I went for a late morning swim with Charlotte at the Albany Bulb. It was a gorgeous sunny day. The water was calm when we arrived and a couple of swimmers were drying off, bubbling with the excitement that comes from a beautiful swim. As we made our way in, the glassy water turned more… Read More Sunny Swim (Day 299)
Over the course of this year, I’ve become evangelical about wild swimming. When something makes you feel as good as swimming in the open water makes me feel, you want to spread the word; recruit converts. Today, Maggie, a friend from the Point San Pablo Yacht Club (Kevin’s second home), joined us for our morning… Read More Recruiting (Day 294)
I first learned about Brooks Island during the pandemic when Kevin and I kayaked out there and met Matt Allen, the park ranger who lives alone with his dog in the only house on the island and serves as its caretaker; keeping people away during the time of year when the birds are nesting there,… Read More Brooks Island Badge (Day 289)
While I have consistently managed to keep up my swimming for a remarkable 285 days, many of my other habits have eroded over the last couple of months. I’m struggling to keep up my journalling (something I’ve been pretty good about since the third grade!). I blame this blog for that one. By the time… Read More Habit (Day 285)
Sheila, Angie, and I went out for an early swim this morning. We met up with Colleen and Kaushik, though they quickly left us behind. I am especially slow to get in these days! We were hoping for a full moon set at the Albany Bulb; my mind was full of visions from the last… Read More Invisible Moonset (Day 283)
I had a lovely swim with Arwen and Sheila this morning. We theoretically joined the 8 o’clock gang, but we dilly-dallied and went out by ourselves, which suited our need to do some chatting and catching up before putting our heads down and swimming. It was so nice to swim together again—we were just missing… Read More Swimming with Friends and Seals (Day 282)
It was a swim reunion with Arwen and Sheila this morning. Sheila left for New York the same day we swam from Alcatraz and Arwen has been so busy with work (have I ever mentioned she makes beautiful music? You should go check out Cascada de Flores) that she hasn’t had any time for swimming.… Read More Chilly Water, Good Friends (Day 275)
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)
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)
By 4:30 a.m. I was wide awake and nervous. I ate a couple of protein-packed muffins I’d baked yesterday, drank my coffee, and worried. At one point Lulu woke up and wanted to go outside and when I opened the front door for her, I was blasted by the wind. Oh no, I thought. It’s… Read More Alcatraz! (Day 260)