First Lake

 

The lake I learned to swim in wasn't a natural lake. It was manufactured (should I say built)? with a sandy bottom and roped off areas where kids could progress with swimming skills and always had to go in with a buddy. 

The lake was at a day camp in Saddle River, New Jersey, and swimming in it meant you had to stop whatever you were doing to hold your buddy's hand and raise it up whenever the head swim counselor (Irwin) blue his whistle. Irwin was a pretty sour guy, as I remember, but he had a plum job, and I never could figure out why he was so unhappy.

The bottom of the lake was either sandy or muddy and the deep water was of course the best part. Did I like it?

I loved it. If I could have spent the entire day in that lake, every single day, I never would have left. And if I could have turned into a mermaid, living under any body of water, I would have done that too.

The funny part of all of this is that I'm not all that good about holding my breath underwater. I don't like ocean swims (though I do them here and there) and don't like waves or surfing. But lake swimming is always fun because you can go at your own pace and not have to worry about waves throwing you off course. It's your lake. Or river or brook, if it comes to that.

What are my favorite swimming lakes? One was (is) called Friendship Lake in New York state and the other was in the middle of pine barrens in New Jersey, but I can't remember the name. My dad took me there as an adult and I just relied on him to know the way.

The lake I will always love best, though, is that small man-made lake at camp. It may be because I spent so many swimming hours there, or because the lake was usually warm, or because it was my very first lake and allowed me to discover all the other lakes.

While lakes are my favorite swimming places, pools are a close second, especially heated pools, though they aren't nearly as interesting. Yet, if I had my own pool in the backyard, I would be happy to swim in it daily. I bring this up occasionally with my husband, but he considers pools to be "too much work" and I'm not sure a swimming "pond" would be much better.

Still, hearing about a friend in Arizona with her own pool who swims every day makes me crave one. Hearing about my son's friend who has her own saltwater pool makes me want one even more. 

The hotter it gets out there, the more I think about it. 

What about you?

Lake photo:  Izu Navi