As Larry Ferguson moved debris, Collins Market in New Richmond displayed confidence. I asked that in flooded New Richmond, the East End, Falmouth, Lawrenceburg and on California's Kellogg Avenue. The floodwaters have receded. Ruined possessions are stacked in front of houses with water lines under the eaves. Cars have returned to downtown's riverfront lots.
Barges slip past the stadium.
Sunlight dances in silver streaks on the living river. The mud is being scooped, shoveled and trucked off to be buried like toxic waste we hope will never rise again. In the flood's aftermath stands a stronger sense of community. No matter where we live, on the hills or on the shoreline, we are alike for a time, sharing the dreams and sorrows of a river town. When the Ohio River climbed rapidly into the riverfront stores of New Richmond, Metzger's Hardware was jammed.