Otis started swimming lessons this summer. It was an incredible deal: $20 for a full summer’s worth of lessons with, I think, a Red-Cross certified instructor! Granted, the lessons were just a half hour, but they met every weekday for two months. Otis and I settled into a routine of a leisurely breakfast followed by a frantic last-minute search for sunscreen and towels every morning, followed by a quick drive over to Postwood Park in Hannawa Falls (usually listening to bluegrass or Buzzcocks on the way). Otis sometimes needed coaxing into the water, but usually he was pretty gung-ho. I brought a chair and sat with the moms (and a few other dads) on the beach. Afterward, we’d treat ourselves to an apple fritter snack at Stewarts before parting ways: Otis to daycare and Dad to the deck construction site.
Here’s Otis splashing in the shallows, paying just half of his attention to the rest of the Level 1 group while a (friendly) helicopter dad glances over:
