river boys

i just got home from the river. jackson and i have made it a habit to go down to the san marcos river to cool off.

growing up in wimberley, we had a few choices when it came to swimming. sure, the lodge was o.k.; the pro shop was pretty cool because that's where robin wiley hung out; the spa was the best because we could jump off of the high dive and then stroll on over to jacob's well. as for me, the pools never held alot of sway...especially the public pool in san marcos. it always seemed to contain too much "lemonade" and the potential for "snickers bars" was always in the back of my mind.

i always preferred the rope swing, or blue hole, or the low-water bridge, or 7A, the marina, or fischer road, or just driving to san marcos or camp ben to jump in the river there. the chute was always fun. i always thought the river was a more exciting place to cool off. there were swings, or tunnels, or trees from which to jump, or zip-lines, or cliffs, or something that would up the adventure level just a bit more than a diving board. the river was always free, and the closest we ever got to adult supervision was when one of the reefs would show up drunk and try to cut the line.

my wife, on the other hand, is not excited about swimming in natural waters. well, saying it that way minimizes her reluctance to get in a river, or lake, or creek. as such, i have had to try to brainwash jman into understanding that natural water is the best place to rejuvenate. artificial swimming areas are nice in a pinch, but they certainly don't compare.

i think it's working. in a couple of weeks, were going out to balmorhea. we can't wait.