It was a low tide and smoggy skies kind of a swim this morning. I met up with Colleen, Angie, and Sheila at 6:15 at the Albany Bulb and the city was a murky smear in the distance. What a difference from the vivid, sharp lines and blue skies of the last couple of days. … Read More Early Morning Reset (Day 151)
It’s my 150th swim! I wanted to do a long swim to commemorate the milestone and Colleen has been saying for a while that we should go find the seal sculpture over at Cesar Chavez Park. The lifesize sculpture of a harbor seal is the creation of local artist and swimmer Conny Bleul-Gohlke (you can… Read More Searching for the Seal (Day 150)
Writing about swimming every day is hard. The repetitiveness of so many of my swims makes it harder: Could there possibly be anything else to say about swimming at the Albany Bulb? Today, Angie and I swam at the bulb. We were a little late and the 8 o’clock swimmers were already in, so we… Read More Writing (Day 149)
I missed my morning swim to pick up Kevin from the airport. He’s been in Australia all week and got in early this morning, which is kind of a great time to arrive after a really long flight. He’d slept and was ready for a full day and I was glad for the chance to… Read More Sail and Swim (Day 148)
It was another wild morning down at the Albany Bulb today. Angie and I met up a bit late, after my class and after we had driven our daughters to school, and we took our time getting into the rollicking water. For the first time in a long time I thought, why am I doing… Read More More Wind (Day 147)
It was a wild day down at the Albany Bulb today. The wind was whipping so ferociously when Angie and I arrived, sea foam was flying up the beach like balls of fluff. The waves were as big as I’ve ever seen them at our little beach. It was slightly intimidating as we got in,… Read More Wild (Day 146)
We are into our second (third?) week of heat and when I stepped out my front door this morning, I couldn’t believe how hot it already was. Get me to the water, I thought. But, surprisingly, it was kind of cool down at the bulb. A brisk wind blew in from the ocean and the… Read More Swimming and Talking (Day 145)
When I woke up soon after five this morning, I really wished I was still asleep. We started fostering kittens last night and in the excitement of that and Hazel’s late night homework, I didn’t get to sleep as early as I wanted. So, while I had it in the back of my mind that… Read More Dawn Patrol (Day 144)
I forgot to write about today’s swim (I am writing this the next day). I’ve failed to write before—when I’ve swum very late in the day, been traveling, or unusually busy—but this was the first time I’ve ever forgotten completely. I’ve been forgetting a lot of things these days: perimenopause? Post-Covid brain? Stress? Fortunately, some… Read More Forgetfulness (Day 143)
I swam with the 8 o’clock swimmers today and I didn’t take any pictures! My main swim buddies and I have always been 8 o’clock swimmers adjacent. We enjoy each other’s company at the circle together either before or after our swims, but once we get into the water, they shoot off in one direction… Read More Albany Bulb Swimmer’s Circle (Day 142)