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
Category: Ducks
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
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
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,
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.
No Pain in the Rain
Tues, Oct 3, 2023. Stockholm. Today at the lake, it was pouring rain. I made plans to meet my new swim buddy, H, at her beach, but I was late getting up, so we pushed the time out a bit. Even with that, I was late because Google Maps said it would take me 13 minutes. It took longer. By the time I arrived I was all the way soaked and a wee bit cold, but I didn’t care. H was there in her giant swim parka, and we were just as happy to swim in the rain. I struggled
We Share This Space With the Ducks
My job at the lake is to stop little boys from tormenting the ducks. They throw rocks at them, they chase them, and today a little boy was whacking the water with a huge stick. I didn’t know if he wasn’t able to hit them or was just trying to hit the water near them. Of course, no parents arounds. This kids is maybe 7? I say, “hey, don’t do that. you’re scaring them.” he said, “ok.” I said, “thank you.” WTF….why is Seattle so nancypants that nobody will stand up for the ducks? Today when I was swimming, there