Calm waters greeted me at the Albany Bulb this morning. I joined a big crowd of 8 o’clock swimmers: All of us, it seems, wanting to beat the crowds who will no doubt be descending upon the bulb later today, seeking respite from the heat.

We swam straight out for a half hour. I counted my strokes, appreciated the way my arms were visible in the still-clear greenish water, enjoyed the glimpses of sky and land I caught whenever I lifted my head to breathe. I kept pink and orange buoys in my sights. 

When we stopped after a half hour I felt further out than I’ve ever been (though, in retrospect, I went further on that two-miler a few months ago). It felt like I was in the middle of the San Francisco Bay; like I could keep swimming right under the Golden Gate Bridge; I felt tiny and huge all at once. 

As I swam back, I reflected on how my swimming pod has saved me from a lonely and depressing Labor Day weekend. Kevin is away, Eliza newly left for University, and the plans Hazel and I had to join Angie and family in the Russian River were kiboshed when Hazel caught a cold. Normally, a weekend pottering around home sounds like heaven to me, but when it’s a holiday weekend it feels different somehow; like I should be doing something special.

Luckily my swimming community brought me to Tomales Bay yesterday, shared a long lovely swim today, and a group of us is heading to Bolinas tomorrow. Thank you swimming!