I’m just back from a whirlwind weekend in Cape Cod to celebrate Helen’s 70th birthday. Boy did we celebrate! I woke up Thursday morning in the predawn and had my coffee, then went for a quick swim as the light was just returning. Then I drove ten hours and arrived at Laura and Helen’s beautiful… Read More Cape Cod
January 8 (Sun)—It was a small crowd for a Sunday; just a few of us stealing in a swim between storms. It raged last night and is set to do so again tonight, so this morning we plunged in. The water was murky below and probably pretty polluted, but it looked beautiful! Calm, with ribbons… Read More Storms (Week 2 in Swimming)
Today, my swim friends threw me a party in celebration of my year of swimming and it was a joyful, soul-nourishing experience. Swimming every day in 2022 brought me so many gifts, but if this day had been the only one, it would have been worth it. How rare it is to be so fully… Read More Celebrating
Bleary-eyed with jet lag and the particular bodily displacement that comes from traveling such a long distance in such a short time, I arrived back in the stormy Bay Area ready to take my last plunge of my year of swimming in my favorite place: the Albany Bulb. It was pouring with rain as our… Read More 365 Days of Swimming
Today we had a cheerful holiday swim gathering at the Albany Bulb. Lots of swimmers came out, which seemed extra special because the numbers have been dwindling lately. It was great to swim with a big crowd again. There’s nothing like watching a dozen people brave the cold and go paddling off in all directions. … Read More Celebrating (Day 351)
My excited anticipation to see Eliza today was only a little bit marred by my worry about having to swim at some point. I left Portland early with the idea that I would swim in the afternoon in Victoria. I didn’t really start worrying about this plan until I was on the ferry to Victoria… Read More Reunited (Day 309)
The milestone of 300 swims seems somehow less momentous than 100 or 200 did. Maybe it’s because I’m so close to the end of my year of swimming: 365 is the number on my mind these days; 300 is just a signpost telling me it’s coming soon. But maybe it’s also because daily swims have… Read More 300 Days of Swimming
After our birthday swim celebration at the Albany Bulb yesterday, we continued Arwen’s celebrations with a surprise (to her) trip to Tomales Bay. We stayed at Dancing Coyote in Inverness and woke up to this stunning view. Once we’d lingered and eaten and caffeinated, we went for a swim. At 58 degrees the water felt… Read More Celebrating Arwen Part II (Day 297)
The summer after 6th grade I moved with my dad and brother to an apartment complex on the campus of UC Irvine. Lonely and awkward, I spent my days in the playground, sulking on the swings, trying to figure out if I was still a kid or a teenager. One day, this adorable girl my… Read More Celebrating Arwen Part I (Day 296)
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)