July inside of July

It’s been muggy as hell this year. It feels unreal. Still, folks are out trying to make the best of it.

Out of towners, probably, walking the riverlink bridge over the French Broad River. Below, a mess of rented, interconnected, river tubes. On any given weekend in the summer, the river is choked with neon pink, yellow, and blue tubes. The day after, urgent care is flooded


“My life, I realize suddenly, is July. Childhood is June, and old age is August, but here it is, July, and my life, this year, is July inside of July.”

Rick Bass