Congratulations to my wife, JoAnne, on accomplishing another of her summer goals. She likes to swim across lakes. I bet not many people have that on their list of things to do before school starts. Yesterday she swam the length of Eaton Brook Reservoir; it took 47 minutes. That makes two lakes this summer. She uses flippers and varies her strokes. Since she exercises regularly, she also is careful to pace herself so that her heart rate stays in the training range. She is a natural swimmer, able to float easily, so she can use most of her energy to move forward. By contrast, I would have to use most of my energy to stay on top of the water. And I would probably last about 2 pool lengths without a big rest; beyond that it would soon be time for the rescue squad.
Thank you to Tom Bundle and his friend Marge for graciously hosting her swim at Tom’s beautiful cottage on Eaton Brook. We also used Tom’s bass boat to accompany JoAnne. That’s much easier for me. Usually I have to row or paddle there and back when she swims. Tom says she swims too fast to troll for walleye. He estimates the distance JoAnne swam as a “good mile.” Having an accompanying boat is essential for protection from other boats who do not expect a swimmer in open water. After we were all back at the cottage, Marge served a great wild blackberry pie to celebrate! Hmmmm!