Pine Lake Fun: When Jumping in Water Makes Sense

Just as classes wind down in June, summer fun gears up - or at least that's how the Sammamish school and weather patterns typically go.

To celebrate what is likely to be the hottest weekend in months, Sammamish Patch headed to on Friday afternoon to see who else would show up to cool off near the water.

It turns out many young people - and others hoping to catch fish - had flocked to the popular lake off 228th Avenue Southeast.

Some jumped in the water with friends. Others rested on the dock and soaked up the sun's warmth. A few people sat in small boats in the water. Still, more people climbed on the play area in the shade of the towering trees.

Does all of this matter, since, well, warmer temperatures typically arrive in June?

In a way, yes. Sammamish Patch can recall the recent past when there was snow on the same Pine Lake Park dock and youth lacrosse players actually had to shovel snow from playfields in Sammamish in order to have matches.

Snow also cancelled classes in February. It fell in late December. Freelance writer Rick Van Cise put his weather knowledge to good use in January for an essay on cold weather in Sammamish and Seattle.

But, enough of that for now. There will be plenty of months to talk about the cold, gray and dark days.

For now, let us focus on Saturday and Sunday and the sun.

It will warm the skin, bring smiles to our faces and prompt us to grab a cold drink and sit next to a lake, river or the Puget Sound. Or even jump in. 

We can appreciate the beauty that Sammamish and the Seattle region has to offer - in a style that fits summer, of course.