“Water, thou hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined, art relished while ever mysterious.

Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

It’s difficult to think about water without considering my natural affinity for it, and where I grew up. Michigan is the “Water Wonderland,” as once proclaimed on license plate when I was a child. It is the Third Coast. Almost half of the State is comprised water. Stand anywhere in the State and you are never more than 6 miles from a stream, or lake. You are always within 90 miles of a Great Lake Coast.

Yet growing up, Summers in Detroit, without access to easy transportation, would frequently simmer by without trips to the beach.  We could walk to the Detroit River Boulevard docks, but this was no place for the weak or young to swim.  We would find a way to cool ourselves running through the sprinklers, squirt guns and water balloons.  During those “dog days” in August, when it seemed impossible to find relief.  The fire department would come to our rescue and open a hydrant on the corner near the public school.  Water, I’m the only one of my five siblings who has ever learned to swim, snorkel and sailed on both the great lakes and the ocean.

WATER…