Petites rivières

Little rivers. That's what the drainage ditches along the vineyard road remind me of sometimes. Especially after we've had a lot of rain. The ditches run full for a few days after a good rain and they look like miniature river systems complete with rapids, waterfalls, and sandbars.

A treacherous sandbar lurks beneath the surface of Ditch River.

Even the grass and other little plants along the ditch can look like trees on river banks. It helps to have a glass or two of wine before walking. The ditches drain into more permanent ruisseaux (streams) that carve gullies on their way down to the Cher River. The Cher is actually une rivière that joins La Loire (un fleuve) just west of the city of Tours.

Remember that une rivière is generally a tributary to un fleuve, a river that empties into the sea.