From the Pool to the Lake

One of the first places I went when we moved to Morganton in 2021 was the Aquatic Center. The water in our building had been turned off and, since we moved in on the Friday before the July 4 holiday weekend, we weren’t able to get it turned back on for a few days. Not the best scenario! But those circumstances led me to explore the Aquatic Center right away. I love swimming, so I figured I’d join, get a workout in, and take a shower. Having moved from New Jersey, I was enchanted by the calm, sparsely attended pool. I got to know a few of the other swimmers there. One was a woman named Mary who swam for hours. She would be in the water before I arrived and still going strong when I left. I swam alongside her a bit and was thrilled when she reached out a few months ago, asking me to create a stained glass piece for her daughter’s birthday.

Her daughter had moved far from Morganton but still loves the views of the mountains and sky of western North Carolina. When we designed this piece, we knew we had to include some of the water of Lake James—Mary swims as many miles there as she does at the Aquatic Center.

I’m looking forward to moving out to Lake James this summer (THIS SUMMER!) and hope I’ll be able to join Mary for a few more swims—this time with the sky above us and the cool, clean water of our beautiful lake all around us.