swim

swim, originally uploaded by andyrobe.

the breaks on the water hauling truck whined as it came to a stop in the road. the hoses and pump lay waiting. this was his third trip with water. and it would take at least that many more to fill it. as the water poured out into the empty pool we circled the edges. our paint brushes busy recoating the faded tile. we worked that way until there was no sun left. but the water kept flowing. he knew exactly how much it would take. to fill it to the perfect depth. and he wasn't going home til he got it there. and he did. it was just as it should be. right below the last row of unpainted tile. we could finish the paint in the morning.
the thing i love most about the mid-west. not the corn. or the wheat. or the vast openness of it all. the thing i love most about this place is the storms. the way you can see one rolling in from the west. big dark clouds. that smell. the way the thunder rumbles along through the fields. it is exhilarating. you don't get storms like these in the mountains. but the mountains have their own allure.
we were asleep. it was raining hard and the thunder rattled the windowsills. it wasn’t enough to get you out of bed. it was just comforting. it went on like that for a long time. and we just lay in bed taking it all in. there’s no better way to wake. i’m sure. we should have been up. cleaning the pool chairs. it was summer. but there would be none of that this morning. the rain was taking care of it.
when we did get out of bed i went out to the pool. the water was such a deep murky green. it was a beautiful color. but not one you want to see in your pool. i reached in at the edge to measure how much the water had risen. i stuck in my whole finger until i found the point where the water had been last night. three inches. that’s not what they said on the news that night. but that’s what i measured. and that’s what it was. i guess we were done painting.
if there’s one thing that’s nice to have, it is a pool in your backyard through the summer. people love water. and the paint doesn’t really matter that much.

hard work lost

hard work lost, originally uploaded by andyrobe.

we're back in evansville. for a while this time. at least until we're not again. then we won't be. but until then. here we are.

a day at sea

a day at sea, originally uploaded by andyrobe.

i miss being at the beach. but i decided that, like the mountains, you would hardly notice it if you lived there. only after you left would you realize just how wonderful it was.

fly

fly, originally uploaded by andyrobe.

yesterday i had my first experience in snorkling. uncle mike, uncle steve, and cousin jess were scuba-ing, and cousins chad, shawn, and i were snorkling. we had to take off through the waves and breakers to get out to the area we wanted. i am not a swimmer. not at all. i love the water. i just don't swim well. i had my flippers, and my head gear, and i had my vest on, completely inflated. ready to take on the world. it really was a lot of fun. once i got my head underwater everything was so peaceful. there is really not much to see here on the gulf of mexico. i watched a jelly-fish for a few minutes. i really enjoyed that. unfortunately about five minutes later i was stung on the leg by one. apparently they didn't think i was all that neat. after fighting our way back to the beach against the tide i just wanted to collapse on the each. believe me, i had a blast. i just wanted to prove to myself that i could do it. i was just exhausted by the end of it. and a little sea sick. the scary thing is that a couple hours later the coast guard came flying by and there were sirens going up the road. in a minute the helicopter was back and they sat maybe twenty feet above the water and motioned everyone out of the water. apparently there were bad rip-tides around. they had saved ten people in the last hour. pulling them out of the water. point of the story... if i conquered snorkling my first time in such conditions. i think i'm ready to try it again any time. that's all i'm sayin. love the beach. sad we have to leave.

to the last moment

to the last moment, originally uploaded by andyrobe.

we are finally in florida. it has already been such an incredible refreshment. finley absolutely loves the beach. she loves the sand, and she loves to have papaw take her out in the waves, and she loves the kiddie pool. she is having a blast. we all are. more updates to follow.