Everyone wants to be in charge, but there are so many distractions

The Ashokan Reservoir is an important component of the New York City water supply.  Lying at the base of the Catskill Mountains, the reservoir is 12 miles long, covers 8,300 acres, and has a maximum capacity of 123 billion gallons of water.  Reservoir Year: A Walk of Days is Nina Shengold’s account of a unique project during which she visited the Ashokan Reservoir for a daily walk along the shore, with a special commitment to complete a full year’s worth of walks without skipping a single day.  In her daily notes, which range from a single sentence to a few pages, she brings the reservoir to life.  She recounts the drama of sky and water.  Shares the antics of crows, deer, squirrels, bears, herons, and bald eagles.  Relates the interactions with strangers she encountered and with friends and family members who sometimes walked with her during this improbable quest.  Improbable, for a 60-year-old single mother with bills to pay and aging parents who need her help and many other obligations.

Nina is a talented writer and in particular a master of metaphor, which makes the book a stimulating read.  On a spring-time visit, the cloud-striped sky evokes a blue-and-white lava lamp.  The atmosphere beneath a brewing thunderhead feels “dead-air, locker room humid.”  A sunset morphs from pastel “to flamingo, persimmon, tandoori salmon, hot lava.”  It’s clear in writing up this account she had fun.

But beneath the engaging prose, a serious question lurks.  Why?  Why, if you didn’t have to walk a dog, would you visit the same place on every single day for a full year?

Continue reading “Reservoir Year by Nina Shengold — A Review” →