Dear Andrew [brother]

... In addition to the incomprehension and taking of offence over my decision to bathe in the river [rather than using the shower cubicle], there is also an unspoken conflict over the quality of drinking water being collected. While the two field assistants wade out into the deepest pools to collect the purest water, I take mine from a fast-flowing, oxygenated, and sediment-charged section of the river. In my area, what I am collecting is not so much water as it is what I like to call "Dunham Juice".

Dunham Juice is painstakingly collected to ensure a complete lack of consistency in the end product, with the theory being that the drinker will imbibe whatever the river decides to deliver into the jerry can: one mouthful will be pure water, the next will be 10% leaf matter, and the last may be slightly damp sand and algae. Regardless, I will drink it, wiping the muddy remains from my face and giving a loud "Aaah, fuck yeah" after each mouthful; as far as I am concerned, a high solid content is a good thing, and a sure sign that the drinker is capturing all of the river's vitality, minerals, and water-borne diseases. The water SHOULD taste like humus, fish shit, dead cow, and seven different strains of meningitis...