This is my brother-in-law Tom Passafiume, who has been a dear friend to me over the years. Tom took me and Judy on a wild ride down a washed out dirt road to the American River. He took all these photos with his iPod! Thank you Tom.
We were the only ones at this gorgeous part of the American River. The swimming hole was gargantuan; the largest I have ever seen. Clear, clean water revealed a sandy river bottom and small trout swimming around the boulders.
Me and Judy are in the middle of this picture, sitting on the rocks and absorbing the sun. The water was cold, but not so cold that you couldn't swim in it.
As I tried to get back to shore, I foolishly chose to walk right through the rapids and nearly lost my footing. The current was stronger than I anticipated and pulled me so hard it nearly swept me downstream. Holding on to the slippery rocks, I clawed my way out of the current, scraping my hands in the process. It was scary.
That would be me, floating in the cold water like a little duck.
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." Andre Gide
