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Show Oh Say Can You See? 31 " I f you w i l l step this way, I will lead you to the base of the dam. Watch your step, ladies and gentlemen." Outside, we looked up, up, up, everywhere up. Big cables stretched across, miles overhead-cables that lowered tons of railroad cars onto the tracks where we stood. I moved my toe quickly at the thought. Over the edge of the wall, the Colorado whirled green pools into white foam. One time I told my mother that the river must be mad. "Rivers don't get angry, Irene," she said. "This one does. It doesn't like going through all those tunnels and generators. It would suck me down forever i f I fell i n ." "You won't f a l l in. Mother's here to protect you." Reassured, I ran from the wall to the center point where I could spread-eagle across two states. "Ma'am," blared the bullhorn, "will you kindly keep your child with the tour group?" My mother jerked me back into Arizona, told me to stop wandering off, to stay with the group. Once when I was about six, Uncle Jack scooped me into his arms. The temperature must have been 128 degrees that day. "See, Irene honey. See the steepest, longest slide on earth." He not only held me up, but held me over the edge to see better. "Uncle Jack. Put me down." I kicked and squirmed. "Not yet, honey. Look at the big river down there. We stopped that river. We did i t . Look. We harnessed i t . That's where you were a few |