When Pine Lake lifeguards opened the summer swim season last Saturday, the only splashing they heard were raindrops hitting the lake. Temperatures on that day barely creeped out of the 50s.

Now that the mercury has risen to the low 70s and the weekend forecast is mostly sunny, swimmers are flocking to the water.

Kalla Klien, a recent Skyline High School graduate, is one of the lifeguards protecting swimmers at Pine Lake. And she takes her job seriously. Not even the nearby snapping of a camera shutter could distract her from her duty; her eyes never stopped scanning the lake for dog-paddlers in trouble.

July 4th is just around the corner, and hopefully the recent improvement in the weather is just a hint at the heat wave to come. With Kalla and her fellow lifeguards perched up high, you can cool off safely at eastside lakes. Don’t forget the sunscreen.

The City of Sammamish has a full complement of lifeguards for this summer, however look for more opportunities next spring on the city’s job site.