The first day of summer was a warm one here in Empire, Alabama. When I was a kid, we played hard outside in the summer. If it was hot, well then too bad. We'd take our cutoff jeans with us and take a dip in the afternoon in Powell Hollow pond to beat the heat.
Powell Hollow was really just an unreclaimed strip pit that filled with water. It had a shallow end for wading, and a deep end with steep bluffs for diving.
The swimming hole was probably ten acres with cattails on the western shore and a steep bank on the eastern end that had huge cottonwood trees that bloomed purple blossoms this time of year. The flowers smelled like grape bubblegum. It was a great way to stay cool on hot days.
I haven't been up to Powell Hollow in over thirty years, but I'm guessing the state finally got around to reclaiming that land so swimming there is probably not an option.
But tonight as I sat out on the back deck and admired the moon, the air was still hot. I thought to myself, I'd love to take a nighttime swim in that old pond.
I think that would be just the ticket to cool things off.
Hey Marco, I added a link to your blog.
ReplyDelete