After dropping Hazel off at work at 6:15, I went down to the Albany Bulb for an early morning solo swim. I was looking forward to the sunrise. But, when I arrived there was just one other car in the parking lot and someone was sitting in it and I felt like maybe waiting for company was a better idea. So I drank my tea and watched the morning brighten from my car, and soon Kira, Colleen, Edy, and Catherine arrived. They are a fun gang to swim with and I was glad I waited. There was still plenty of sunrise magic to be had.

The water was 52 degrees—slightly colder than yesterday. I told them to go on without me because they were all in wetsuits and I knew it would take me longer to get in. Also, even in the warmest months when I’m regularly swimming hard, I can’t easily keep up with them; no way would I manage it today.

So it was a solo swim after all, but the best kind of solo swim: friendly swimmers nearby, the sun coming up, the water silky. By the time I was thinking of heading back, I saw Catherine on her way in and so we swam back together. 

Once I was dressed, I decided to warm up with a walk instead of getting right into the car. As I learned in Victoria, a walk is a much more efficient method of rewarming than blasting the heat while I drive home. By the time I’d returned to the circle, the 8 o’clocks were getting in and I stopped and chatted for a while. Maggie had come down for a swim and so I chatted with her as she got out. Then, Kaushik arrived and Kira and I talked with him so long that the 8 o’clock swimmers were coming back again! It was a fun morning: the swimming, the beauty, and the companionship of the Albany Bulb are all wonderful things.