Happy New Year! Plunging into 2020

Doing slight introspection, I realized what I don't like about Polar Bear dives is that they are crowded, so you have to park further away and walk--in winter, toward water, returning wet.  And there's lots of people, and waiting around, and anticipation of a whistle at exactly the right time. This made me unenthusiastic about Double Bluff, or Kirkland, or Seattle, or Edmonds.

But there's also a lake nearby our house.  With parking spots very close to the water.  And no official Polar Jump (though an unofficial one, perhaps of loosely connected Gold's Gym members, judging by hoodies and duffles), so no crowds.  And a dock to jump off instead of trekking over yucky, rocky beach and shallows, inching our way to hypothermia.

So we picked up Piper and her BFF and headed over.  All the kids were enthusiastic about the jump and Dwayne was equally enthusiastic about not jumping. My lucky bikini made its annual trip out of the house and the towels were fresh out of the dryer.

While we were aiming for noon, it was a little more like 12:10 when we lined up and.....

JUMPED!

Well, Wes changed his mind. He preferred a slow walk in over the immediate terror and breathlessness of a plunge. And then he decided it's more fun to stay warm and dry. Odd. 

Piper was amazing. Wes looks like he's climbing out, too, but he's just literally getting his toes wet.

BFF was just as enthusiastic, and a great sport.

Kyla is the reason I didn't chicken out or even hesitate--she grabbed my hand when we were ready to jump!

What's the deal about Polar Bear dives?  Well, it's January 1st and the year can only get better from here.  And in an election year, that's not a small consideration...