Beat the Heat

Tamara and Shoshana Gussin at Lily Pad Springs.

GUSSIN FAMILY

It’s hot out there. That makes it the perfect weather for grabbing your swimsuit and towel and making a splash. From the sprinklers in your own back yard to neighborhood pools, splash pads and beaches, there are plenty of ways to get soaked.

On a sizzling summer day you just might fi nd Tamara Gussin, 9, and her sister Shoshana, 7, relaxing in their neighbor’s pool. They’ve also recently discovered Lily Pad Springs, a new water destination on Farmington Road in West Bloomfi eld that’s drawn some 16,500 visitors since it opened earlier this summer. The 5,500-square-foot splash pad has four water slides and a splash bucket that dumps 55 gallons of water every few minutes.

“I like the big dump bucket, because it’s ginormous and also it gets me ginormously wet,” Shoshana said.

The two love swimming. Shoshana likes to play mermaid in the pool, and both girls like to go to the beach every chance they get.

“My favorite thing about the water in the summer is that if it’s really, really, really hot it’ll cool you down,” Tamara said.

Try these water jokes on your friends!

Q: Why did the teacher jump into the lake? A: She wanted to test the water!

Q: What kind of water cannot freeze? A: Hot water.

Q: What can run, but never walks? A: A river