ita's aquatic wildlife concern, iirc, is lake whales.

Another water baby here. From early childhood I'd stay in the ocean all day if they let me. I'd work my way through my parents, grandparents, my Father's seven siblings, their spouses, and various cousins until lunch. Then I'd repeat until dinner. The times I couldn't find someone to go in with me were tooooooooooorment . Sand castles were for jellyfish days. Shell hunting was what you did when the guards weren't on duty.

They tried to tell me I'd outgrow it but, either out of orneryness or my actual nature, I never did. Now I get to stay in the water if there's a break in the string of relatives to play with.

What else would I do down the shore? I don't tan. I can read on the train home. We can talk just fine in the water while we go over waves, under waves, ride waves, get flipped over and driven head-first into the sand by waves... its all good.

Creeks, ponds, lakes, and pools are all good too. I was on swimteam and later guarded lakes and pools and taught swimming. I probably should have become a mermaid or an underwater demolitions expert.

ita's aquatic wildlife concern, iirc, is lake whales.

No, not really. I was freaked out to hear that whales in the St Laurent river needed to be discarded as toxic waste, but that's more a pollution thing than a whale thing.

I am not a strong swimmer, but I do love the water. I dislike many things found in the water including, seaweed, slime, leeches, jellyfish, eels. I have never swum in anything resembling a river, I think the currents would freak me out. The ocean is great, but I am always aware of the undertow. I tend to more play in the waves and swim towards shore. Also, the ocean is f-ing cold around here, so one can't stay in for too long.

They tried to tell me I'd outgrow it but, either out of orneryness or my actual nature, I never did.

All three of our kids are like this. Last time we went to the beach (Lake Ontario), Sara got out of the water maybe twice, for a minute or two. And we were there for a good three hours.

If it's not too cold I may be swimming in this lake next week. [link]

I can read on the train home.

Reading is so marvellous on a sunny beach with the thundering of the ocean waves, though. Don't get me wrong, I love being in the ocean, but it has to be very warm both in the water and out. Not even Jamaica makes the par every time. I only made it into the water once last time I took a beach vacation there. But I spent a fair amount of time either fully dressed sitting on the beach reading, or sitting half in the pool reading. Where I could still hear the ocean.

A&E showed a marathon of the first CM episodes and they were all such cuties. Shemar in a suit, Thomas Gibson with floppy hair, dolls.

I need to rewatch those. I love the show now, but the first episodes were tainted by my resentment that The Inside had been cancelled.

My dad taught me and my brother how to swim. My mother was deathly afraid of the water, and didn't want us near it, but my dad put his foot down. I still remember how he would move out a few feet and say "swim to me", and then sloooooooowly move back. I remember when I looked up and realized that I was in the DEEP END and panicked, and my daddy saved me. :)

The CM crew really love Reid. They pushed him hard on the audience in those beginning eps. They don't push him as hard now, but he does tend to get the big trauma episodes, what with the drug addiction, etc.

My mother can't/doesn't swim, but did a fair amount in not transmitting that to us--in fact she helped teach us. She's good with the theory, but easily scared by the water.

I'm so glad they're safe, Cash. My mother is terrified of water and can't swim, partly because her mother was also scared of water and didn't want any of her children in it. My mother, on the other hand, made sure we took swimming lessons, because she didn't want us to have the same fear and she knew that she couldn't save us.

Even though I could swim, I came close to drowning once in a pool when I was 7 or 8. I was walking from the shallow end, and when I hit the part that was over my nose, I couldn't make the transition to swimming and I couldn't get my footing to get back to shallow water, so I ended up bobbing up and down and breathing in water. I remember how helpless I felt. Fortunately, the pool lifeguard spotted me.

CM is one of the few shows that I think has gotten better over time.

(Dear Cashmere, that wasn't a PARENTFAIL. Your children are safe because you and your family were scrutinizing every inch of their play and, as children will, they tested you. You passed the test; they're alive. Please don't beat yourself up. You're one of the sanest, loving mommies I know.)