August 12, 2018
He's freshly 70, and still swimming as much as any youngster.
Music legend Sandy Morris scarcely lets a day go by without stepping lightly into a body of water. Looking back on his 70 summers, it's the way it's always been.
Most of his time growing up was spent either in water or on it.
"Some people get older and don't swim anymore," the St. John's guitarist said as brook water squished inside his beach walkers.
"You're never too old to swim. It think it's a really important thing to keep doing all your life, and I can speak as a senior citizen now."
Roadside attractions
Morris has toured Newfoundland and Labrador countless times, as a member of too many bands, duos and travelling tribute shows to name.
His luggage always includes a pair of goggles and a towel.
"When we were on tour with the [Wonderful] Grand Band, myself and Tommy [Sexton] and Greg [Malone] would always get a pass for the provincial parks," he said.
"We'd stop at a park and boil up and have a swim. And that's how we got across the island multiple times."
There aren't many secret swimming holes he hasn't discovered, and enjoyed.
On the road, the key is to find somewhere that's a stone's throw from the road. The Mahers River near Holyrood is one he's been returning to since 1975.
"If I'm on my way to a gig in Carbonear, I can swim here and leave my guitars and stuff in the truck and keep an eye on it the whole time. The water's beautiful."
The big chill
For Morris, swimming season usually starts in May, and lasts until late October.
The water's only warm for a couple of those months, but it's got to be ice-cold to keep him out.
He said there's nothing as replenishing as the shock of a cold swim.
"You walk out and you feel like a million bucks. It's like turning your computer off and turning it back on again. It's a reset of the entire body system."
He's quick to bring up the mammalian dive reflex - the body's response to being submerged in cold water. It awakens our inner dolphin, slowing our heart rate and causing reduced blood flow to the limbs so our vital organs receive oxygen.
"It's why when you wake up in the morning and splash your face with cold water, you feel better," he said. "You feel refreshed."
Swimming with Sandy: Gavin Simms takes the plunge with the legendary guitarist
It's a bittersweet time when summer winds down. Ponds are the first to turn cold.
"It's sad because it's over. But I love late fall swims, they're shorter of course, but again the refreshment part of it - you feel so alive after you get out of that cold water. And feeling alive is a good thing. Better than the alternative."
As much as he prefers pond over pool... come winter, Sandy does keep his swimming chops up at the Aquaarena.
Tweets from the blastybough
In recent years Sandy's been documenting his Summer swims on Twitter — he posts under the account @Blastybough — where he describes himself as "The Hippy on the Beach."
"When I joined Twitter I didn't really have anything to be tweeting about," he said. "Then I started tweeting about swimming and all of a sudden they were really digging it."
Come late spring, his feed starts filling up with swimming selfies. While his pose is the same — he crops half of his face out of frame — the background could be anywhere between St. John's and Gros Morne.
His love of swimming is something Sandy Morris is more than happy to share.
It literally pours out of him.
"Water is most of the planet... and life came out of the ocean, so if it wasn't for water we wouldn't be here," he said.
"I connect with all that when I'm in a river or pond."