Lucky Me!

In the summer months when I was probably 3-5 years old, we would go swimming.  Except nobody in my family knew how to swim or even dog paddle!!  So as you can guess, my parents did not take us out very far.  Sometimes we would go with Aunt Fern's and her 9 kids to Quanicassee.  It was not to far from the bay, I think.  As we drove out towards the water it was all sandy until we parked our cars to walk the rest of the way.  We wore our suits and each took a towel, as we neared the water the sand was wet and cold.  In some places it was mucky, a mix of sand and clay similiar to sticky mud!  Also as we got closer to the water there was tall thin blades of grass that my cousins called seaweed. Some was under the water and felt like an octupus was grabbing your legs and with the mucky bottom, you thought the octupus was winning the battle.  I hated going in this water!!  It smelled like dead fish!  The water was murky from all the sand and mud our feet churnned up!!  So it was hard to tell if it was suckers (fish) or what was moving around your legs and feet!!  That seaweed grass sometimes would get tangled around your feet and legs,  tangled so bad you had to yell for help getting it off your legs!!!!  Once in awhile there was some soft, slimmy, green, squichy stuff in places and you didn't know if it was fish you could be stepping on or what!!  Usually each time we went everyone was alright after playing in the water, except me!!  I was the only person to get what is called swimmers itch with a good sunburn every time!!   Lucky me!!!   When a person is little they don't have a say as to where your parents take you, at least back then we didn't!  A few years ago I went with my sister and brother-in-law out to Quanicassee to try fishing for fun.  It still smells, and looks the same, so that brought all the bad memories to mind.  I am not a fisherman!  The fish I catch are specials on the menu of restaurants.  So far, I have not had to throw any back, they were delicious and everyone a keeper!!!