[Image] July has brought warm enough temperatures to go swimming, so we've been over to the nearby swimming hole a few times. Caleb really liked taking a ride on the back of the alligator.

[Image] Desert Girl and Desert Boy cooperated for awhile, digging in the sand. It's always so nice when they get along!

[Image] The California cousins were visiting, so Desert Boy made the most of being surrounded by females!

[Image] Meanwhile Desert Girl was busy having a discussion with Grandpa.

There's some nice shade at that swimming hole, but sometimes the kids just want to go somewhere else. This year, due to a big runoff, we have extra choices, including this flooded gravel pit I had never visited before:
[Image] It already had enough visitors to warrant a row boat! I swam back and forth in it a couple times and found that it wasn't too deep, and thus it was substantially warmer than the other swimming hole.

[Image] The water feeding it has made quite a ravine.

[Image] It's also created a nice delta that is perfect for the kids to play in.

[Image] Lola took Emma for a walk in the muddy water.

It seems like about everywhere we swim around here is muddy. I'm actually starting to get used to not being able to see my hands in the water underneath me as I swim. I don't like it, but I can deal with it.

[Image] The kids were busy making canals, pools, and islands.

[Image] And just skipping around!

[Image] Most of the adults hung out at the water's edge, enjoying the shade the storm clouds provided.

[Image] The older girls took out the row boat for a paddle. And the dog.

[Image] Then it was back to more playing in the shallow water. This swimming hole really had great mud flats.

[Image] Caleb and Ruby were busy with some kind of excavation.

The storm clouds were getting closer, so folks started leaving.

[Image] It turned out it wasn't so easy to leave!

[Image] This swimming pool was so fun that we went back another day, and it had a new, added attraction: tadpoles! The kids quickly started collecting them and putting them in buckets.

[Image] Kayli on the tadpole dash.

[Image]The kids studying the muddy water intently for tadpoles.

[Image] They eventually became quite adept at catching the tadpoles.
[Image]Lucky for the tadpoles, all were left behind. Perhaps next time we go we'll see little toads hopping near the water!