I had a very lovely swim with Jim and Nicola out to the point and back. It was a mile that felt like five minutes in dreamily calm water, silky and soft, warm and inviting. I don’t have much more to say about it because after it was over, Hazel and I played hooky and… Read More Calm Swim and Good Music (Day 273)
The smell of salt, minerally and sharp, is always there to welcome me when I arrive at the Albany Bulb. Sometimes it’s fishy and sometimes it’s not, but it’s always salty; the seaweed drying on the beach wafting up and reminding me where I am. The dusty smell of the sand when it’s hot was… Read More The Smell of the Bulb (Day 272)
The water and sky were especially beautiful today; dramatic clouds and colors smeared across the landscape that has been more monochromatic the last few days. Angie and I joined Caz, Catherine, Margaret, and Nicola for an 8 o’clock swimmers swim straight out for 25 minutes and then back in. The water became increasingly wavy as… Read More Rag Doll (Day 271)
It was gray at the Albany Bulb this morning, quiet and calm. Fall is here, I thought as Angie and I slid into that cool water under chilly skies. We swam steadily through the peaceful water of the bay out to the point of the point. My toes got numb. I’m looking forward to the… Read More Unknotting (Day 270)
A busy morning and day kept me away from the bay until late afternoon when I finally got to hop into the water. Because I was alone, I opted for the Berkeley Marina where there are always people on the water. Too many people sometimes: I stood on the dock, the wind whipping and watched… Read More Solo Afternoon Swim (Day 269)
A big gang of us went back to Heart’s Desire Beach in Tomales Bay today. As always with this crowd of Albany Bulb Swimmers, it feels like a celebration whenever we gather in any kind of numbers. Last time I swam here, I struggled mightily with the Moon Jellies, but eventually made a kind of… Read More Moon Jelly Madness (Day 268)
Another glassy, warm morning greeted me at the Albany Bulb. I joined a gang of 8 o’clock swimmers and swam hard to keep up with them; the sun blazing down as the calm water seemed to carry me along. The still, warm, friendly water was in sharp contrast to the news story this morning that… Read More Unpredictability (Day 267)
Liquid mirror, silvery light; swimming in the bay this morning was like swimming in the calmest of lakes. I went out with Jim and Nicola and each time I lifted my head to breathe, I could see their image repeated in the water. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the bay so calm–even those underwater… Read More The Bay was a Lake Today (Day 266)
Angie pointed out that today I have 100 days left of my year of swimming. I’ve got mixed feelings about that. I’m proud, of course; to have stuck with it; to be on the easy slide into finish. But I also detected a hint of disappointment in myself when she pointed it out. Like I… Read More One Hundred Days Left (Day 265)
At my 50th birthday swim celebration, a beaming light of a woman I’d never met before handed me a homemade crown. It was delightfully decorated and personalized and if it surprised me that a stranger would make me a 50th birthday crown, five minutes into knowing Edy, it wasn’t a surprise at all. She radiates… Read More Celebrating Edy (Day 264)
Jenny Swimming 