Endless Lap

Today was not much of a vacation day.  My sister had to go into work and I had to catch up on work, so we both declared it a working day.  I spent about 3.5 hours updating the website early this morning. I have brand new individual puppy pictures of all our puppies.  I think they all turned out really well.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres let me know that they are all doing a super job with going outdoors despite the sweltering heat.  They are getting the hang of going to the bathroom OUTside - so that is always a good thing.  He did say they spend a good deal of time sleeping as the heat is just beyond kind at this point.  I am hoping for a cool down soon.  I find myself constantly thinking of both of my daughters as they endure the oppressive heat.  I suppose if my younger daughter decides she likes the Coast Guard Academy after melting in over 100* heat this week- she will love it when the weather isn't quite so miserable. I hope the heat wave doesn't affect her opinion too much.  I think it is hard to like anything when you are sticking to everything and are close to heat exhaustion.  I am trying to not to worry but unfortunately, it is something I am rather good at. I am sure my worries are in the front of my mind as I am REALLY hot here in Vermont. My sister doesn't have air conditioning and I am quite spoiled and used to living in a nice cool house.  It is 94* here and sooo hot.  I am sticking to everything. By 2:00 this afternoon I was too hot to work anymore so I went off in search of a swimming hole in the river.  My brother-in-law gave me typical Vermont directions to his favorite spot:  "You go down past the curve and then you will pass a corn field. Go past that corn field and then you will pass another corn field. Then before you get to the bridge look for 3-4 mailboxes and turn up that dirt road, then look for a break in the bushes and voila "the swimming hole".  Hmmmm. I followed his directions and miraculously found the swimming "hole".   I set up my chair in the shade and jumped in. Before jumping, I should have thought - my sister is 5'5" and my brother-in-law is equally vertically challenged - perhaps their definition of a swimming hole is different than mine. Yes, I stood in the water. On the murky bottom. With about 2.5 feet of "swimming" room in either direction. I decided that the swimming aka wading hole wasn't for me. I decided that instead I could read a book in the shade and that would be wonderful.  Well when I got out of the water - a thousand new friends were waiting for me.  A thousand new hungry friends.  I was swarmed by blood thirsty angry mosquitoes. As I swatted the bugs and tried to collect my chair and towel and run for my car as fast as I could, I desperately wished I could call my brother-in-law to tell him about my adventure BUT there is NO cell service ANYWHERE up here. As in none. I can't call or text or get my emails or anything. I wonder how they live without cell? Anyway after I got my bug bitten body into my car I was still baking hot so I decided to drive to the swimming hole I read about on the Internet.  This hole was actually quite deep and was surrounded by rock formations.  I climbed/slid/plummeted/tumbled/fell down the path until I reached the water and jumped in.  The water could have been a little cooler but the current was pretty swift and so I decided to do my workout right there and then.  I swam against the current for 30 straight minutes. It was a delightful endless lap of swimming.  I am a pretty good swimmer and with about 75% effort per stroke, I stayed exactly in the same place. I never moved at all.  While I swam, I watched all the people (that clearly were not blessed with a safety switch in their brain) leap off the tall sloping rock formations.  There were many really close calls. For some reason, rock jumpers who drink whilst rock diving, find close calls to be very hysterical.  Let's just say for my 30 minute workout - I had infinite entertainment. In turn, I am fairly certain that I became the entertainment as I tried to climb out of the swimming hole and up the rock trail.  Slippery wet shoes, wet swimsuit, and algae make for particularly trying adventure back up the hill.  I made it to the top in one piece and sadly the climb back out made me just as hot as before I began my journey.  I think I will do some research tonight to see what I shall do tomorrow.  My sister has to work again - so perhaps I will look for a hike on a mountain path or go for a swim in a mountain lake somewhere. Tomorrow is my last full day here so I want to make it something memorable. And by memorable - of course I mean in a good way - not a "Wow I almost got bitten by a snake and fell to my death off of a mountain cliff and nearly drowned in a raging mountain stream. Wish me luck!