The rain returned to the Bay Area this week, which was a glorious relief after our alarmingly dry January. The dingy air that has hung like a dirty film over everything blew away with the storm, and the sky has been crystal clear. What isn’t crystal clear is whether we should be swimming when it… Read More Rain
Happy New Year! It’s been a rainy start to the year with swims in a bay of questionable water quality, full of the detritus carried down storm drains. But it sure is beautiful! I’ve resolved to post once a week this year, which should be a huge upgrade from the once-a-year I posted last year! Unlike… Read More Happy New Year
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
Week three began in Pt. Reyes at my gorgeous writing retreat. It rained and rained and I cozied up in my little writing hut and luxuriated in time and creativity. When we lost power, I snuggled by the fire with books and my journal and I slept more than I have for years. I felt… Read More (Im)Patience (Week 3 in Swimming)
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)
It was a small crowd for a Sunday 8 o’clock swim at the Albany Bulb; just myself, Rosemary, Caz, Sheila, Angie, and Arwen. We’ve had a gorgeous abundance of rain in the last twenty-four hours and many swimmers are opting to stay out of the water for a few more days. This question of how… Read More Rain and Risk (Day 345)
Sheila and I met for a 6:30 swim this morning in the middle of a crazy storm. There was so much wind that branches were falling from trees on my drive down to the Albany Bulb. When I saw Sheila’s lone car in the dark parking lot I couldn’t decide whether I was glad she’d… Read More Stormy Swim (Day 344)
It was lightly drizzling when I woke up this morning and I wasn’t sure whether swimming in the bay was the right thing to do. Technically, we are advised to stay away for 72 hours after the first big rain to let the runoff from the streets flush out with the tides. It hasn’t been… Read More Drizzly (Day 337)
Today marked my thirteenth swim in a pool this year. So in 336 days of swimming, I’ve only swum in a pool thirteen times. I was surprised when I checked my blog and saw this number. In some senses, it made me happy; I’m glad I’ve enjoyed so many open-water swims. While I knew I’d… Read More Joan Brown, Drought, and a Pool Swim (Day 336)
Sheila had an early meeting and so we met at the Albany Bulb for a 6:30 swim, which worked out well because it started raining this morning, and getting in early meant we were least likely to be swimming through runoff. But arriving at the parking lot in the dark with the rain splattering and… Read More Beautiful Storm (Day 335)