The Mason-Dixon Line

Deserted steel-mill.
Along the Ohio River,
Chromatic butterfly.

(A haiku by James Dolan)

I love rivers and mountains. Just yesterday I was standing by the Ohio River (Ohio derives from the Iroquois Indian word meaning "good river" or "large river.") watching barges carrying coal to keep the power plants going and to keep the folks warm at a time like this. It was cold and windy. But we had a job to do. There were hills on either side of the river where we were. It was just like being on the bank of the big Red River I had left behind long time ago, except that there was no arctic wind back at the old place to freeze my finger tips. Anyway, this Ohio River is also referred to as the Mason-Dixon Line (after Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon) separating northern US and the southern US (Dixie). As we drove through the rolling hills of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania to find a route for a proposed pipeline to carry natural gas from the west to the east, we also stood by the Monongahela River and Youghioghenny River. The snow was white. The wind was blowing hard. But the hills stood tall watching the rivers below. And someday another steel pipe will cut through these hills and rivers trying to satisfy our appetite for energy. I am not sure of my role amongst people and nature anymore.