The swimmin' hole.

One of the attractions at the Holiday Inn Express in Sturtevant was the heated pool and hot tub at the back of the first floor. As you can see from the shot above, we could sit in the comfort of the hot tub and watch some poor bastard scrape ice off his car. The life!

I had been instructed ahead of time that I should bring a swim suit and that the kids, who would be staying in the same hotel, would want to go swimming when we got there. Denise wondered if I'd mind going swimming with her grand kids. Of course, I was stoked. I've been a good swimmer as long as I can remember, and it would allow me to try to develop some sort of rapport with these kids.



I've always had a way with little ones. I guess they start out amazed by my size, and the fact that I can easily toss them around. My own nieces and nephews will tell you about the times they would beg me to pick them up and swing them around by their feet. It's like I was some sort of walking, talking circus ride. I loved it, and it gave me a way to connect with the little nippers.



If there was sound to this shot you'd hear Colin giggling as I tossed him off my shoulders. We'd shift from the pool to the hot tub and back on a regular basis, and I'd do my "Jaws" routine (one of my favorite things to do), sneakin' up on the little nipper under water and grabbin' at him as he'd try to get away. He'd say "You can't catch me, you can't catch me", and with one kick I'd be half way across the pool and nippin' at his heels. It was a lot of fun.

Imagine something the size of an elephant seal coming at you under water, intent on pulling you under or tossing you around. The adrenaline gets to pumpin' pretty quick. The pool was small enough that I could easily swim it's length under water, so Colin would try to copy me and want to race. Next thing you know my eye's were burnin' from the chlorine and my ears were poppin' from the water. Oh well, the wages of sin, as it were.



His older brother Bryce also joined us in swimming, but the vibe I got from him was much colder. He wasn't interested in getting to know me, so I left him mostly alone. I saw later how much affection he has for his grandfather, Denise's ex husband, so I understood the scene. Anyway, I've never been able to relate to teenagers. Even when I was a teenager I didn't relate to teenagers, so there you go. We practiced peaceful coexistence, and let it go at that.



In the end, little Colin decided it was fun to try to shimmy out of his trunks and do some skinny dippin'. I mean, I know the attraction, havin' done it myself on many occasions, but the others weren't havin' it. His brother and eventually Denise swooped in. The next thing you know the trunks were back on. The gigglin' was constant.

That was a nice hotel and a nice little pool. It allowed me to relax, soak in the hot tub, and develop a friendship of sorts with the littlest wiggler in the family. He won't forget me. By the time we left he was teamin' up with me to race the others. He'd tell Denise "We're gonna race you". She'd say "Who?" and he'd say "Me and him", pointing at me. The two of us would run down the stairs while the others rode the elevator, and we'd beat them to the car 9 out of 10 times. We had fun. We will again.

Next... beer, cigars, and billiards.