One Main Street store owner questions whether the rock sculptures pose an ecological hazard, but Olivia Campbell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources, says that biologists there do not believe they are a serious threat to fish populations.
As Betts and his 20-year-old daughter, Jenna, search the river bottom for stones, Dexter, the scruffy little dog, scrambles from boulder to boulder beside them trying to keep his paws dry.
"It's all about physics," says Betts, lifting a rock into place. "I look for the sweet spot - the three points where I can let go and it will be fine."
A teacher at Pasadena's Northeast High School, Betts usually spends his summers painting houses. This year, the tight economy has meant fewer jobs for him.
"I'm not worried because I know the Lord will provide," he says, adding with a wry smile, though he says his wife does not share his confidence.
His hands, which are flecked with white paint and small cuts from the rocks, move constantly as he speaks. A fine lace of sunlight filters down through the trees onto his face. The river, scudding past the rocks, shifts into new ripples.
"Theres's no place I'd rather be right now," he says.
julie.scharper@baltsun.com
