Can you believe that only a couple of months ago we were having the wettest winter in history? Well, almost... I guess we were about three-fourths of an inch away from breaking that record. Now, all we want to do is lie around in the shade drinking ice-cold lemonade... Or maybe read that favorite book in an air-conditioned room... Or watch the clouds lazily drift by...

What are you thinking?! You can't just sit around all summer staring off into space! You have to get out there and do something! And I know just the thing.

Swimming, of course! And I'm not talking about taking a dip in the community pool, but real diving and real water slides, all of which you can only find at a great place I discovered last summer... The Santa Clarita Aquatic Center! The Santa Clarita Aquatic Center is a fabulous place to be on a hot summer's day. It is inexpensive, refreshing, and fun. In case you have never been there before, I will describe this water wonderland to you.

As you drive into the parking lot, the little kid's section of the center is visible (Don't worry, parents are welcome, too). There is a giant red spiral slide a couple of stories high, and several water-spraying jungle gyms. Another fun aspect of this area is a tall pole stationed at the children's beach entrance pool with buckets hanging from it. Each bucket is filled with water, waiting to drop unannounced on unsuspecting victims. This area is fun for all ages but if you are looking for a real aquatic experience, head past the giant water-spouting "mushrooms" and over to the big pool. This pool is well-equipped with two low dives and one high diving board; its depth reaches up to 13 feet! Because of this, you have to take a simple swimming test to be allowed to use this pool. The swimming test is quite easy but standing in line waiting for your turn is definitely not the best part of the day. After all that water fun, you are bound to get hungry, so you can always head over to the snack bar or to the snow-cone cart. Yum!

Here are my top six favorite things to do:
• high dives
• big slide
• swim in the big pool
• jungle gyms
• bucket-dropper
• sno-cones

Well then, now that you know about the coolest place in town, I know I will be seeing you this summer at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center!