I grew up swimming in the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. Going to Padre Island was a Sunday ritual. My mother loved to swim laps in the deep water beyond the surf. I would see her bathing cap bobbing up and down. After I moved here, got married, and had five children, I discovered Green Lakes. Now that we are retired, my husband swims laps there all summer. I am more likely to swim the days that are warmest. My destination is an uncrowded lap lane. My mother died and never got to know Central New York, but I have often thought how much she would have enjoyed swimming laps in the tranquil waters of Green Lakes.