Shore to shore

The lyrics found in the hymn,  America  the Beautiful, speak of the beauty in America while going from sea to shinning sea, and if you have ever traveled about this great country, those words couldn't be more true.  I have been fortunate enough to have crossed this land solely, with friends, and most memorably on family camping trips when I was younger.  However, when one goes from sea to shining sea, you have to cross the land in between, but if you go from shore to  shore, then one has to cross a body of water.  Well, my friends and I recently did just that, we swam across the lake at Chautauqua just so we could say we swam across the lake.

Guy's weekend at the lake has become a tradition for our group of "weekend" warriors.  Generally, there is an abundance of exercise, followed by a proportionately substantial amount of eating, in turn followed by a whole lot of "fellowship".  Although the name guy's weekend implies participation by only a fraternity of brothers, most of us have outgrown the need for male bonding, so the families are all included in the festivities as well.  Truthfully, the logistics of some of our activities are made infinitely more easy because of the "X" factor.

This year we decided it was time to man up and cross the lake, swimming the entire distance, 1.85 miles.  So, with the aid of our support staff in the safety boat and putting a "strategery" together for the swimmers, we donned our wetsuits, swim caps, and goggles and took the plunge.  It was a lovely day with calm "seas" and sunshine.  In no time at all, we were almost there, and then almost there, and then almost there.  The distant shore grew ever closer, but you couldn't have convinced any of us of that fact.  The primary target seemed to get bigger as we crossed the lake, but I truly believe that was more simply just wishful thinking.  However, we finally did emerge from the lake an hour and a half later to set foot on terra firma once again.  What a relief indeed for all those involved, especially the support staff, because, without their help, we couldn't have done it safely.

Without a doubt, the guys in this group have become truly special to each other over the years.  We have run, biked, and swam our way to becoming, quite literally, a band of brothers.  Now that we have conquered the crossing of Lake Chautauqua, we can say that for "shore"!