Days of Summer

Think back to the days of your youth ... those hot days of summer. Did you go to the Y.M.C.A. to cool off and enjoy the pool? What is your story about summer?

The Y.M.C.A. was the place to go when I was young. Most every town in the mid-west that I knew had one or a state park that had a community pool. It almost always drew a crowd. You could often hear a group of kids playing Marco Polo at one end of the pool or another.

There was always a life guard that sat high upon his tower and seemed impervious to outside contact. His or her face always seemed to be smudged with some sort of brightly colored sun screen. A low brimmed hat and sun glasses completed their facial attire.

Swimming classes seemed to be regularly scheduled. And parents were always relaxing in lounge chairs nearby enjoying the opportunity to relax and visit amongst themselves.

The water fountains and outdoor showers were always busy with children darting in and out between that and the pool. And it was likely that there was a concession stand not far that would send kids begging to their parents for soda money. Most parents insisted that the kids wait untill after they were done swimming to eat any candy. Smart move in many ways!

I didn't learn to swim at the community pools. Generally I preferred to be self taught. In this case my sister, Nancy, taught me how to swim by encouraging me to jump from the dock at the lake and dog paddle. I have to thank Nancy for helping me get through math in school too! Thanks, Sis!

Summer days ended. The leaves began to change color and we started wearing long slacks again. It was time to start getting our school supplies together. Too look into the faces of the kids at that time and season you'd think that life had just ended! And those few who loved school ... well, they were always in a totally different school catagory in our books!

Thus ended the days of summer. A time of self discovery and understanding of the world around us.

The photo at the top is the community pool called Firth Park in Safford, Arizona.