Our family piled into the old family jalopy and dad drove us up the side of a local mountain to go swimming one night at Panorama Hills, an indoor swimming pool overlooking the city of Idaho Falls. At night all you could see were the twinkling lights of the city below, from a distance. The indoor swimming pool was one of the newest things to happen to our community back then since sliced bread, so it became all the rage for home evening nights out.

It was a very large, Olympic style swimming pool from the kiddie depth to the deep end where two diving boards stood. One was lower to the water. The other was higher.

Mom was demonstrating her swimming prowess to me that night, a mere ten-year old, by having me climb onto her back so she could demonstrate how she could carry me while she swam on her belly, face down doing some kind of prone gliding technique.

I was willing to go along with mom's demonstration, until I watched her sinking lower and lower into the chlorinated water, while sitting on her back. I realized she wasn't moving, but sinking and kind of fast in the prone position.

Being a very skinny kid back then, it wasn't because of my weight, but I wasn't a good enough swimmer to just jump off and swim to the side. So I did the next best thing a kid could think of as I watched my mom sinking down deeper into the water as she tried in vain to swim forward. I called my dad to come and save her. He literally had to pull her up out of the water and back where she could catch her breath again.

I'm glad nothing more serious happened, like needing a lifeguard or mom drowning. On a bright note, it was pretty funny notwithstanding nothing worse happening. Mom didn't try it again. That was actually one of our better Family Home Evenings I can remember when all of us were together.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2018 07:55PM by Amyjo.

This is the same mom who once thought she could capture a pair of swans swimming in a muddy marsh on a drive home from visiting some relatives one fair weekend.

She had dad stop the car on the country drive, so she could get out and traipse across a bog to where a flock of swans were resting. Next thing we knew mom was running after the birds calling "Here, birdy birdy," over and over again. Not a one responded to her by walking her way. They ever so elegantly rose from the marshy pond, where mom was now trying to corner them and departed the scene.

Meanwhile, dad had to get out of the car so he could go and retrieve mom. Honestly, what if she had picked up some swans? Where in the heck was she going to put them in our car with all of us inside it? Mom loved exotic animals so much we had a children's petting zoo at home, literally. There were peacocks, fantail dove pigeons, pheasants, and other assorted birds to her menagerie. Why not a pair of swans? They had other plans is why, and could fly faster than mom could run. :)

Pretty neat stories.

My mom was a hoot.

:)