Got out of work early yesterday, so my wife and I took the boys down to our favorite (and relatively unknown) park on Lake Austin to go swimming with the mutts.

Just a boy ad his dog playing in the lake

Lake Austin is a constant-level lake that is sandwiched between the Mansfield Dam on Lake Travis and the Tom Miller Dam on Town Lake. The wonderful thing about swimming in Lake Austin during a scorching summer day (was 104 yesterday) is that the water that fills this lake is released from the bottom of Lake Travis, which is about 200′ deep at the dam.

Which means that the water is wonderfully cold (not Barton Springs 69 degree cold, but very, very close). I know some of our friends’ swimming pools here in Austin are already as warm as a hot shower, but Lake Austin is closer to 72 degrees (at least on the northern part of the lake where we swim).

Angus the incredible swimming and retrieving Great Dane

Angus is now swimming entirely and confidently without his life jacket. Turns out this Great Dane is a freak when it comes to retrieving. It’s pretty much all he wants to do while we’re at the lake. He’s got more enthusiasm for it than our Lab does. And our Lab loves to retrieve.

Happy dog

Happy Independence Day to all of you who stop by here. I hope your holiday weekend is filled with much food, friends, and family having fabulous fun.