At the river’s edge:  Upstream, perhaps a connotation of flowing water, moving in one direction, always in motion, no matter what.  Sometimes currents are clear and gentle; at other times they may be turbid or irritated.  In November of 2016 when the latter happened NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) closed the Shandaken Tunnel due to muddy discharges into Esopus Creek.  DEC took this measure to protect spawning brown trout, and DEC prohibited fishing in the Esopus, below its junction with the Tunnel.

However, some anglers still yearned to fish, so they ventured upstream of the Tunnel, to continue enjoying the Esopus Creek where fishing was allowed. 

In his excellent book of angling stories--- At the River’s Edge, Jerry Kustich wrote the following, “And, above all, I will continue to follow the road that leads to water, because I believe---with all my heart--- that everything does make sense at the river’s edge.”

The watercolor below is at the river’s edge, looking upstream into the Esopus, behind the Shandaken Town Hall.

Upstream: