Forest and Sky Reflection in Twin Creek, Ohio
The "dog days" of summer in Ohio bring low water flows, sticky heat, and a general sense of slowing down. The mirrorlike surface of a slow stream takes on added imaginative dimensions as it reflects the greens and blues of the forest and sky overhead. Vertical images of shaded tree trunks bend and wobble with the nuances of the water currents.
This photograph of Twin Creek was taken just upstream of the Germantown Dam, one of five "dry dams" built after the Great Dayton Flood of 1913.
These dams are essentially orifices that allow normal stream flows to continue on unimpeded, but temporarily hold back flood waters in order to protect downstream communities. The dams have no gates, and so are not reservoirs. The surrounding park lands became the core units of what is now Five Rivers MetroParks which, along with the Aullwood Audubon center, form the natural-area crown jewels of the Dayton metropolitan area.
Photo location: Germantown MetroPark, Montgomery County, Ohio.
