Easter on the river

Trying for some catfish on the Minnesota River on Easter

It may not be an Easter tradition, but spending time at the river isn't a bad one to start.
   Sunday afternoon -- with the sun taking the bite out of a steady wind, and an unusually low flow offering up broad sand bars -- was a perfect day to draw a steady stream  of people to the Minnesota River at Seven Mile Creek Park.
   There were the young couples walking hand-in-hand down the river's edge, a dad bringing his daughters and a tub of smelly chicken liver to try for some catfish, grandparents with young boys wallowing in the mud and rolling down hills of sand into the low-flowing Seven Mile Creek as it empties into the Minnesota.
  With nesting waterfowl, the first blooming of wildflowers  and the perpetual flow of water sweeping around the bend, the river is as rich and natural symbol of rebirth and life as any other.
   Some grilled burgers and hot dogs dusted with a bit of wind-swept sand, a camp fire on the shore as the sun fades, and the comfortable banter of children and grandchildren leaves memories that a formal ham dinner wouldn't.