I celebrated my birthday this past weekend with a beautiful swim at Chicken Ranch Beach in Tomales Bay. My cousin Kathleen was in town, and a gaggle of Blue Booby swim friends joined us for a gorgeous day of swimming, communing, eating delicious food, and lying around in the January sunshine, talking and laughing. But… Read More Goats
On our drive down to the bulb for our swim this morning, Kim and I joked about the coming winter, the plunging water temperatures. “I can’t wait for my antidepressant to return,” I said. “I know,” she said, “I need my euphoria drug.” Many think we are crazy for loving the cold water as much… Read More Keep Swimming
This morning, I swam naked in the bay at dawn to celebrate the solstice with ten wild and soulful, joy-filled women. Welcoming the light in this essential way pried loose some of the grief that clings to me like cobwebs, weighs me down like rock. As we were splashing into the 51-degree water, someone shouted… Read More The Longest Night
I swam every single day of February and most of March (through the 23rd) at the Albany Bulb. Fifty-two days definitely marks my longest streak of swimming every day in one place. When I was swimming and blogging every day, I made an effort to mix things up just so that I’d have something to… Read More February & March at the Bulb
A very positive outcome of this temperature blanket I’m crocheting is the way it motivates me to swim every day again. I swam a lot in 2023, but it was remarkable how quickly my daily habit from the year before fell away once I didn’t “have” to do it. It feels good to be getting… Read More January in Victoria
Today’s swim was a quick dip as we are starting the long road trip back and had to catch the morning ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles. Leaving this beautiful place (and especially my beautiful kids) behind leaves my heart heavy and a stormy swim was just the thing to fit my mood.
It was another beautiful day with the Cold Water Addicts. The weather was a little bit more seasonally appropriate and the clouds put on a spectacular show. So many friendly swimmers came out. The water was incredibly clear and, though it was hard to get in, I am acclimated enough now that once I was… Read More Coldtober Day 9
Eliza took Kevin and I to a beautiful lake today: Lake Durrance. Just outside of Victoria, it was a gorgeous oasis, surrounded by forest. We brought a picnic and lolled around in the sun, slightly putting off getting into the water because it was a little chilly with a cool breeze canceling out the warmth… Read More Coldtober Day 8
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… Read More Coldtober Days 5-7
When I woke up to frost on all the windows, I did not want to swim. I made my tea and wrote in my journal and thought, “I won’t go unless someone else instigates it.” Five minutes later, my phone buzzed and a text from Angie said she’d pick me up in fifteen minutes. By… Read More A Very Cold Morning