The last three days have been spent happily reuniting with Eliza and Hazel in Victoria. My heart feels whole being back with these two.

But I’ve also been swimming.

On the 5th we arrived in Victoria and after seeing Eliza’s beautiful house, meeting her roommates, and marveling at this side table she made…

We went to the beach at sunset so I could get my swim in. The water was spectacularly clear, but I was shocked by the cold. After the last months in the relatively warm bay where the temperature has been in the mid sixties, entering water that was probably 51 or 52 was HARD. I didn’t stay long.

The next day I joined the Cold Water Addicts for their usually 8am swim. It was great to see the friendly faces of this swim group with whom I first swam in January of 2022.

I was already much more acclimated than the day before and relished the invigoration of cold water.

On the seventh I went back and did it all over again. This time I could stay in for even longer and did some actual swimming. It helps that the sun has been shining, the air uncharacteristically warm.

It’s just been spectacular. And look how clear the water is!