Hold The Line

Where is your line?
Merrimac photo dwm
A favorite ritual of spring in these parts is taking a spring trip across the Wisconsin River on the Merrimac Ferry.

The ferry, Colsac III, travels under its own power all day long.  However, very no steering is involved, because of the cable.

Maybe a new cable is put in place each spring, or last year's cable gets a fresh coat of paint but I noted on our recent passage a bright orange cable.

Just like the bumpers at the Fair's Midway keep the cars from getting too crazy, the cable guides the ferry precisely from one landing to the other.

It brought to mind the cables in our lives that keep us on track.

Lights at street corners.  Work hours.  Commandments.  Laws. Morals. Customs.  Our conscious.

You can find lines everywhere, but we also decide when to go over the line... drive a little faster than the speed limit or figure the numbers more favorably on a tax return.
Lake Wisconsin at Merrimac
dwm photo

A good thing about the guideposts in our lives is how they help us get back on the path when we veer away.

There is a driver in the cab above the deck of Colsac III.  The driver lowers and raises the ramps and powers the boat; I suspect if it was necessary there is a steering wheel ready for the driver's hand.

There are days we lose we lose our hold of the line; thankfully there is someone else always holding it for us.

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