A Day at the Lake.

So what do you do when it is too hot outside to garden or play? If you're smart, you will call some friends, jump in the car, and go to the nearest lake. Lucky for me (1), there is a lake 45 minutes away called Lake Chelan. It is huge. It's actually 50 miles long and 1,486 ft deep (at its deepest point). There are lots of little beaches around the edge of the lake, some of which have become camping grounds. As the water comes from the mountains during the spring, it is clean and cold. Some people fish for the salmon and trout that can be found. There are always boats, including speed boats, and skidoos that whizz around. Friday was the day that we went. I invited my friend Natalia, and my daughter and her friend also came. We brought all sorts of equipment so we would be comfortable. As the temperatures here increase dramatically during the summer days, I took a four legged canopy (2) so we could have plenty of shade. Nataliya brought inflatable beds, and both of us brought a picnic. It took a while to set everything up, but once we had, it was time to relax. The beach was full of tourists from Russia, India, and South America. Many of them had come from Seattle. That city, after all, is not as hot as this eastern region. So, if you want a hot day and a cold lake, Chelan is a good place to visit. The kids immediately got in the water and floated around on one of the inflatables. I waited until I was hot and desperate to cool down. Then I walked down to the slightly pebbly beach and put my toes in the water. It was freezing! I'm normally brave, but I knew at that second that I wasn't going swimming! I waded (3) out slowly and carefully, promising myself that I would at least dip myself in the water. "One, two, three!" I said and under I went. I sprang up like hot toast out of a toaster and ran to the shore. What a baby! I warmed myself in the sun, and then I realized how smooth the water had made my skin. The kids got an ice-cream, and Natalia shared her Russian bologna and bread, perfect! Three hours came and went, and before we knew it, it was time to go. I'm so thankful that it doesn't take hours and hours to get there. The next time we go I won't be such a baby; I'll actually go for a proper swim.  1. 'Lucky for me' is a shortened version of 'luckily for me'; both are fine to use. Of course this adverbial phrase can be used with other object pronouns (him, her, you). a. Lucky for him, he drove his car away before the parking officer put a ticket on his windshield. b. Lucky for them, they bought the concert tickets early before it sold out. 2. 'Canopy' is a shade. It is also used figuratively.  a. The houses all have canopies over the front doors as the sun here is unforgiving. b. The trees of the forest create a natural canopy, and everything underneath is shaded. 3. 'To wade' is to walk slowly through the water. It is, as you can see, a very specific verb. However, it is a great verb to use figuratively especially if you want to give the sense of having to move slowly through something thick. a. The fisherman put his rubber waders on his legs and waded out into the fast flowing river. b. My supervisor gave me so many papers to check that I spent all day wading through them.