olympics. “We’re not trying to make Olympians,” Ripple said. “Valuecentric principles are learned. It’s about humility. It’s about gratitude. Kids have to belong to something.” Even so, the program has had a few Olympians in its time and several swimmers in the Olympic trials. Carson Foster, who swam with Crawfish Aquatics from 2007 to 2010, just won a bronze medal in Paris for the U.S. in the men’s
| Staff writers
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ABOVE: Sebastian Gomez, with Crawfish Aquatics, flexes his muscles. TOP: ‘We’re not trying to make Olympians,’ Crawfish Aquatics cofounder Steven Ripple said. ‘Value-centric principles are learned. It’s about humility. It’s about gratitude. Kids have to belong to something.’ 400m individual medley and a silver medal in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.
Despite the progress and awards, the goal remains the same: For everyone, no matter the skill level, to find a place to fit in and advance their swim skills. The overall mission at CrawIn 2008, Phillip Morrison, an- fish Aquatics, which operates in other Crawfish Aquatics mem- its own facilities in both Baton ber, swam for Brazil at the Olymä See AQUATICS, page 2G pics in Beijing.
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How many drawbridges are in Louisiana? The Black Bayou moveable bridge is located in Calcasieu Parish.
PROVIDED PHOTO
BY JAN RISHER Staff writer
Curious Louisiana reader Abigail Hendren, of Baton Rouge, asked, “Does Louisiana have more drawbridges than any other state? And how many drawbridges are in the state?” Hendren, originally from Lexington, Kentucky, went to LSU and was struck by the number of large and small moveable bridges in her adopted state.
The correct term for the bridges is “moveable bridges,” according to Rodney Mallett, communications director for the Department of Transportation and Development. He says Louisiana currently has 138 total movable bridges. He explained that 101 of the moveable bridges are owned/ operated by the DOTD. The remaining 37 are operated by local cities or municipalities. “DOTD currently employs
around 175 employees across the state to operate its movable bridges,” Mallett said. “Many bridges are manned and operate ‘on signal,’ meaning they will open upon request. Some of these bridges operate ‘on signal’ 24/7 while other bridges will only operate ‘on signal’ during specific defined hours.” Meanwhile, Mallett explained that other bridges operate “on
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