scum of the lake

Gettting all my breakfast duties caught up quickly, I was able to take almost a 2 hour break before I had to be back in the dining hall. What better way to spend the break but in the water! With my newly purchased black swimsuit (that would camoflauge the Obey orange and the brown lake scum), I headed for the dock, checked in, set my timer and started swimming laps! Fifty-two laps later, I finished. Refreshing.

I felt like I was a JC again when I was outside the swimming area and just beyond the rafts. I was mezmerized before I started at how great the water felt, how young I felt again, how the campers were sailing around and doing endurance and landings, and I just couldn't wait to partake. This must feel what someone sober feels like when they suddenly binge. I was binging on the whole scene. It was heavenly!

I instantly got into my Monterey form, concentrating on my strokes (just in case the younger swimmers were sizing me up), and moving at a constant speed. I loved being eye level with the scum of the lake, the freeboards of the canoes, and turning over and watching the clouds float by. Can anyone relate?

The summer breeze has been steady. It allows the sailors to do more than drift slightly. For canoers, it keeps them cool but poses a little challenge for the bows. But it sure made for a wonderful swim. I could remember practicing strokes, surface dives, standing front dives, back flips, greased watermelon, Marco Polo, buddy tags, lifeguard training, swim meets, water pageant, canoe races, endurance, man overboard and capsizing the boats, and the sound of paddles hitting the gunwales of the canoes during rest hour when the older campers would be allowed to do their endurance occasionally.

All those things are still the same. The spirit of Monterey will NEVER be broken.