What it feels like

(<----- a TINY part of the lake....)

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One of my favorite feelings in the world is to dive into a deep body of water. When done properly (note: generally NOT the way I do it, through no lack of trying on my part), the sensation of cutting cleanly through the water is almost magical.

Did a bit of diving last week. Off docks and boats, and once or twice in very ungainly fashion off a Jet Ski. It's hard to be gainly when you're tumbling unexpectedly into the drink. I was kind of scared of the Jet Ski, never having been on one before, but after the first dunking, and especially after I got to drive it, there was no more fear.

It's a totally different sensation, the DRIVING of the Jet Ski. Much more in control, much more powerful, far less "oh SHIT!" I'm a big fan now. Next time, I might even brave some tricky bits, rather than making the heroic effort to 1) stay ON the fool thing, and 2) not kill anyone else on the water with my driving. My brother got it up to 50 MPH at full throttle; now THAT would be hella fun to do.

There's a place at the lake that has pet carp. Hundreds of pet carp. Some of the carp are almost 2 feet long, and it seems as though they must weigh a good 20 pounds. They swim under the dock store and by the boat slips, looking for food. The marina sells popcorn for a quarter a cup for which to use to feed the fishies, and every year we make a boat trek up to Smith Mountain dock to do just that. It can be like a carpet of carp mouths if they're really hungry, all straining upward in fishly kissy-mouths. You can hear a soft moist popping as their fishlips open, yearning for the goodies. It's kind of awesome, if you're into that sort of thing. You can pet them too as they swarm about; their cool firm skins are slippery and prehistoric. You sure don't get to do THAT every day, do ya?

Plus which, they sell frozen lemonade at that marina. Totally worth the half-hour boat trip.

All that time in and on the water does leave one lasting feeling - that of bobbing up and down with the water, even when you're not ON water anymore. This year it's taken three days for that feeling to subside to a point at which I don't feel two sheets gone. I wonder how the ancient mariners managed to even STAND on shore after a long trip; no wonder they staggered around port!

Ennywhoo - that's kinda what it feels like to be at the lake. It's that feeling of comfortable tradition that makes us all want to go back, year after year after year.

Next year, there's talk of staying for TWO weeks. That? Would totally ROCK.

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So I ask you, where would you like to go on your next vacation, and why?