Who doesn’t love summer vacation??? Whether you’re a child or adult (or a little of both), it’s something to look forward to. I’m not taking one this year, but I’m managing to have fun anyway. When I was in school, just having it end was good enough, we didn’t have to go anywhere.
Each year during my dad’s summer vacation we would have a Sunday picnic next to the creek on his family farm; we’d spend an evening at a carnival (funnel cake and cotton candy!!!) and then we would spend one day at a beach on the Chesapeake Bay. The rest of the week we would do one special project or another. One year we built a carport, other years we shingled the roof, dug ditches, cleared a field on the farm for what would be our annual garden, built a shed, well, you get the idea.
But this isn’t a story about work. It’s about the annual trip to the beach on which I learned to swim. It was a great little beach. There were trees close to the sand, so you could sit in the shade on cool grass if you got overheated and there were inexpensive arcade games and skee ball. Aunts and uncles joined us and they usually had good food to share.
The year I turned seven, my dad took me out in the water to teach me to swim. He pointed to an aunt floating by (on her back) to convince me that people float and swimming was easy. He held me at water level so I could practice—I was working my arms and legs like a pro. He kept saying he wasn't going to let go, I should just keep paddling and kicking.
Then, of course, he let go. I kept working my arms and legs…and I sank like a stone. Within seconds I could feel that I had settled on the bottom and I was lying on my dad’s feet. But I was still paddling and kicking!!! Eventually he reached down to pull me up and we made our way back to shore. I took my little bucket and shovel to a different part of the beach so he wouldn’t get the idea to try to teach me to swim a second time—I thought he was just a little too slow pulling me up that first time. LOL!
Okay, so this wasn’t really a story about me learning to swim…it was a story about me learning to sink! But I was REALLY good at it. ;P
I did learn to swim two years later, in a pool. Soooo, how did you learn to swim???
I Know right! Swimmers would keep telling you that you'll always float when you get on water but you don't :P Well to me it's not, bcus i sink down to the bottom lol. Glad you've learnt how to swim now. It took me weeks to learn how to swim, I always swallow gallons of water (and chlorine)
ReplyDeleteat the waterfall :D and because my younger sisters were swimming on their own so i got jealous and i kept trying to stay afloat. and eventually managed to learn how to swim.
ReplyDeletehahaha that's way to funny... i love how you say you're really good at sinking. i'm with you on that one!
ReplyDeletei learned to swim when i was like 5-6ish i think, at a local pool. my final task to finishing my swimming lesson (call it a final i suppose) was to jump off a 7 foot diving board. but when you're only 3 ft-ish, that's a LONGGGG way. i remember sitting on the very end of the diving board so i would be "closer" to the water and waddled my way off. at the time it was the scariest thing ever and i never did it again. lol!
Know what? I'm already in my mid twenties and I still have no idea how to swim. Hehehe.
ReplyDeletethanks for your lovely comment! :P i learned to swim when i started taking classes at my lovcal community centre haha.! boring story for me.
ReplyDeleteI never did...
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to swim yet! Shame on me...
ReplyDelete@swimming: Oh, I have to thank my friends for that..they been so patient with me while teaching how to swim.
ReplyDeleteI had a swimming lesson before at school, its one of the requirements in nursing, but i never learned. Im glad my friends are there to the rescue...
It was so long ago that I learned to swin, maybe when I was about6 or seven?? I can't remember. It was my older sis who taught me how to swim! But actually I can't swim well, it is enough, though not to sink, hahaha!
ReplyDeleteIt seems you had a great childhood, Rick! I cannot complain about mine as well, but my relationship with my father was never good from the beginning on I've never figured out why :-)
Swimming class. Then joined varsity for a while, but hated training. Then became fat and lumpy. :-p
ReplyDeletehttp://ficklecattle.blogspot.com/
i can't even tell you how i learned to swim. as a kid, i never took classes and avoided the "deep end" like the plague. then i grew up and realized all normal people know how to swim...and so i learned. somehow i just did.
ReplyDeleteto this day i am probably the weakest swimmer but hey at least i stay a float :)
i used to swim a lot with my younger brother years ago, and it made me so dark! i dont think i ever got my fair skin back, but the fun we had was well worth every skin tone adjustment (to a darker shade) hahaha :P
ReplyDeletewell, at least you learned something! its not such a waste after all. ;)
I learned how to swim in a pool, too! I just know the basics of staying afloat though, nothing Olympics-worthy :D
ReplyDeleteWe live near the beach and the river...which is a bit of a walk away, so we had plenty of beach time. I learned to stay afloat and just stay "up", but I'm not really good. Salt water is fine, 'cause you're more buoyant, but fresh/pool water is a different thing. I like doing cannonballs into the deep end, anyway. :-)
ReplyDeleteparents are such tricksters, telling you they won't let go and they do! (same goes for learning to ride a two wheeler bike) but i'm glad you eventually learned! I actually can't remember how i learned to swim but i do remember it was my dad who taught me! :P
ReplyDeleteI kinda have stated loving your blog.i can relate to some of the lessons :)
ReplyDeletekeep \m/ing ;)
started**
ReplyDeleteSwimming classes. The Smithsonian must be an exciting place to work at =) Yeah, they fix shoes but as you've figured out they should have the tools for it. Cobblers: NOT an urban legend! :P Although they probably call themselves shoe repair guys now.
ReplyDeletelol it took me a while to learn to swim. just like it took em a while to learn to ski and any other physical activity haha. I'm not much of an athlete
ReplyDeleteTried on 3 separate swimming classes organised by school.
ReplyDeleteAnd now, I still can't swim. =(
I learned to swim very late ... at nineteen (didn't want to put numbers, it's too glaring ...hehehe!). Boyfriend (now dear old hubby) taught me.
ReplyDeleteshoot im still learning how to swim lmao it's because i seriously fear deep water. i don't know why...
ReplyDelete