Water Obstructions

The rocks dug deep into the sandy stream bottom were excavated and piled high on the bank. Using this stash of stones, we created a trifecta of dams for the water to navigate. After elongating the width to prevent errant channels from detouring around the structures, we would watch as the silt built up and the stream widened. As we made these observations, we made sure to always refer to the dams as “water obstructions” for our collective sensitivity to profanity precluded us from speaking the swear word’s homonym. I bet the men building Hoover Dam spoke just as cautiously.