Senior Discount July 4, 2013

July 4^th seemed like a good day to soak in some sun and go for a swim, so I headed down to Rinconada, a public pool in Palo Alto.  Full disclosure:  I had enjoyed this pool many times when Annie was little as it’s just the ticket for getting us out of the San Francisco fog on a summer’s day.  This spacious and inviting facility, in which every conceivable language can be happily heard, includes a wading pool with mushroom fountains for the little kids, a deeper area and three diving boards for the teens, and a nice set of lap lanes for the more serious swimmers.  But on this occasion, I was alone, and at the entrance it hit me that I was now 60 and perhaps qualified for a senior discount.  The hunky young lifeguard said, “Yes indeed.  $3.”  [I repeated this trick soon after, qualifying for a senior membership at a local science museum, and I will endeavor to repeat as often as possible over the coming year!]  Later that evening I scored another first when the night sky was so clear that I could see synchronized fireworks from both Crissy Field and Pier 30 from my attic window.