I met up with the radiant 7 o’clockers this morning: Edy, Catherine, Colleen, and Kira. They are a joyful bunch and it’s always a good way to start the day (even if in their wetsuits and flippers, they quickly swim out of sight). We whooped and hollered our way into the cold (52F) water. The… Read More Sunshine (Day 327)
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… Read More Spending the Morning at the Bulb (Day 325)
Yesterday was so brilliant that Angie, Sheila, and I decided to get out for an early swim again this morning. The colors were subtler today, but the dramatic clouds made up for it and, again, I found myself stopping to take pictures constantly. The thing about sunrise is that it’s changing every second; the colors… Read More Another Sunrise (Day 322)
This morning Sheila, Angie, and I went for an early morning sunrise swim at the Albany Bulb. What strikes me most every time I’m swimming in this magical morning hour is the way, instead of water, the bay appears to be filled with metallic light. Silvery blues in one direction; yellow golds and amber in… Read More Brilliant Sunrise (Day 321)
When planning an early swim, I often check the time of sunrise in the hopes of catching that brilliant spectacle of light when I’m out in the water. And, just as often, I’m dismayed to see day arriving long before that time. Daylight will be pouring over the streets as I drive down to the… Read More Civil Twilight (Day 318)
Sadly it’s our last morning in Victoria. I went for a sunrise swim so that we’d have time to say our goodbyes to Eliza and catch the morning ferry. Clouds hung heavy and gray in the sky so the sunrise wasn’t very dramatic, but the subtle shifts in light and color were beautiful nonetheless. It… Read More Goodbye Victoria (Day 314)
I’m writing this from Portland, Oregon, but I started the day with a solo swim at the Albany Bulb in the darkness of morning. It’s a little spooky being alone at the bulb in the dark, but once I was in the water, I felt safely invisible. It was as cold as yesterday (54), but… Read More Solo Swim in the Dark (Day 308)
I woke up to a text from Angie asking if I could go for an early swim and so I got straight into my bathing suit and filled my bottle full of hot water and my to-go cup full of coffee. Light was barely seeping into the sky when we arrived at the Albany Bulb,… Read More Sunrise Spectacle (Day 301)
Sheila, Angie, Kim, and I met up for a sunrise swim at the Albany Bulb today. We arrived in the darkness to discover we weren’t the only early birds: at least four lit-up buoys bobbed out in the bay and several towels, shoes, and piles of clothes littered the concrete circle. The sky was clear… Read More Swimming in the Dark (Day 293)
I arrived late for the 7 o’clock swimmers this morning, but as soon as I saw the glassy water, pink from the blush of sunrise still tinging the sky, I was very happy to be having a solo swim. After yesterday’s big swim, I wasn’t feeling the need to work too hard and the beauty… Read More Birdwatching (Day 290)