Caretaker Woman by Jeff Savage. Itasca State Park.

Women are the caretakers of the water in the Anishinabe tradition. Sculptor Jeff Savage's beautiful Caretaker Woman watches over the path that leads to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The artist writes that she is a reflection in the headwaters, and her flowing hair represents the flowing currents of the water.

The river is about 800 feet from this point. The walk reminds me of the approach to Sacré-Coeur at the top of Montmartre in Paris, where anticipation increases just before the church comes into view. It feels like a holy place, and we stop for awhile at the little bridge over the creek where the great river begins it 2522 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.