Dark Water (that's probably copyrighted, eh? Oh well, down with the establishment!)

I was told that we'd be going to a "beach".

So, I happily donned my bikini and packed all of my beach supplies: sun screen, towel, hat, and soft-core porn for women (this month's Cosmopolitan). After an hour drive on a hot SK day, H, K, L, and I arrived at Manitou Lake, unpacked the car and began searching for a spot on the gravel surrounding the lake. The lake water, for the information of my non-saskatchestani friends, is full of minerals and lots of salt water, so you can float in it like in the Dead Sea. These minerals combine to create a uniquely pungent aroma that compliments the odd greenish-brown color of the water. But who is afraid of funny smelling water? NOT I !!

We walked down the beach until we found a suitable spot, but as soon as I laid my beach mat on the gravel I noticed that there were a substantial number of red ants. Unsure of the effect these tiny little insects would have on our "beach" adventure, we observed them carefully. After watching one particularly chubby red ant fight another chubby red ant to the death, we decided it was probably not a good idea to sit near them. Besides, our chosen spot seemed to have lots of algae. So we wandered back down the beach toward a fallen log we could sit on. L brought out his book (nerd) and the three girls skipped cheerily into the water.

The water was warm and the pebbly bottom was no problem with flip-flops on. We walked on in this way for some time (the flip-flops also created resistance, which made it difficult to walk very quickly) making our way deeper and deeper into the water. Then I heard a horrifying shriek, "SHRIMP!" I looked down at the water and suddenly realized that I had been wading in what can only be described as a huge vat of brine-shrimp soup. There were millions and billions of tiny, pink, stringy shrimp with beady eyes all around me! I shrieked. Then K shrieked and, finally, H shrieked and then we all began to wade as quickly as possibly toward the shore. The thought of these tiny, crispy, stringy, pink, wiggling things having access to one of my major orifices caused my stomach to churn like it's never churned before. I was nearly apoplexic by the time I reached the shore, but still had the sneaking suspicion that some of them might be between my toes.

This is a visual representation of H, K, and me wading to safety.

Once safely at the shore, we gave up. That’s right; we packed up our things and headed over to the Manitou Lake Spa where we paid an exorbitant eight dollars to float in shrimp-free waters.

P.S. All in all the day was great and my skin and hair greatly benefited from the mineral waters. Here is a picture of salt dried in my hair.