Timing

On the way to school one morning this spring, Coco pointed to something out the window of the minivan. “Mama look! The pool.”

The opening of the neighborhood swimming pool is the official prologue to summer. In semi-tropical San Antonio, we mark the seasons by the condition of the water. When school starts, transparent-blue turns algae-emerald, then leafy-gold, then amebic-brown until early spring. When white concrete is exposed, we know the pool’s been drained for resurfacing. Near the end of April, the rush of Niagara flows from the spigot, and it’s time.

Cherry and Coco are water babies. They love nothing more than a frosty splash at 8:00 a.m. The girls began competitive swimming at ages 3 and 5, and for the past four years, summer swim league defines the months of May and June at our house.

This year’s league championships were held last Sunday morning. It was a great season. Now, for the rest of the summer, the girls will splash and play without swimming laps, and Mom won’t have to get up before dawn to take them to the pool.

Here are a few pictures of my baby dolphins at the last meet.

Sleepy girls before 6:30 a.m. warm-ups

Smiley-faced Cherry with her team before the race

Coco getting ready to swim

Team warm-ups at Josh Davis Natatorium 

Pink swim caps make it easy to spot our girls from the stands.