It was another mountain bike race weekend, this time down near Monterey. Kevin and I spent the morning watching Hazel killing it on the track. And then, while she cheered on the rest of her team (mountain bikes races are ALL day affairs), we snuck away for a few hours to find a place to… Read More Lover’s Point Beach and (Not) Facing Fears (Day 79)
All traces of yesterday’s storm were gone this morning, except for the flotsam and jetsam bobbing around on top of the water. The air quality wasn’t looking great; a murky brown haze clung to the city when I arrived at the Albany Bulb. But the water was luxuriously flat; silky ribbons of silver, green and… Read More Solo Swim (Day 75)
My friend, Angie, comes from a family of swimmers. She grew up in Ireland swimming in the River Shannon with her brothers and sisters and in the sea with her grandmother, who swam every day. Her sister, Darina, who kindly put us all up for the night at her lovely house in Sebastopol, is also… Read More Doran Beach (Day 72)
It felt great to be home again at my familiar Albany bulb with my swimming gang. Crystal clear skies greeted us this morning, along with strong wind. I thought the water was going to feel warm after my significantly colder swims these last few days, but it did not. Maybe past a certain point, cold… Read More Home (Day 33)
Happy year of the Water Tiger! I’m feeling pretty chuffed that I’ve now gone a full month of swimming every day. It seems somehow appropriate that today’s swim was truly peak commitment to this goal. I drove 627 miles from my beautiful niece’s house in Portland back home to Berkeley and I still managed to… Read More Lake Siskiyou (Day 32)
I was filling my water jug with warm water for after my swim when my friend Anna texted me: Don’t swim! After that, the notifications poured in. An underwater volcano erupted in Tonga and tsunami warnings had been issued for the west coast of the United States. As someone who is afraid of waves of… Read More Tsunami (Day 15)
Welp, I’m fifty. I had an amazing birthday. It started in Inverness with a stunning sunrise. I stood and watched the day unfold, coffee warming my hands. The sun came up glorious and warm and Kevin and I went for a kayak, paddling vigorously, muscles burning, and then drifting quietly, watching the birds splash into… Read More Birthday (Day 11)
One of my most memorable swims of 2021 was at Avila beach along the central California coast. My daughter Hazel and I drove down to San Luis Obispo for the weekend to meet my cousin Kathleen and her daughter Rory. I must have been in a particularly obsessed period of swimming at the time because… Read More Facing Fears (Day 2)