A Memorable Place
A good dunking and a good ribbing
By Galia Berry
SPECIAL TO THE SUN
There were many Colorado rafting companies to choose from, but this ad got our attention: "Bill and Hillary May Be Tired of Whitewater ... But You'll Love It!"
Facing us are the Shoshone Rapids on the Colorado River. A thought crosses my mind: I am going to die. One consolation: I won't die alone. Also signed up are two boisterous families from Texas.
Our guide is Sebastian, a gentle soul with a kind face. Like a bucking bronco, the rapids toss us madly into the air. Sitting precariously on the raft's rubber rim, we drop several feet into a "hole." Soaked, we come up again, gasping for air, only to be hit, smashed and engulfed by a wave. Masochistic, we ask for more.
Suddenly, the raft carrying the Texans is in trouble. Man overboard! The Texans turn to the guide for guidance, but then they realize it is the guide who is overboard. Poor Sebastian.
After retrieving him, the Texans can't wait to verbally relive the scene again and again. ("It's hard to soar like an eagle when you act like a turkey," they kid Sebastian.)
Sebastian is morose. If he can't find his lost oar, he owes his employer $100 to replace it. Worse is the river guide's code of honor: If a guide or piece of equipment goes overboard, he must not only survive relentless jibes by his peers, he's required to buy beers for the entire staff. Because Sebastian and his oar took an unplanned dip, he must buy two rounds, a total of 60 beers.
But there are more rapids to conquer. As the Texans hold on for dear life, a wisp of a 10-year-old girl among them peeks over her shoulder through the spray and glances at Sebastian. The tiny girl yells, "He's still with us!"
Later, returning to the parking lot to change our clothes, Sebastian's mood has not improved. In the dressing room, the little 10-year-old talks with her aunt.
"I had a good time," she says solemnly, "but I don't know about Sebastian."
"How so, hon?" asks her aunt.
"Well, first Sebastian went overboard. Then he lost his oar. Now he has to buy beers for everybody. He owes the boss $100 for the missing oar. And, he swallowed a fly."
From another dressing room comes a twangy singsong: "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly, I don't know why she swallowed a fly -- perhaps she'll die!"
I burst out laughing, as do 10 other anonymous chucklers from behind their private dressing room curtains. Leaving the dressing room in our clean, dry clothes, we pass Sebastian. We don't mean to be cruel, but we are all humming the melody to "There Was an Old Lady Who Swal-lowed a Fly."
Galia Berry lives in Baltimore.
My Best Shot
Rebecca Linton, Baltimore
Artistic influences
The medieval French town of St. Paul de Vence is located on a hilltop about half an hour outside Cannes. St. Paul is famous for the artists who contributed to its history, including Pablo Picasso and Mark Chagall. I arrived in St. Paul early on an August morning, before the rest of the tourists. I spent several hours exploring the cobbled streets with their charming, quaint shops.
Readers Recommend
Pass-a-Grille, Fla.
Lois Mark, Baltimore
Looking more like a grand Spanish palace than a hotel, the historic Don Cesar Beach Resort sprawls on a secluded, unspoiled, sugar-white beach in Pass-a-Grille, between the Gulf of Mexico and Boca Ciega Bay in the St. Petersburg area. Recently, my daughter Diana and I splurged and stayed at the luxurious Don Cesar. We loved exploring laid-back Pass-a-Grille. Just 31 blocks long and one block wide, the community is known for magnificent sunsets, historic cottages and first-class galleries.
Dublin, Ireland
Alice Horst, Timonium
During a recent visit to Dublin, I took this picture from the Ha'penny Bridge, so called because it was a toll bridge and once cost a halfpenny to cross. The view is looking back toward the city as the sun was setting. Dublin is a beautiful city.
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