Splish, Splash!

The Murray house was a great place. It was a little one bedroom house about 10 miles from town. There was a set of corrals, an old raised bunkhouse, some stables, and the house itself. There was also a concrete bunker set about 10 ft deep in the ground. Most of my life, it was just filled with rats and trash, and the source of many nightmares.

  There was also a large windmill that emptied its water into a large rock and concrete pool. The pool was about 6 ft high, 10 ft wide, and at least 30 ft long. Most of the time, it was filled with water plants and green, slimy moss. One year, Johnny Davis transplanted goldfish into a lot of our tanks and drinkers. These pretty little creatures kept the water storage tanks and drinkers relatively free of moss and algae. 

When I was married and back working on the ranch, I spent many afternoons lounging on the old couch under the eaves, reading the paper, or napping inside the way from the sun, wind, and two-way radio. My father-in-law and I spent a week one fall using the house as a base camp as we unsuccessfully hunted for elusive elk. But the best thing about the Murray was to beat the hot dusty days by utilizing the Murray house for its best resources… cool, clear water!

 I remember one particularly sweltering summer day. I had spent the morning fixing the corrals around the Murray and stretching fence. I was exhausted and needed some time to relax and cool down. I sat under the porch, working on the daily crosswords, when a unique idea rushed into my head. Why sit under the eaves in the 95° shade when there was a tank of cool, clear water not 50 feet away. Only one problem: no swimming trunks. 

 I thought a bit and came to the conclusion that I was miles from town and behind a locked gate, so I decided to chance it. I stripped down to nothing but my boots and undies and ran to this water tank. Leaving my boots on the wide concrete rim around the water, I jumped into the frigid water and began swimming with the goldfish.

 It was wonderful. The heat was no longer oppressive and the fish nibbled on my toes. I spent about 30 minutes lounging in the pool before lying on the concrete rim to dry out my damp undies. I was just about dry when I heard voices. I awoke in a hurry to find several elderly women giggling nearby. How long they had been standing there, I had no idea, but I rolled into the water as quickly as I could. It turned out that they were out on a drive “just looking around” and got lost. Could I just get them going in the right direction? I spent the next few highly embarrassing minutes trying to explain how to get back to the main road and wondering how long they were going to stick around. 

They finally left, leaving me to bolt to the patio, grab the rest of my clothes, and hide inside while getting dressed fearing they would return him and embarrass me further.

 Although the experience did not stop me from taking the occasional swim in that tank, I did start bringing a pair of swim trunks with me. I never saw another person out there during my swims, but I didn't have to fear waking to a bunch of old ladies out for a look-see!