Days at the Lake

The whole crew at the lake.

Spain is hot in August.  Are any of you surprised?  Our daily highs are normally over 100º F and at night sometimes it only cools down to around 79ºF.  My parents' visit has been no exception, although we have had some cooler days in the mix.  In any case, they aren't complaining because they are staying in the one air-conditioned room in the house!

To beat the heat we have made three visits to a nearby lake since the city pool is closed for repairs all summer.  It's actually a resevoir and with the minimal rains this year, the lake level is so low it's made for some nice beaches.  And thanks to the hot, Andalusian sun, the water is around 70º+--like a giant bathtub!

Our routine has been getting up from the siesta around 6pm getting our stuff organized and in the car and then making the 35 minute drive to the lake to enjoy the sunset over the water.  Because we get there so late, we don't have time for more than a quick dip; but this way we're able to avoid the usual August crowds, and anyway the days are so hot and the water is so warm that swimming even after the sun sets feels deliciously refreshing.

Emily is perhaps the only one not quite so enchanted with the lake, although she does begin to repeat "lake, lake!" when we round the corner on the highway and you can see the blue-green water stretching out before us.  She fell down on the rocky path our first visit and got a pretty nicely skinned knee.  And once you get in the water, the shore drops off quickly, so the area where she can touch bottom and play is quite limited.  We have to hold her hand(s) the whole time, unlike at the beach.  Even so, she seems contented to splash and throw rocks or sticks for Bela.

Francisco joined us the first day.

And is by far the biggest fan of these evening excursions to the lake.  They have recently made dogs at the beach illegal...and although the term "illegal" in Spain is often a bit flexible, with the outrageous number of beach-goers in August it would be completely impossible, not to mention irresponsible, to take her to the beach.  There is a dog beach we discovered a few years ago, but it has been thusly designated because it is not a very good beach for swimming.  It's very rocky; there is hardly any sand.  It is not a good beach for Emily and so we haven't been yet since it's gotten hot.  Bela was therefore all the more excited to be off on an adventure with us, especially one that included water.  She immediately makes friends with all the kids along the beach and inevitably has a following of at least three under-12-year-olds who happily throw sticks and marvel at what a good swimmer she is. 

So we have spent three evenings swimming and enjoying the cool breeze off the lake.  Having my parents here has been such a good excuse to get out and do a bit more.  So often we fall into a routine that hardly gets us out of the house; but on days that are too hot to go to the park or even out in the patio, it can be rough to keep Emily entertained not to mention maintain our own sanity.  These little trips to the lake have made it seem like I'm on vacation.

Emily wanted to ride in the back with Bela. :)