That summer of 1994 was an idyllic one for us. The pond I had dug the previous fall had filled with turquoise colored water over the winter and I was kept fascinated watching the wildlife that it was slowly being attracted to our property.
Throughout my youth, swimming had always been my favorite summertime activity, so it didn’t take me long to take the plunge into the big beautifully-colored body of water just below our house. The swim was bracing in the cold water, but it was invigorating and wonderful. My wife who loved the swim as much as I did, was hesitant at first to try the pond, but once she had given in to my pleadings, she was quickly converted to swimming in the pond.
Because the pond was dug in clay soil (which gave it its color) getting into the pond was always a bit messy, as we had to walk and then wade through the slimy clay before we could get out into the deeper water to swim. Getting into the water was really the only drawback to swimming in the pond. I tried to solve the problem by buying a big dump truck load of sand which I had dumped at the end of the pond. I then spread it along the shore in that area, and also, into the water. (You can see our small “beach” on the shore just below our house in the photo).
Having the pond made the summer of 1994 idyllic. I would be all hot and tired after biking home from work, and it was so nice to be able to get rejuvenated by going for a swim in the cold clear water of the pond. While I had built the pond to create wildlife habitat, being able to take a swim on those hot summer days were certainly an added bonus.
After our swim and drying off we would often grill some food using our barbecue on our “shade” deck, and then leisurely enjoy the meal outside: Life was good.
You can view my paintings at: davidmarchant2.ca
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