CONTRIBUTORS
LINKS
INFO
Summer Guide 2006
- No Sweat
- The Great Indoors
- 'Oh, that's Grandma. She's just cleaning her gun.'
- Magic Carpet Ride
- The Coldest I ever was, by Wayne Garcia
- A Volley of Tiny balls
- Get Your Play On
- Hang In There
- The Swing of Things
- Head for the Pool
- All Shook Up
- Take me IN to the Ball Game
- The Coldest I Ever Was, by Kelli K
- Ice Cold
- The Coldest Beer in Town
- Myth Busting
- Milkshake Marathon
- The Coldest I Ever Was, by Leilani Polk
- The Cold War
- Summer on Ice
- Cutting the Ice
- Ice Age
- Ice: It's not All the Same
- Go Dry
- The Coldest I Ever Was, by David Warner
- Cool Rider
- Bubble Boy
- The Coldest I Ever Was, by Eric Snider
- Cold-Heart Snakes
- Play it Cool
- The Agony of Defeat
- The Coldest I Ever Was, by Joe Bardi
- Freeze Frames
- The Coldest I Ever Was, by Anne Arsenault
- Mix, Burn and Chill
- The Coldest I Ever Was, by Scott Harrell
- Lists of Summer
I grew up in Long Island, N.Y., and in the mid-'80s my parents had an in-ground pool built in our backyard. Unlike in sunny Florida, pools up north are covered each winter, with the grand reopening becoming a cherished ritual of spring.
One year, spring came a little early when some cinder blocks my dad had used to secure the cover fell into the pool. For some insane reason, we decided that as soon as it was close to warm, my brother, father and I would go in after them. When the day arrived, the water temperature was a frosty 54 degrees. I remember descending the stairs into the icy water, thinking that when my balls hit they would be sucked into my abdomen and out my nose. (Hey, I was about 11 years old at the time.) After about five minutes I adjusted, and I even remember thinking that it wasn't so bad.
Then We Got Out. Holy Shit! Walking Across Frigid Brick Pavers On Bare Wet Feet Is Not For The Faint Of Heart. Despite My Mother's Protestations, After 30 Seconds Of Faux Drying I Sprinted Into The House.
