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
Tag: lakeswimming
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
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
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
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
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
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
Return to Odensvi
Today ate the lake, the water was chilly and flat. My host took me to the same lake that her friend took me to last week. It’s a lovely setup, with a large playground for kids, lots of picnic tables and places to cook food, changing rooms, and a nice beach. The U-shaped dock is ideal because it creates a safe, enclosed place for the kiddie and a place for swimmers to enter the water. I love that they have a ramp for helping people in wheelchairs get into the water. The water felt soft and silky on my skin. I
Storsjön
Weds Sept 6, 7pm Today at the lake I took a bus 30 minutes away to try a new swimming spot in the tiny village of Edsbruk. I got off at the wrong stop, so I had to walk almost a mile, but I didn’t mind. Maybe it was only 1/2 a mile. There were huge rock formations surrounded the swim beach, and then a little back beach on the other side where I saw lots of little motorboats. There was also a diving board. And, if you’ve got time to kill, a tiny bookcase library. Naturally. I got changed
Swedish Ducks
Saturday, August 26, 2023 Today at the sea, it was windy, so the water was choppy. It rained all day yesterday, and it was still grey today, so I was alone at the beach. There were a few campers over by the diving platform; looked like they were fishing. I was excited to see four ducks enter the sea as I rolled up on my bike. I miss my home lake ducks, and wondered if Swedish ducks give an f*cks. I’m pretty sure they don’t, and that’s why I wanted to meet them and swim with them. By the time