Arwen, Sheila, Angie, and I went out at the Albany bulb this morning—the first time the four of us were all swimming together since early June. It was cloudy and cool as we ventured into the low low tide. The bottom grew increasingly muddy, my feet sinking into the muck, as I searched out deep… Read More The Chatters (Day 224)
Each day since I’ve been back I’ve had the pleasure of reconnecting with friends and swimming spots. Today was Angie’s return. She’s been in Ireland all summer, away longer than I was, and it was a delight to have her back. It was another beautiful morning; a little wavier than yesterday, but mostly calm. Purple-gray… Read More More Reunions (Day 222)
It was a beautiful morning to return to the Albany bulb; even better to swim with Sheila, Arwen, and Colleen. By all reports, it’s been a wild and windy summer in the bay, but this morning the water was calm; the light glowing golden and the city in the distance framed by purple-gray clouds. The… Read More Back to the Bulb (Day 221)
Today feels like it’s lasted at least a year. We woke up at 4:10 am Quebec time (1:10 CA time) and headed to the airport for a long day of travel. Hazel and I had minimal delays, but Eliza was stuck in various airports for hours upon hours (she’s still in the air as I… Read More A Very Long Day (Day 219)
I celebrated my last night at the lake with a beautiful sunset swim at the sandbar. I haven’t gone for a night swim all summer nor have I made a trip to the sand bar. The sand bar is a shallow, sandy-bottomed part of the lake where, on a hot day, sometimes you can find… Read More Sunset at the Sandbar (Day 217)
I was supposed to go to yoga at the club this morning and Karen offered to feed me if I came by her house after. For a variety of reasons I didn’t make it to yoga and so I decided to swim over to Karen’s instead. I set off on what is now my usual… Read More Lunch Date (Day 213)
It was a little cold and blustery today, as if Autumn was whispering from the other room; not here yet, but promising she’d be arriving soon. Isabelle and I went over to Karen’s to lounge in her lovely screened-in porch and soon Diane joined us, then Kevin, Eliza and Lulu. We drank tea and talked,… Read More Gratitude (Day 210)
Kevin and I played pickleball in the morning and then went to yoga: a busy day by Lac Louisa standards. I was on the couch reading my book, wondering how I was going to muster up the energy to swim when Isabel came over and said Karen was looking for a visit (she’s at home… Read More Visiting with Friends (Day 203)
Karen found me slumped on the couch this afternoon, feeling sorry for myself after receiving an especially disappointing rejection. Before said rejection, I was doing great, fresh from yoga, working on a new writing project. Then the email pinged into my inbox and in the next moment, I was prone on the couch, doomscrolling Instagram… Read More Swimming with Karen (Day 189)
Our first time staying overnight in our house was New Year’s 2005. Snow blanketed the house and yard, thickly covered the frozen lake, and Kevin, Eliza, and I (Hazel was still growing in my belly) had a cozy celebration dreaming of our future adventures here. We stayed in the house several times that winter and… Read More Swimming with Isabelle (Day 178)