Pool Talk

I never need any encouragement to squeeze a swim into a busy day, but the frigid wind from Monterey Beach almost deterred me yesterday evening.

Not too many swimmers

Common sense prevailed and I eagerly anticipated an empty pool. Many years ago, this pool wasn't heated and I remember forcing myself to swim in what felt like a giant pool of ice cubes, reminiscent of other cold swims in the north Atlantic and frigid Canadian and Minnesota lakes and rivers. Happily, the pool was quite warm under the circumstances and much larger than more recent hotel offerings.

After twenty minutes or so, a family entered the pool area and headed directly for the hot tub. Sierra, a little girl of about 10 joined me in the pool for a while but for the most part, I swam by myself, one of my all-time favorite activities.

I warmed up in the hot tub and was surprised to stay for a long time, enjoying the conversation with this pleasant Atlanta family. The husband, Lance, and his young son are participating in Monterey's Spartan Run on Saturday. His wife Janelle has a knee injury and surgery history similar to mine and she was curious about my total knee replacement scars, procedures she's anticipating down the roac.

We talked like old friends for about an hour. I've never stayed in the jacuzzi for more than 5-10 minutes so this was a first for me and a great end to our stay in Monterey.