Swim for Choice
Tues, Sept 17 8:48pm Wind: from S 3.5 m/sec (8 mph) Air Temperature: 16.9 °C (62 °F) Water Temperature: 19.92 °C (68 °F) Today at the lake it was overcast, and the park was almost empty. There were a few people walking on the paths, and I saw someone swimming in the distance, but it felt empty and a bit lonely. There was a woman with a toddler on the beach, chatting and throwing rocks into the water. I don’t know why throwing rocks into the water is so exciting. All the little kids to it. I’d rather look at…
Poopy Mood
Wind: from S 3.5 m/sec (8 mph); Air Temperature: 24.2 °C (76 °F); Water Temperature: 22.11 °C (72 °F) Today at the lake, it was cooling down from a 90-degree day. There were still a lot of people at the lake when I arrived after 7pm. Everyone is squeezing out every last drop of summer. Why not? I felt like crap, but made myself go to the lake anyway, figuring that even if all I did was float, it would be better than staying in the hot house. When I started to enter the lake, a guy on a jetski…
Just Do It
Sunday August 25 830PM Today at the lake it was sunny and not so hot. Sort of a perfect day. I checked the water temp before I left – 69 F – so I wore a wetsuit. New rule: wettest if it’s under 70. The lifeguards were winding down their shift as I arrived, and the swim area was empty. I saw a few paddle boarders here and there in the deep water, but it looked like I wouldn’t have any trouble with traffic today. There were big waves and wakes from the motor boats, but I didn’t mind that. …
Little Fish
August 15, 2024 THUR Wind: from S 5.5 m/sec (12 mph) Air Temperature: 0.6 °C (69 °F) Water Temperature: 23.86 °C (75 °F) Today at the lake it was cool and breezy. The water looked dark at 7PM because there was some cloud cover blocking the evening sun. The lifeguards were just ending their shift, and there were hardly any people in the water. A few paddleboarders in the distance. My friend came with me, and I had an extra swim cap for her. She normally doesn’t wear one, but then I can’t see her when we swim in different…
One Minute at a Time
August 7th, 9:30pm Wind: from S 2.4 m/sec (5 mph) Air Temperature:23.3 °C (74 °F) Water Temperature: 24.08 °C (75 °F) Today at the lake it was very chill, except for the parking lot. There were three cars parked sort of crooked, adn their young male owners were blasting some sort of thump music. I asked them what it was, but the young man kept saying that he didn’t speak English. I was too shy to attempt Spanish, but eventually, he understood that I wanted to know who the musician was. (No photos or GPS tracking today; I was too tired…
Duck, Duck, Goose
Tues August 6, 2024 Wind: from S 1.5 m/sec (3 mph) Air Temperature: 19.5 °C (67 °F) Water Temperature: 23.48 °C (74 °F) Today at the lake it was calm. Waiting until after 7pm has been working well; there were not many people in the water. There were lots of ducks! A couple of moms with their kids were feeding the ducks from the beach. I think it’s not great that people give them bread, but I think it’s a universal impulse. People want to connect and care for the ducks; they think feeding them is helpful or loving. And….not…
One Day at a Time
August 5, 2024 Monday Wind: from S 4.1 m/sec (9 mph); Air Temperature: 22.0 °C (72 °F); Water Temperature: 24.24 °C (76 °F) Today at the lake it was still warm at 7:30pm, but there was a cool breeze. A little topless girl on a scooter passed me on the walkway to the beach. A few seconds later a woman came jogging after her. The grassy area in front of the beach is nasty now. The brown, brittle grass as been trampled away, and it’s mostly bare hard dirt. There was goose poop everywhere. I thought they should hire some…
Pacing Myself
21 July 2024 Wind: from S 6.1 m/sec (14 mph) Air Temperature: 22.1 °C (72 °F) Water Temperature: 24.33 °C (76 °F) Today at the lake it was cooler than it’s been in weeks, and the energy at the park was low-key in spite of the packed lot. I was super tired from working on my house yesterday, so my goal was to let the water cool my body. I swam out toward the boat launch, and quickly found myself in deeper water. As I glided over a clump of milfoil, the Sounds of Silence came into my head, but…
Take it Easy
Friday, July 19, 9pm Wind: from S 5.0 m/sec (11 mph) Air Temperature: 21.8 °C (71 °F) Water Temperature: 25.96 °C (79 °F) Today at the lake it was relaxed as the sun started waning. There were a few people on the beach and in the water, and a few paddle boarders in the deeper water. There were small groups of people at both picnic areas, but the energy was very chill. It’s the end of another long, hot week. The water looked clear, and it felt so refreshing after two days in bed with pretty intense nausea and dizziness…
Milfoil Primavera
July 16 Wind: from S 1.2 m/sec (3 mph) Air Temperature: 25.7 °C (78 °F) Water Temperature:25.97 °C (79 °F) Today at the lake, there were not so many people there, which as a big relief. The parking lot was still mostly full, but there were not cars parked illegally along the entrance road. The energy was much more laidback, the Tuesday night crowd. I ran into one of the regulars, who I now know as Stu, and it was nice to say hi. He pointed out a man sitting on the steps near the beach who had fallen. He…
Move It
July 5, 2024 Wind: from S 3.0 m/sec (7 mph) Air Temperature: 25.4 °C (78 °F) Water Temperature: 22.19 °C (72 °F) Hot Day, Cool Water Today at the lake it was hot, sunny, and crowded. By the time we arrived at the park the crowds had thinned enough that we found a parking spot, but there were still lots of people enjoying the holiday weekend. I sat down on the beach to put on my water shoes just around the time a mother duck and her babies waddled up on the grass. The ducklings have grown so much. They…
Get Free
June 29 2024, Saturday Wind: from S 3.2 m/sec (7 mph); Air Temperature: 19.6 °C (67 °F); Water Temperature: 19.01 °C (66 °F) Today at the lake it was overcast and trying to drizzle. The water was fairly flat thanks to the lake of boaters. There were two little kids playing in the shallow water at the north end of the beach. There was a mother duck and her little babies curled up on the beach, taking a late nap. I didn’t get a phot because I’d already stashed my phone in my bag. My friend C came with me…
A Kingdom of Green
June 25th, 2024 Wind: from S 1.8 m/sec (4 mph); Air Temperature: 23.5 °C (74 °F): Water Temperature: 20.77 °C (69 °F) Today at the lake it was sunny, warm, and feeling very summery for 6pm on a Tuesday night. I think it was almost 80 F, but there was a breeze coming off the water so I didn’t get that suffocating heat wrap feeling. There was still space in the air, and walking didn’t feel like a major effort. The beach was pretty busy for a weeknight. I saw a unicorn floaty or two, as well as some generic…
Beach Freak
June 9, 2024 Wind: from S 4.2 m/sec (9 mph);Air Temperature: 18.6 °C (65 °F); Water Temperature: 17.48 °C (63 °F) Today at the lake it was overcast, warm but not hot, breezy. As I walked to the beach I noticed a few people with a table and huge jars of some colored drinks. They were selling tamales and drinks. Brilliant idea. And I’m sure the park will shut them down asap. The beach wasn’t too crowded due to the later hour, but there were still a few kids in the water and several families spread out across the grass,…
“Después de la Playa”
Sunday May 12, 2024 Wind: from S 5.3 m/sec (12 mph). Air Temperature: 19.9 °C (68 °F). Water Temperature: 5.22 °C (59 °F) Today at the lake, it was sunny and warm, and the water was choppy. There were kids and adults playing, laughing, and speaking Spanish in the shallow area. There were families everywhere, clustered around tables full of food. The activity in the water had loosened the icky brown furry stuff that grows on the lake floor rocks all winter, turning the normally clear water into a soupy mess. There were clumps of the furry stuff in the…
Just Keep Trying
March 29 Friday Wind:from NW 6.6 m/sec (15 mph); Air Temperature:1.3 °C (52 °F); Water Temperature:10.42 °C (51 °F) Today at the lake it was sunny, and I felt hopeful as I approached the beach because it seemed almost like a Spring day. I started off swimming south toward the boat launch. I tried swimming crawl, but I had to switch to breast stroke. I’m so out of swimming shape after taking off a few weeks. I’m also so exhausted from all the stress with my family and my financial & housing situation now that I just don’t have anything…
Night Moves
February 27, 2024 Wind: from S 4.0 m/sec (9 mph) Air Temperature: 6.8 °C (44 °F) Water Temperature: 7.45 °C (45 °F) Today at the lake it was dark, windy, and cold. I met my new swim buddy, S, at the other beach for a night swim. I usually find parking right near the beach, but tonight I had to park a block away. No biggie. S hadn’t been in the water in a long time, so she wasn’t sure how long she’d last. I couldn’t get my second headlamp to work, so I couldn’t put it into her tow…
Stayin’ Alive
2/25/2024 Wind: from S 11.1 m/sec (25 mph). Air Temperature: 9.3 °C (49 °F). Water Temperature: 7.73 °C (46 °F). Today at the lake, it was clearly not a good day for swimming. The wind was fierce, and there were huge waves – whitecaps, even – crashing against and dispersing the pebbles on the beach. Naturally, I couldn’t wait to get in. The wind was blowing so hard that my cap starting rolling across the beach. I saw a kite surfer in the distance, way down by the boat launch. I knew it wasn’t smart to swim in that sort…
Get In No Matter What
Feb 16, 2024 Wind: from SE 6.1 m/sec (14 mph). Air Temperature: 9.1 °C (48 °F) Water Temperature: 7.55 °C (46 °F) Today at the lake it was sunny and blustery. The water was really choppy, but I was desperate to get in the lake after not exercising for five days. I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if my gear is wearing down, but I was leaking everywhere today. The water was crazy cold, and it was flooding in through the neck and seeping in through the back zipper. I had to start and stop about seven…
Following the Sand Ridges
Jan 25, 2024 Wind: from S 2.5 m/sec (6 mph). Air Temperature:10.4 °C (51 °F). Water Temperature:7.67 °C (46 °F) Today at the lake it was much warmer outside, but the water was still cold. It’d been nine days since my last swim, and I was desperate to get in the water. I went to the night beach with J, who planned to do a land workout while I swam. There are cement steps that lead from the main walkway to the beach, so they are great for a leg workout. There are also two benches, so J was able…
When Motivation Gets Me To the Lake
Wind: from N 4.4 m/sec (10 mph) | Air Temperature: -4.1 °C (25 °F) | Water Temperature: 8.03 °C (46 °) Today at the lake it was cold and clear, with snow-covered mountains in the distance. I met R, a young man I met a couple weeks ago on the beach. I would never have made it outside if not for meeting someone. In fact, I’d already decided not to go. But I got the message from R that he was up for swimming. Grateful for that. I arrived before he did, so I got in the water and started swimming….
When You NEED a Swim
Does anyone else get ansty and start feeling like you’re in a funk if too many days go by between swims…..cause I really get desperate for the lake after a few days. This photo is in Solna, Stockholm. One of my favorite swim spots during my three months there. The water was clean and cool. I could pull up and see beautiful parks on the shore. I had a fun swim buddy I got to swim with several times. It was just a 15-20 min bike ride away from where I was staying. I’m seriously thinking of starting a swimming…
Colder
Jan 7, 2024. Temp 40 F. Water temp 47 F. Today at the lake it was cold. Colder than usual. Still 40 F, but everything felt colder. I went with my neighbor, S, and we were both feeling cold as we assembled our gear on the beach. The hardest part of winter swims is getting out of bed. The next hardest is getting to the car. Once I’m in the car, on my way, I’m good. Then there is another big pause on the beach. Am I really going to willingly walk into that cold water? I got ready quicker…
New Yorker: Sea Women in South Korea
The Guardian: Free Diving
BBC One Video: Autism and Nature
Better With a Buddy
Weather Data 12/17/2023 07:02 PM PST | Wind: from NW 2.8 m/sec (6 mph) | Air Temperature: 7.8 °C (46 °F) | Water Temperature: 9.25 °C (49 °F) (Lake Washington Buoy Data) Today at the lake it was sunny, and I felt hopeful. I was late meeting my swim buddy, K5, because I thought I forgot my gloves and had to go back home when I was halfway there. I hate being late for swims. I haven’t been swimming with K5 since April. Injuries and other things have kept her out of the water. She is a complete trooper, in…
Friendly Peeps at the Park
Wind: from NW 3.8 m/sec (9 mph) | Air Temperature: 8.2 °C (47 °F) | Water Temperature: 9.39 °C (49 °F) (Lake Washington Buoy Weather Data 12/14/2023 ) Today at the lake it was chilly but not cold, and the water was nice and flat. There weren’t many people in the park. I saw two or three people walking on the trail I the distance. A lady and her grandson pulled into the parking spot next to mine, and she said, “there’s that crazy lady who swims in the cold water.” It was a pleasant opening. We chatted as we…
“A lake is a landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.”
Henry David Thoreau