Running water is healthy life. It is cleaner than stagnant water. It is the indication that enough water is present to be able to move onward and seek the sea. It makes a music of its own. It gives great variation in the coloring and transparency of water from giving a new color to the water as it gets deeper and blue and shallower and clear to the frosty color of whitewater. It brings one of the most essential chemicals for life to plants and people that need it. It ranges in majesty from the barest trickle to the roaring of waterfalls. It creates waves and patterns, eddies and whirlpools, riffles and rapids. It comes after great storms. It has always been a treat when the dry wash of our neighborhood runs for mere hours or days. This ephemeral treat always drew us to adventure in the water from splish-splashing in the ditch to walking the stream in high-top rain boots to taking a randomly possessed surf board to float on a two foot deep pool. When the water runs, there are many activities to enjoy such as sliding down the slick-rocks, building dams and water features, swimming, rafting, and simply listening. I used to spend hours moving my hands in a flow of water to make beautiful patterns. It was once my simple desire to become a hydro-engineer, not in the sense that it is used professionally, but in engineering beautiful water features.