Swimmin' with the Fishes

For those who don't know my kids are obsessed with the water.  Even the youngest - who can be a bit anxious about the world - is starting to become very comfortable splashing around.  For the past 4 years my kid's most treasured possession has been the $10 inflatable Wal-Mart pool we bought shortly after moving to Sioux Center.  All summer long - every day it wasn't either raining or frigid - my kids would swim.  Needless to say have to live in an apartment meant the pool was left behind.  I'm not sure who felt worse about it - the kids or mom and dad.

I think it's an established fact that smells are the quickest way to memory recall.  Although I'm not a good swimmer - one whiff of lake water and I'm trippin' down memory lane.  As kids we didn't swim in pools very much - we took at trip to the lake.  The sand, the cool water, the junk food - and the fish.  We would go to Green Lake - a very clear and cold lake - which allowed us to see the small fish that would nip at our ankles.  We'd splash around awhile, get sand in every crevasse possible, then fall asleep during the air conditioned ride home. 

We knew yesterday was going to be a hot one - ended up being 95 with high humidity - so we filled the cooler, loaded up the van, and went in search of the beach.  We ended up at Square lake - about a 40 minute drive to the northeast.  It wasn't a very big lake, but the beach was nice, not very crowded, and the water was crystal clear.  So clear, in fact, that we could see fish swimming around.  The kids swam like crazy, diving to the bottom looking for snail shells and submerged treasure.  (There were actually 2 guys in the water with metal detectors searching for some guys wedding ring.  The guy had only been married for 3 days and lost his ring in the water.  They ended up finding it after about 20 minutes of looking.)  After a few hours of swimming and snacking we headed back to the apartment - with the kids snoozing.  I know I'm not supposed to relive my childhood through my kids - but I am very grateful for our time at the lake.  I'm curious to know how they will remember all of this stuff...I guess we'll find out in 10 years or so.