A Quiet River, an Old Friend, and a Summer Day That Finally Felt Right

 River Time With Bryan: Mussels, Deer Sightings, and a Whole Stretch of Popson to Ourselves

A Quiet River Hour, a Late Summer Laugh, and a Full Day Lived Well

Popson had that rare quiet today — the kind where the river feels like it’s waiting for you. I rolled in for a 1:30 meet‑up with Bryan, summer‑time punctuality meaning he drifted in closer to 1:50. No bother. The stillness was worth it. I stayed another twenty‑five minutes after he arrived, giving me a solid fifty‑five minutes of river time before heading home around 2:30. Enough space to breathe, reset, and then get typing fast before gaming with an old neighbourhood friend.

The river was generous with its little surprises. Mussels scattered along the shallows, several of them tucked into the sand — definitely invasive, definitely not the usual Lethbridge sight. More of a BC thing, ocean‑to‑river hitchhikers. And a crawfish, looking like a freshwater shrimp, darting around the stones. I snapped a few photos, the kind you only get when the river is quiet and you’re paying attention.

Upstream, a deer stood thinking about crossing. I zoomed in, caught a quick shot, and joked with Bryan that it was a bobcat. After I left, I texted him the truth — bobcats in Lethbridge are rare enough that when one shows up, the whole city hears about it.

Circle K came through again with ice and cold water. Kind souls in that store, letting people cool off when the heat gets unreasonable. And today, blessedly, the smoke was low or gone. Just clean summer air.

Back home, groceries were waiting on the list. I lucked out — the Ecomm shoppers before me had already picked through things, leaving some great cuts of meat in the department. I grabbed meals for the week before picking up my Ecomm order, then realized I’d forgotten a few items and had to go back in. Still, it helped keep the day on track. My schedule was booked straight through to seven: river, groceries, supper, gaming, house cleaning. Somehow I managed to get it all done.

What sticks with me most is the quiet. For the first twenty‑five minutes at Popson, not a single person appeared. Just me, the river, the mussels, the crawfish, and the deer thinking about its next move. Then Bryan arrived, and later two vehicles rolled in as I was leaving. But for that first stretch, the whole river was mine.

Stellar day. Simple, full, and exactly what summer is supposed to feel like.

I’ve known Bryan for about four years now, one of the first friends I made here in Lethbridge, and somehow we’ve kept this easy routine of heading down to the river together. Funny thing — today was actually his first time in the river. He told me that when he stepped down onto the bank, and I was honestly surprised because I’ve been in more than a few times myself. But to be fair, the river’s been strangely high this summer, high enough that Popson was even temporarily closed for a bit because the banks were collapsing and the flow was too dangerous. So today felt like a small win: calm water, safe footing, and Bryan finally getting his first dip.