Potomac River
I think the Potomac River was my first love. I was born in December and by the time summer rolled around; I was 6 months old and nowhere near being able to walk. My mother, "Betty" told me she had to teach me how to swim. We lived so close to the river that if I toddled too far from the house I could easily fall into the water. I was her 5th child and she knew how fast toddlers could move and knew how daring and unaware of dangers they were. There was never a fence seperating the house from the river. Just a small patch of grass from the front door to the seawall. So Betty was sure I would survive if I ran off faster than she could keep up with me and fell into the river.
So I tell people I could swim before I could walk and this is true. I had every summer swimming in the river; playing in the sun. I would gather seaweed in a large pot and pretend it was soup. My sister Nancy would play games with me although she was 12 years older than myself.
When I was about 3 or 4; my sister Nancy would tread water in the river and wait at the end of the pier and call me to jump. It didn't take long for me to jump. She would sort of catch me; but then sent me on my way to swim back to the front of the pier where the black ladder stood. The paint was mostly rubbed off and just worn down wood. The ladder was always soft to my feet and never rough nor splintery. The black paint and the raw wood were melded together. The owner of the pier and ladder was Mrs. Melvin. She was a widow and had one son whom she called yes, "sonny". A true Southern Marylander. Mrs. Melvin was a portly old woman who loved to garden was a wise woman in many ways. She owned an enormous 3 apartment house. She rotated where she would live. In the summer she got the primo apartment which was located right on the river with the best view. Since we were her next door neighbors she allowed us to use her pier whenever we liked. It always felt like my pier. Jumping off the end swimming back to the ladder over and over again until my limbs were limp and my belly was aching for food; then I would finally emerge onto land for nourishment and rest. Summers were always wonderful.
My brother Kenny was 4 years older than myself; so by the time I was 4; he was 8 and a very strong swimmer. Nancy and Kenny would love to swim out to the sand bar. Now to get to the sandbar they had to swim across very deep water which the distance was at least one full mile. They would swim out there regularly and I implored them to take me with them and being the youngest and the brother and sister they were to me; they found a way to let me join in their fun. Of course they knew I could not endure a mile long swim at 4 years of age; so they strapped an orange life jacket on me and away we all went. All I had to do was kick. If I got tired of kicking; Nancy would lend her shoulders and I would just hold on and she would pull me along. Then finally we arrived at the sand bar and Nancy and Kenny were so excited and yelling and jumping on the "new ground" that they had acheived after a long hard swim. I was so little I couldn't even touch the ground. It mattered not; I was part of the team; I was part of the celebration and excitement. I made it to the sandbar.
So I tell people I could swim before I could walk and this is true. I had every summer swimming in the river; playing in the sun. I would gather seaweed in a large pot and pretend it was soup. My sister Nancy would play games with me although she was 12 years older than myself.
When I was about 3 or 4; my sister Nancy would tread water in the river and wait at the end of the pier and call me to jump. It didn't take long for me to jump. She would sort of catch me; but then sent me on my way to swim back to the front of the pier where the black ladder stood. The paint was mostly rubbed off and just worn down wood. The ladder was always soft to my feet and never rough nor splintery. The black paint and the raw wood were melded together. The owner of the pier and ladder was Mrs. Melvin. She was a widow and had one son whom she called yes, "sonny". A true Southern Marylander. Mrs. Melvin was a portly old woman who loved to garden was a wise woman in many ways. She owned an enormous 3 apartment house. She rotated where she would live. In the summer she got the primo apartment which was located right on the river with the best view. Since we were her next door neighbors she allowed us to use her pier whenever we liked. It always felt like my pier. Jumping off the end swimming back to the ladder over and over again until my limbs were limp and my belly was aching for food; then I would finally emerge onto land for nourishment and rest. Summers were always wonderful.
My brother Kenny was 4 years older than myself; so by the time I was 4; he was 8 and a very strong swimmer. Nancy and Kenny would love to swim out to the sand bar. Now to get to the sandbar they had to swim across very deep water which the distance was at least one full mile. They would swim out there regularly and I implored them to take me with them and being the youngest and the brother and sister they were to me; they found a way to let me join in their fun. Of course they knew I could not endure a mile long swim at 4 years of age; so they strapped an orange life jacket on me and away we all went. All I had to do was kick. If I got tired of kicking; Nancy would lend her shoulders and I would just hold on and she would pull me along. Then finally we arrived at the sand bar and Nancy and Kenny were so excited and yelling and jumping on the "new ground" that they had acheived after a long hard swim. I was so little I couldn't even touch the ground. It mattered not; I was part of the team; I was part of the celebration and excitement. I made it to the sandbar.
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