Today I finally got to swim with my larger Albany Bulb swimming community and it felt so good. During COVID I purposefully went when no one would be there and since then one thing or another has prevented me from going when most folks are jumping in. Also, since COVID—actually since before that since my… Read More Community (Day 120)
One thing I’ve discovered since becoming a regular open water swimmer is that it’s an excellent forger of friendships. As I’ve said here before, swimming together has deepened my connections with people I already love and has created many, lovely new ones. Today I swam with Gabe, with whom I’ve been crossing paths for nearly… Read More New Friends (Day 119)
People often assume that because I swim every day I must be a good swimmer. I am not. I am a slow swimmer with passable form. I can’t remember taking swimming lessons, though I’m sure that I did. I spent lots of time in pools, lakes, and the ocean growing up and it seems like… Read More Slow (Day 118)
This morning was a relaxing, leisurely, chatting swim. I met up with Charlotte for the first time since before my trip and her friend, Magda. Magda had swum with us the very first time Charlotte and I went swimming together but bowed out after that. The warmer water (and possibly some nagging) lured her back… Read More Chatting Swim (Day 117)
I was very happy to swim with Angie again this morning after more than two weeks of swimming separately. I’ve missed our chatty swims; the way that bobbing along in the water seems to imbue our conversations with an extra layer of meaning. The water was smooth and silky; occasionally ruffling in the wind, but… Read More Seal Sighting (Day 116)
After my week of road-tripping followed by two weeks of COVID, I am impatient for life to return to normal. I went to sleep last night determined to wake up and go to Lift and Sprint this morning. But when the time came to change out of my PJs and into my sports bra, I… Read More Slow Recovery (Day 115)
This morning Arwen and I met up at Keller for a chilly swim in a lovely high tide. Keller Beach is a small, pretty little beach in Point Richmond that is often busy on a weekend; families gathering for parties at the picnic areas, kids playing in the sand, teens laying in the sun. It’s… Read More Morning at Keller (Day 114)
Early mornings are for the birds. The sanderlings foraging in the sand until they rise up in unison and swoop into the sky, first one direction and then the next; white wings catching the early morning light. A squadron of pelicans hunting, scoping, focused on the water and then hovering before falling into a dive… Read More For the Birds (Day 113)
It was a spectacular day in the bay this morning. The air was clear and crisp; the city and mountains, the bridges and boats all sparkled in the morning light. The clouds were stretched and poofed out into layers of shapes and colors. It was almost as if, knowing it was her special day, Mother… Read More Earth Day (Day 112)
I finally tested negative for COVID. To celebrate my release from isolation, I immediately did way too much and now I’m exhausted. So I will just leave you with pictures of Colleen and me in the wavy, warm (62!), waters of the post-rain morning.
Jenny Swimming 