Compulsory Zen

Last Swim:  Wednesday 8am, (plus many others that go unblogged because blogging can be a pita, but also if a tree falls...?)

Next Swims:  M-F really, who knows?  Because we've kind of fallen off the edge of the earth, swim-wise, yet here we are.  Thanks climate change.

                            Sat. & Sun.  noon (usually)        

                            (Not sure about the m-f 5:30 pm situation)

                            (Blog comments may have other swims)    

Water temp: 48f

Air Temp:  low 40's, getting breezy

Water Quality:  flat as glass

Clarity: clear near shore, murky further out

Kru:  Lt. MJ, Showgirl

Shore Support:  none, though the WimHoffers were there earlier and the workmen continue to work on the... see below

Photo credit: Mermaid Princess

Table of Contents

Chapter 1.  I will if you will

Chapter 2. Showgirl looses her voice

Chapter 3. Zen swimming

Chapter 4. The real reason for religious orders vow of silence

Chapter 5. The real reason the lake level is lower.

Chapter 6. You might need a $100 changing robe

Chapter 7. Sunday swim recap

Chapter 8. Being thankful

Chapter 1.  I will if you will

Lt. MJ, who missed Sunday's AMAZING (after it was done) noon swim, was growing concerned that she might not squeeze in a November swim.  There are people, many people, who wish to log at least one swim per month.  There are others (me) who avoid unnecessary suffering and often skip the brutal months of sub-50F swims.  But I digress.  Anyway, in an, "I will if you will" moment, we agreed to meet at the beach.

Chapter 2. Showgirl looses her voice

But prior to these swim plans, I contracted a weird cold (no, not covid) and subsequently lost my voice.  Today is day three of no talking. I hope that one day soon I will talk again.

Photo credit: me, obviously

Chapter 3. Zen swimming

So it turns out that an involuntary vow of silence might lead to more calm peaceful experiences.  It would certainly cut back on those, "gee I wish I hadn't said that," and "gee I wish that person would STFU," moments.  It also causes you to get your wetsuit, booties, gloves, buoy, caps, goggles and whatever ELSE is in your pre-swim ritual (that only gets longer and more complicated with each drop in temperature) onto your body way way faster if nobody is chit-chatting.

After the swim, we were quite speedy in getting dressed and up the hill.  And due to the stunning lack of conversation, we went our separate ways.  The entire outing took about an hour and 2o.

Lt. MJ's perception of the swim was all beauty, peace, and zen.  My perception was that I had a lot of trivial sh*t to say and no way to say it.

Chapter 4. The real reason for religious orders vow of silence

Because of this, it occurred to me that religious orders with vows of silence really exist in order to squeeze more work, and thus profitability, out of the nuns/monks.

These are the thoughts you have room for when you're not running your mouth.

Chapter 5. The real reason the lake level is lower.

If you've been to Klode recently, you may have noticed that there is a hive of activity at that mysterious mid-level structure.  Our own Mermaid Princess has gotten to the bottom of that.  Apparently, embedded in the hill is a pump that sucks in water for Whitefish Bay's fire hydrants.

Photo Credit: Lt. MJ-- So. Much. Beach.

Chapter 6. You might need a $100 changing robe

Maybe it's the WimHoffers.  Maybe it's the uptick in open water swimming due to the pandemic.  All to say, there's a preponderance of $150+ changing parkas on the market that are all on sale now. I suspect this is because people who engage in a sport that requires no actual equipment are inherently cheap.

Chapter 7. Sunday swim recap

Noon swim last Sunday, water was 46 and wavy, air was balmy low 50's, swimmers were Marion the Librarian, Lydia the TTL, Showgirl, Dragonfly (freaking skin swim!), Luna Laguna, Laguna Mike, Spawn o' Lagunas.  Itch, we missed you.

Chapter 8. Being thankful

Likely there will be a Thanksgiving swim, details TBD.

If you still had your armpits....

 Last Swim:  Wednesday 6:15am 

Next Swims:  M-F 6:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  (Not sure about the 5:30 pm situation)

(Blog comments may have other swims)    

Water temp: 50....yes, 50!!!

Air Temp:  64

Surf Report:  Some waves, SW breeze blowing our towels around on the beach.

Clarity:  Too cold to notice

Kru:  Lydia the Tattoo'd Lady, Fin-Fyn Klodecky, Lt. MJ, Showgirl, Dragonfly

Shore Support:  A La Mode, Wim Hofers

This was not even close to a sunrise swim...pre-dawn, with the sky lightening ever so gradually in spectacular colors to the east.

TTL announced the temperature, and immediately people began to gear up more slowly, rearranging items on their blankets, anything to the avoid the actual moment of submersion.

Discussion began with a generational divide, with Lt. MJ referencing Mister Magoo and Fin-Fyn stating "I don't even know what that is."  The rest of us reminisced about Mr. Magoo's blythe myopia which led him on adventures such as driving into a gladiator pit of lions, being launched in a moon rocket, and confronting his own mortality in A Christmas Carol.  

But the great thing about being Mr. Magoo, is that everything works out in the end.  

Lt. MJ shared this helpful link:  “ https://youtu.be/t8GTHXTEvIc ” 

Swims were pretty conversative and centered around the rocks, with no one wanting to go too far in the darkness "in case they had a heart attack."  Even TTL's adventure light, which flashed like a strobe in her buoy, was only intermittently visible.

"I'm just here for the waves and the sunset," said TTL.

The water was startingly cold, but brought on a sense of euphoria once you recovered from the shock.

Fin-Fyn, in skin with sleeves, gloves and booties, scored 1,000 yards!  "I was thinking about the science," she said as we shivered back into our shore clothes, "like how can you be standing in a swimsuit in 50-degree air, and its fine, but 50 degree water is devastating."

"But at least you would still have your armpits," said Showgirl in one of those logic leaps attributable at least in part to hypothermia.  Oddly, we all seemed to understand what she meant.

Fin-Fyn Klodecky, Dragonfly, Lt. MJ, Showgirl, TTL Goofy post-swim Magoo-grins.

A lone Wim Hofer and fiery sky captured by TTL

Forgetful Full Moon Friday

Last Swim:  Friday 6:15am (and many many others that go unblogged because.... reasons)

Next Swims:  M-F 6:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  (Not sure about the 5:30 pm situation)

(Blog comments may have other swims)    

Water temp: 57f

Air Temp:  low 40's

Water Quality/Clarity:  Pretty amazingly clear with small waves out of the south

Kru:  Lydia the Tattoo'd Lady, Dragonfly, Lt. MJ, Fyn-Fin, Luna Laguna, Showgirl

Shore Support:  AlaMode, Magic Mike

She matched the sky.  And also had no socks.

Today was a classic example of how you can never predict the greatness of a swim based on all the pre-swimming grumbling and profanity.

So. Much. Profanity.

Also... everyone seemed to forget something.  Fortunately, other swimmers were mostly able to provide the missing item. I forgot my entire bag of post-swim clothes.  Luna Laguna forgot her swim socks, and miraculously, TTL's teeny-tiny neoprene socks saved the day for her.  

I forget what all everyone forgot, but every few moments someone said the words, "I forgot my.... mind, patience, filter, whatever."

We had also clearly checked our tolerance and sweet dispositions at the door, so any verbal mis-step was immediately called out.

Meanwhile, we put on varying layers of neoprene and predicted varying swim distances.

The little waves were out of the south, and so we decided to swim that way.  Again, there was fairly continuous grumbling as we got in the water and began swimming.

That must have been when the magic began.

The moon.  Did I mention the moon?  It's was an enormous, bright, super moon. The Hunter's Moon, according to MJ.  

Photo credit: Showgirl

It was amazing-- peeking brightly over the trees, following us for the entire swim.  And then along came the sun--also beautiful.

So most of us wore some level of wetsuit.  Luna Laguna and Fyn-Fin wore only the neoprene accessories (socks, sleeves, maybe gloves).  Post swim Fyn-Fin said something like, "I couldn't tell if I was swimming through warmer water or if I was dying."

All to say, it was a shockingly great swim.

Photo credit: Lt. MJ

And finally, because every day at the beach has some bit of weirdness, Ala pointed out that scattered all over the beach were shells.  Not the zebra mussel shells that we're used to, but ocean-y shells that previously housed some type of sea creature.  Yet here, at Klode.

Beach Hazard or.... Time for a Frolic? You decide.

 Last Swim:  Tuesday 6:15am (and many many others that go unrecorded because.... reasons)

Next Swims:  M-F 6:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  

(AM swim times are drifting later.  Blog comments may have other swims)    

Water temp: 69?

Weather: Rainy, breezy, cool

Water Quality/Clarity:  Biggish breaking waves, lots of gunk

Kru:  Ala Mode, Lydia the Tattoo'd Lady, Mermaid Princess, Showgirl

Shore Support:  nope

Not much swimming took place, but there was a lot of jumping, body surfing, and frolicking in the waves, all while it continued to rain.

Photo credit: Ala

Swimming in the Ottoman Empire

Last Swim:  Thursday 6 a.m.

Next Swims:  M-F 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  

(That said, 6am swims are getting pretty dark, so that will drift later.  Blog comments may have other swims)    

Water temp: 69?

Weather: Air temp high 50's with a breeze            

Water Quality/Clarity:  crystal clear with slow small swells out of the south.  Pretty much perfect.

Kru:  Ala Mode, Lt. MJ, Showgirl, FlipperGuy, Linda the Lamprey (early)  

Shore Support:  the aggressive seagull continues to try to join the Kru.

It was a small crew this morning.  This happens every year after the brief influx of triathletes comes and goes, daylight shrinks, and temps drop.

We shivered a bit, and decided to go south, if only to see some different stuff.  To say that enthusiasm was low is an understatement.

Anyway, we launched, and arrived at Love Rock.  I was making all sorts of mental calculations about how much farther to go when MJ said, "lets go to that next dark spot."   It turns out that dark spot was kind of an optical illusion, so we swam to the next-next dark spot, and turned around.

Sometime during that reluctant swim, the sun rose, and it became one of the best, most beautiful swims in recent days.  We arrived back in the neighborhood of Klode, not quite ready to get out.  So we swam to sewer pipe.  The water was so clear that the sand below stretches out like a secret place.

Photo Credit: Ala Mode

And what about the Ottoman Empire?  For the last few weeks, a giant, waterlogged ottoman has been washed up in the area north of Mt. Jackass and mudslide.  Like us, the ottoman must have been wishing for a change of scenery, because today it's near the sewer pipe.  Where will it go next?  Only time will tell.

ALL HAIL MY NEW PHONE!

Dragonfly celebrates the new dawn, the awesome lake, and her new phone. 

Last Swim:  Friday, Sept. 6, 6 a.m.

Upcoming Swims:  The Typical/Regular Schedule (all at Klode Beach):  M-F 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  (Check blog comments, for additional "impromptu" group swims.)    

Water temp: Seventy something.

Weather: Air temp in the low 50s at sunrise, with a cool breeze whipping off the Lake.            

Water Quality/Clarity:  All rialed up.      

Waves:  Big water.  

Kru:  Finfin Klodecky, Mermaid Princess, Showgirl, Mr. Anonymous, Dragonfly, Aquaman, Ben "I don't see people" Boston, Magic Mike? 

SHORE SUPPORT +PLUS:  Lots and lots of "Senior Sunrise" teenagers.

The water was big enough today that some folks decided just to body surf, and some folks decided it doesn't make sense to go out between the rocks (instead deciding to go in and out from South Beach).  A lot of energy in the Lake this morning.  Well away from the rocks, there was times when it was very much a "two story, split level, lake." Some of us got all the way to downspot, Finfin made it to garage.  One more picture from this morning:

Good luck to all who are racing this weekend!  

Labor Day Special - New Nickname + New Landmark!!

Capt'ns log Sunday September 1st - 2024

Me Last Swim: Monday 9/2 - Noon

Upcoming Swims:  The Typical/Regular Schedule (all at Klode Beach):  M-F 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  (Check blog comments, for additional "impromptu" group swims.)    

Water Temps: (per itch-mometer) 74ish 

Weather: 70's & Sunny

Water Quality / Clarity:  Cloudy near shore / clearer further out

Waves:  <1ft 

Kru:  Itch, Brick, Sandy, Magic Mike, Wet Taco, Ala Mode, Mr. Bubbles, Carl, Billy Bobber, Klodecky, Tattooed Lady, Peaches, Luna Lagoona, Kahuna, Mr. Anonymous, Capt'n with shore support from She Who Shall Not Be Named 

Another sensational day for a swim!  Highlighting today's swim were two official proclamations...

• "Fin-Fyn shall also henceforth be known as 'Klodecky'.... so it has been said and so shall it be!"  <see picture for clues on the story behind the nickname>
• "The submerged wooden pole by the Great Mansion Wall shall be known as 'Cobra-Kai'...so it has been witnessed and so shall it be!" <see picture for clues on the story behind the name>

Meet Klodecky

Swim Landmark - 'Cobra-Kai'

Labor Day Kru

(Left - Right: Capt'n, Wet Taco, Tattooed Lady, Billy Bobber, Klodecky, Ala Mode, Kahuna, Magic Mike, Mr. Bubbles, Mr. Anonymous, Peaches, Luna Lagoona, Diablo, Itch)