#124~Purple & Gold

This blog was started to chronicle my goal of swimming in fifty different pools in my 50th year. Clearly, I’m we’ll past 50 pools and just a few years over my fiftieth year😉.

As my readers have observed the therapeutic writing of this blog allows me to ponder all things water, swimming and travel. The frenetic pace to hit 50 pools in one year has obviously slowed. This evident in the fact that pool #124 is my first new pool in over five months! Too long.

Pool #124 brought me back to my Pacific Northwest stomping grounds of Seattle. For several years I’ve wanted to swim with Lake Washington Masters at Juanita High School in Kirkland but the timing and location hadn’t planned out. My friend, “open water Jen” from Boston swims with the group when she is visiting family. The pool is your basic six lane high school pool likely built in the early 70’s.

While pool was quite ordinary (which is fine) the coach and swimmers were extraordinary. It was a good and well attended workout with some speedy swimmers. I wish I had represented New England Swimming a bit better. It wasn’t my best day in the pool.

I checked off a new pool and got a workout in but the real reason for this PacNW visit was…Husky football!

(The best setting in college football)

There were many fun events from hanging out with Courtney, seeing friends, new restaurants and a ferry ride to Bainbridge.

(Long time friends)

Game Day was the big highlight! We pre-gamed at a variety of different tailgates and mid-game sailgated on Lake Washington.

We hung around with Courtney for a bit with her friends and her meeting our friends.  I saw some longtime friends (I don’t like saying old friends) that I hadn’t seen in 35 years-yikes!  It felt just like yesterday when we were catching up. So many fond memories.

(More long time friends)

(Long time Sigma Chi and Gamma Phi friends)

Over the weekend I was reminded of the old adage, “make new friends but, keep the old, one is silver the other is gold”.

In the case of this weekend it is more aptly said as, “make new friends but, keep the old, one is purple the other is gold.“

It was such a fun weekend~can’t wait to go back!

Oh and the Huskies beat the SC Trojans (sorry Ryan)