Old Swimming Hole
Every outport community had a favorite swimming hole. They were usually sandy or pebbly areas at nearby ponds or beaches.
In Heart’s Delight there was Main brook pond was a highly favored spot. The shallow area near the beach was a safe place for the very young or beginners. The old train trestle area provided a deep hole for the older and more experienced swimmers.
The young people on the Northeast side used to also swim in the protected swimming cove at Northern point. Most often they walked in over John Wiltshire’s hill to a small safe shallow cove in Martins Long Pond. The more advanced older boys and girls swam in a deeper cove in the same pond.
In Inslington, Brookcove, the beach in the Harbour directly in font of the island and long point cove seemed to be the favorites.
The scene depicted in the painting is the swimming hole in Martins Long Pond where me and my siblings learned to swim.
