Swimming in the Spiegelplas

This is another great benefit connected to living in Nederhorst den Berg (one of the others being that it's only 15-20 miles from downtown Amsterdam, and yet completely separate). It's also something that connects me directly to my youth, because growing up, I also lived here (1971-1983) while my parents remained until 1989. I've spent countless hours in or on this lake. We used to have sailboats, and there was a time I'd spent just about every free minute at the marina or on the lake. I also used to frequent a small beach--currently a ten-minute walk from our house. The lake was created by decades of pumping sand out of it, and in places it's more than 50 yards deep. It has a connection to a neighboring river, but it's mostly self-contained and thanks to its proximity to a nature preserve also very clean. I used to swim at the marina, or simply off our boats, but my best swimming memories are of going to the little beach at the end of the day with our dog and a waterpolo ball. With the ball in between my arms (just in case I'd need a flotation device, out there all by myself) I'd swim across and back, sometimes throwing the ball ahead of me and chasing it down. The dog, meanwhile, would patrol the little beach for snack items left behind by day-time users. Since our arrival, we've been there twice, although I haven't made it across yet. This weekend is pretty nice, so I'm thinking we may head down to the beach again tomorrow.
This isn't much of cycling or Cold War posting, but you've got to respect your readers.