Swim Lessons at the Rio Nido Pool

River to Coast Childcare Services has been offering morning swim lessons at the Rio Nido Pool during the month of July, in 30-minute sessions from 9am-11am through a partnership with the YMCA in Santa Rosa.

For $4.00 per lesson for each family, (or $32 for two weeks worth of lessons, Monday-Thursday), the children receive 30 minutes of swim lessons & can then hang out at the pool for the day (without paying the normal $6 per day fee). This program may continue through August if there's enough demand for it.

I initially felt somewhat doubtful about these lessons, even though we have a summer membership for the Rio Nido Pool. My 6-year-old daughter has been highly resistant towards my attempts towards enrolling her in swim lessons in the past -- even though she loves the water -- & had absolutely ZERO desire to participate in this current round of lessons, either. Nonetheless, I told her she MUST try it, because being a non-swimmer in this River Town is NOT an option, so she reluctantly agreed.

My, oh, my ... these instructors are pretty danged good & awfully persuasive ... now my daughter can't WAIT to go to her swim lessons & even feels disappointed that there is no swim lesson tomorrow (because it's Friday). They handle all age groups & personalities remarkably well. Each child receives a good balance of group time, watching time (i.e. seeing other kids swim, including the fabulous exploits of older/more advanced kids), & individual time practicing things with the instructor. They're amazing & REALLY good with the kids, & get them to do all sorts of things that you could only get your kids to do in your dreams ... like, swim underwater without holding their noses, float on their backs, doggy-paddle or swim the crawl all the way across the pool, etc.

For more information or to ask about future swim lessons, please call River to Coast Childcare Services at 707.869.3613. Lessons are only scheduled through July 18th, but I'm sure that they will find a way to extend them if enough of us want them to continue.

It's important for us to have a regular program of swim instruction here on the Russian River. The proximity of the River makes it extremely urgent that our children know how to swim & have a thorough understanding of water safety. I'm grateful to the folks at RCCS & the Santa Rosa YMCA for offering us this program.

Splash into summer at the Rio Nido Roadhouse Pool

Pool at the Rio Nido Road House
14540 Canyon Two Rd, Guerneville, CA 95471
707.869.0821
Hours: 11:30am-5:30pm
Life guards on duty

Daily passes $6.00 per peson -- call for group rates 10-day punch card $50.00. Or save money with season passes. For prices & other information, visit their Web site at http://www.rionidoroadhouse.com/

Summer’s almost here & the Rio Nido Pool opens on Saturday May 17th, the week before Memorial Day weekend. If you didn’t visit the pool last summer & haven’t dropped by the Rio Nido Roadhouse recently, you really need to check it out. The new owners, Leanne & Brad, have made some major changes since buying the place from Dee & Midge last summer, & are finally bringing the restaurant, pool, & performance stage up to its full potential (no offense to Dee & Midge – I love them & think they did a great job – they were just ready to retire & could only do so much).

The place looks a LOT nicer now, since Leanne & Brad have fixed things up & brightened up the buildings with a cheerful, fresh coat of paint. They also have these lovely, comfy Adirondack chairs in the picnic area. Leanne & Brad have also made huge improvements to the menu in their restaurant & serve up delicious & inexpensive dinners, appetizers, & Sunday brunch year round. They also host a wonderful series of fun & danceable bands on Saturday nights.

So, you might be wondering … why should anyone pay to use a pool, when we can swim in the Russian River for free? My husband, daughter, & I often DO enjoy hanging out at Johnson’s Beach & other little beaches along the River. But when you have kids, it’s REALLY nice to go somewhere with a shallow pool for the little ones, an enclosed picnic/play area, & -- most of all – a LIFEGUARD so we can relax our vigilance a bit. It also helps to now that there will always be other kids around for our daughter to play with.

The lifeguards (I hope Mara & Christine are coming back this year) are also truly wonderful with the kids. They help them learn how to swim, organize water games, & also provide huge buckets of soap bubbles & an assortment of exotic wands for the kids to enjoy when they aren’t swimming. The snack bar is also a wonderful thing for days when you don’t feel like going home & making lunch – in addition to the typical hot dogs & ice cream, they also serve good sandwiches topped with a generous serving of fresh vegetables.

For others who say that Ives Pool in Sebastopol is warmer & cheaper (Ives IS really nice), I say that (a) the Rio Nido Pool is closer by; (b) for the price of $6.00 daily admission (or the season pass, which is a better value if you plan to come more frequently), you & your kids can hang out at the pool all day – not just during a particular 2-hour time slot; & (c) if you walk or drive by the pool every day, the incessant pleading of your children to go to the pool gets awfully hard to resist.

For stay-at-home parents/caregivers, a season pass for the Rio Nido Pool is an excellent value. Particularly if your child loves water & isn’t ready for summer camp; if you simply can’t afford summer camp for all of your kids; or if you have a hard time finding things to do which keep your toddler & older child(ren) happy at the same time (the older kids can play in the pool under the life guard’s supervision, while you play with the little one in the shallow pool) It’s a relief to know that you always have somewhere reliably fun to go during the day.

Local music scene: Dancing with Dgiin

Imagine Dire Strait’s Mark Knoffler’s deep, rasping vocals overlaying a colorful tapestry of eclectic musical influences interwoven with dense patterns of lilting reggae, funk & Cajun guitar grooves; propulsive world-music bass & drum rhythms; & accented with a bright shimmering thread of effervescent Dixie-land tenor sax, & you’ll have some idea of what Sonoma County’s up-and-coming sensation, Dgiin (pronounced like “gin”), sounds like. My friend even noticed that a couple of songs vaguely reminded her of a klesmer ensemble she had heard recently.

Dgiin winningly describes their music as “French Gypsy Funk,” which seems to be fairly apt. Gabe, the lead singer/guitarist grew up in France, where the music scene is richly influenced by its former colonies in North & West Africa. The core band also consists of Jimmy “the Inch” (I REALLY don’t want to know where that nickname came from … any relation to Hedwig?) on Sax; Chrisdgiin Le Dieph (the only one with a last name) on bass; & Paget on drums. Their sound is also enhanced by a revolving ensemble of musical guests (when we saw them, they had a talented Bongo player with them).

My husband, daughter & I saw Dgiin at the Rio Nido Roadhouse last Saturday (May 10^th), because we’d heard good things about them & also because their gig started at the uncommonly early hour of 6pm (yeah, we’re boring breeders & we really don’t get out much). For the very reasonable cover charge of $5.00 & the price of a yummy & inexpensive dinner & a couple of drinks (luckily, we live within walking distance), we all had a fabulous evening.

The place was jam-packed, but it didn’t feel crowded because Dgiin played on an outdoor stage, the temperature was mild, & there was plenty of seating. Not that many people were actually sitting down – they were too busy dancing. Several other families had also brought their kids, who happily ran around, danced, & played in the entirely safe, visible & enclosed outdoor space while the adults dined, chatted & enjoyed the music. The only drawback: We stayed out till the unheard-of hour of 10pm & woke up too late to make it to church the next day.

Tips for folks with little kids who want to catch Dgiin & other musical acts at the Rio Nido Road House en famille: They don’t charge cover for the kids; Young & picky eaters may not like appreciate the delicious, gourmet pizzas, but you can request a plain one with cheese; Dress the kids in play-clothes because they’ll be running around; bring mosquito repellent; & Bring another layer – it gets cool in the evenings

• For information, upcoming gigs, & a musical sampling of Dgiin, visit their MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/dgiin/
• For information about the Rio Nido Road House, including music, menus, events, & the Rio Nido Pool, visit http://www.rionidoroadhouse.com/.