To (mis)quote Dory from Finding Nemo, “I spy something blue and wet.” Yup. Something wet and clear/blue/brown (depending on where you’re going) is what makes summer in the south more bearable. Since we live in south Georgia maybe we shouldn’t be allowed to say, “it’s hot.” It just a given from May – Sept. It’s easy to complain about the weather when that is by far not the worst thing we could be dealing with (note to self).

So finding something wet to add to your day is a bonus. I realize that not many of you live within an hour’s drive of the ocean like we do, but surely you have a lake, or a pond or a friend/neighbor with a pool?

If not that, than maybe a water hose and sprinkler?? A slip and slide?? 🙂 The other day I was out working in the yard on Saturday and I was just.so.hot! I occasionally sprayed water into the air over me because it felt so good. I don’t see how the folks who work in all summer make it. I feel pretty wimpy once the weather hits the mid-90s. I guess it’s conditioning.

When was a young girl, we lived across the state and much further from the ocean. In fact, we lived there until I was 10 years old and never visited the ocean in our state. That’s odd, now that I think about it. We had family in Virginia Beach and that was our beach experience every year or 2 when we would go visit.

But, despite not visiting Georgia beaches, we did enjoy water a lot! A family in the area opened their in-ground pool (with a diving board and slide) to the Mennonites once a week. I think it was for a specified time in the afternoon. We paid a small fee for the privilege and they also had a coke machine and snacks we could buy. I can still remember the utter thrill of getting our chores done so we could go enjoy the pool. Since I wasn’t typically Speedy Gonzales with chore duties, that was a good incentive to get them done. My older sisters usually took us and I can’t help but think that my Mom must’ve enjoyed a few quiet hours around the house.

Another thing we did occasionally was go to Lake Blackshear. My dad was a farmer and so had pockets of time in the summer when he was free, spur-of-the-moment. I remember him coming in from his work and suggesting we pack a picnic meal and spend the afternoon there. Quite often we called another family or 2 to join us. I’ve been back to the park several times in the last few years and I still remember the thrill of getting ready to hit the water.

Once we moved this area of the state, we still didn’t go the island very often. But, we had a 200+ acre lake nearby with docks to jump off of and we spent many an afternoon over there. Were there gators in the lake? Probably, at the other end. Were there snakes? Probably, though we never saw any. Did that bother us? Not one iota. Now, I shiver when I think of us sometimes going under the dock!

The docks are gone now but the lake gets used a lot for boating and swimming.

Every summer or 2, my sister and I join 2 friends with kids and we do a beach day. The swimming beach on one of the state parks (Ft. Clinch State Park) on Amelia Island is sparsely populated on weekdays. As an adult, I understand all the work that goes into making a day like this happen.

Thankfully we 4 adults are not the kind to mind salt and sand inasmuch as the fun of the day outweighs the discomforts that come with it.

Outdoor showers and bathhouses get you relatively clean for the 1.5 hour ride home and the kiddos will have time to catch a nap (maybe! 🙂 )

They’ll have the time, whether or not they’ll settle down enough to catch one, that’s another story. 🙂