This morning started off hectic when my car wouldn’t start and then, after jumping into Kevin’s car to head down to the Albany Bulb, I realized I forgot (lost?) the strap to my buoy and had also forgotten a towel. Once I got into the water, the chaos continued. Hoping to beat the runoff from… Read More Hectic (Day 305)
Colleen and I met for a 7:00 AM swim at the bulb in order to beat the rain, or rather, the runoff of pollution from the streets into the bay that occurs with the first rain. It was supposed to start raining around 6 and we figured if we got in by 7 we’d be… Read More Rainbows and Pelicans (Day 261)
It was another rainy Adult Swim. Promised thunderstorms didn’t manifest, just misty drippy skies and the repetition of swimming from one dock to the next over and over until I’ve done it 80 times. My mind goes through many stages in an hour of lap swimming. First, I’m so glad to be there. The water… Read More Repetition (Day 193)
There are a few ways in which my daily swimming has changed my relationship to getting into the water. One of them is my willingness—eagerness—to jump in whatever the weather. I woke up this morning to gray, wet skies and felt a little thrill that I would get to swim in the rain today. Rain… Read More Swimming in the Rain (Day 186)
I swam by the cigarette butt you casually flicked into the gutter this morning; the empty Cheetos wrapper you dropped on the sidewalk; the rotting orange you tossed into the grass; the baggy that got away from you and you didn’t bother to chase; the plastic bottle top you chucked, laughing, at your friend, which… Read More Dirty Water (Day 106)
I went to bed last night to the glorious sound of rain splattering against my windows and I woke up to the same, beautiful music. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so happy to see rain. I think the fact that in blogging about my daily swims, I’m also writing about the weather each day,… Read More Real Rain, Finally, Sort-of (Day 87)
We arrived at the bulb before sunrise in hopes of repeating the magical full moonset/sunrise swim from last month. The sky had other plans for us. Dramatic plumes of clouds greeted us: gray on gray, light on dark, swirling and changing moment to moment. Sheila, Arwen, and I were swimming this morning and we didn’t… Read More Dramatic Sky (Day 78)
I was so excited to wake up to the sound of rain against my window this morning. The relentless drought in California is like a constant pressure in the back of my mind; a niggling worry that never lets up. To hear that spattering of water filled me with relief and joy. Unfortunately, it didn’t… Read More Rain (Day 74)
It was another gray day with spectacular clouds, full of drama but not much action. Hoping for the deluge we desperately need, I optimistically signed up for a slot at the pool before I went to bed last night, but it wasn’t necessary. We had a little bit of rain through the night, but not… Read More Dark clouds, little rain (Day 63)
Our most substantial storm in weeks arrived this morning. I was hoping for a rainy swim, which we didn’t get, but the clouds were stunning and the waves rollicking. Colleen, Angie, Kim, and I went out today. The coldest part was running through the wind to the bay in our bathing suits. Once there, the… Read More Stormy (Day 62)