Swimming

I take my little heathens swimming in the summer a couple of times each week.  There is this old pool that is part of an old country club near town.  

I know the images the words, "Country Club" can conjure in your head.  Nobody named Buffy has EVER been near this one.  There is no golf.  Heck, there is no city water and sewer.  This club has been around since the early 1930's.  The pool is literally the very oldest pool around anywhere.  It is rough-bottomed and besides the lake and the pool there are no other amenities.  Most of the cabins around the lake are in great repair, for the 1950's. Some have been remodeled over the years but the majority have not and a few are falling in the lake.

We go to this pool because it is serene and cool and quiet.  We regularly have it to our selves.  It has a bathroom and a large deck area.  And is surrounded by trees and looks down the center of the very small fishing lake that is a part of the club.

We get to use this pool because my parents have a fishing membership in the club.  They used to own a small cabin that my dad tortured me by  having me help remodel.  But that was sold long before I got married.  So now we just go down to swim a few hours every few days and enjoy our almost private pool.

Last year when we were there, we ran into some families that thought everyone else was deaf who swam with them.  I know this must be true because I got to hear about their marital woes and what a bitch their exes were.  And because we must have been deaf, I also learned their children's names because they were hollered, repeatedly, the entire time they were swimming.

And their children's names were absurd.  My kids go to school with some Rivers, and girls named Tommi.  I have heard the ridiculous names with which some parents have saddled their children.  But these kids.  I almost felt sorry for them.  But then they stole our pool toys and proceeded to tear them up so now I have no sympathy left.  So even though the oldest couldn't have been more than 10 years old, I now hate King, Phoenix, Rock, Blue, and Three.  It is like they looked for category names on Jeopardy before they named their kids.

This week I was sharing our pool with a young mom and her one-year-old.  I commented on how cute he was and baby talked to him for a moment then introduced myself and my mom and my kids.  Then this lady looked at me like I had asked her her bank account password and social security number, grudgingly told me her name and we proceeded to not speak to each other again because I was obviously crossing some sort of line by asking her name to make small talk.

Is that weird?  I mean, I am always trying to make new friends in new circles.  I enjoy knowing the people with whom I am sharing a public space.  I chat with people at soccer, or football, or track.  Doesn't everyone?  

Unless they name their child Bull.  Then I don't want to know them.