More Stories from Glacier Hills

Today Mr. Ernst tracked me down. He had remembered me from the days when I was the volunteer coordinator in the Care and Rehab Center five years ago. He comes twice a day to help his wife with her meals and once in a while goes up north to hunt and fish. Especially fish. On this fine day he was looking for me because he had seen the Ann Arbor News article and wanted to tell me that he had been a swimmer at Ann Arbor High in the '40s. He placed first in the state championship swim in 1942 when he was a senior. Says he couldn't do that now if he tried, but he felt a kinship with my swimming. We walked together to my office in the Manor so I could print out the Liz Swims the Huron schedule. He reminded me that he had gone fishing in the rapids of the St. Mary's River many years ago and thought that I knew the family--sure enough I remember him telling me the story. It was the Leitz family and they had a fishing and hunting store back then. I love the way this swimming expedition makes connections and re-connections to all the people I know who love the water. Afterall, we really can't live without friends and water.