Welcome to 2026 - Good Luck....have fun... don't die

Captn's Blog: Sunday May 24th, noon

Likely Next Swims: Monday (Memorial Day) Noon

Water temp: 52

Air Temp:  Mid 60s & sunny with light breeze from SE

Water Quality: very slight chop from south

Clarity: clear

Kru: Itch, Brick, Diablo, Dragonfly 

Shore Support:  Sandy, Beach Loaf, Capt'n

Ahoy Mates!   Welcome to me first Klode adventure of 2026 and me first words of wisdom fer 2026...  "Good Luck... have fun.. don't die".  

ps.  whatcha think of me new hand?  Boy do I have a whale of a story bout that one!  :) 

pps. does the last picture below remind you of any Kru mates?

Beach Hazards

Likely Next Swims: Saturday 12pm, Sunday 10am?, Sunday 12pm

Last Swim: Fri 7am

Water temp: 48?

Air Temp: 50's  with increasing wind

Water Quality: chop out of the south

Clarity: pretty clear

Kru: Lydia the Tattoo'd Lady, Dragonfly, Showgirl 

Shore Support (if you can call it that):  sauna dudes, fox 6 dudes, bobcat dude, and a late-arriving chainsaw dude

The situation.

Okay, well, today's swim fell under the category of, "we got it done."

After a flurry of "running late" texts, things looked promising in the parking lot.

The first obstacle we encountered were the Sauna Dudes hauling an epic amount of gear down to the beach.

The second obstacle was Sand Distribution dude who appeared to be planning to take the entire day to push around a small-ish pile of sand, all while making an atrocious amount of noise.  Backup beeper was an extra bonus.

The third obstacle was a Fox 6 crew (+ big ass vehicle) filming.... who knows what.  They were probably waiting for Sand Dude to stop making noise and that never happened.

We overcome all that.  We suited up, and headed into the small, but annoying chop.  Just making it to picnic table felt like it took forever.  I finally made it to love rock.  TTL, angry that love rock appears to have been moved 100 yards closer to Klode, slogged on to the sewer pipe.  Dragonfly was her usual speedy self.

The return trip was slightly less arduous.

We arrived back at Klode to find the Sand Dude still driving aimlessly and noisily about, Sauna Dude #2 doing a cold plunge IN HIS UNDERWEAR, and Fox 6 still loitering about.

We struggled out of our wet gear.  We struggled into our dry gear.  

As we headed up the ramp, the icing on the cake of annoyance arrived in the form of a dude with a chainsaw.

Accept no substitutes.

It was really quite lovely. 
If you have noise-cancelling headphones.

Swim Now and 60's Will Feel Warm

Likely Next Swims: Saturday 12pm, Sunday 10am, Sunday 12pm

Last Swim: Fri 7am

Water temp: f-ing 46 

Air Temp: 50's and warming

Water Quality: flat as glass

Clarity: crystal clear

Kru: Lydia the Tattoo'd Lady, Lt. MJ, Showgirl 

Shore Support: fearless ducks

The lake is getting hard to resist.  

This morning it was crystal clear and flat as glass.  TTL and Lt MJ swam about 1000yds, and I did a tiny skin swim around the rock pile.

The water temperature was not ideal, but the sunshine and flat water made up for it.

If you've been to Klode recently, you've seen the enormous pile of sand in the parking lot.  That sand has now migrated down to the top of the hill, but has yet to be distributed around the beach.

This sums it up.

New beach geography.

Friendly fauna

Northshore Nancy

 

This is a hard blog to write.  

My good friend, Renee Scherck-Meyer, aka Northshore Nancy, passed away on February 13.  She was 61, and had metastatic breast cancer.

Renee and husband Mark, aka Handyman Hank, started swimming with the Kru in 2015.

Renee had a big, fun, loud, personality.  She used profanity skillfully and with delight. 

She was extremely knowledgeable and extremely angry about our current political situation.  

She lifted heavy weights at the Top Line gym, and danced her heart out with the Bucks Grand Dancers.  She coached aqua-bootcamp for Shorewood Recreation.  

She raised two sons into productive adulthood.  

She and Mark rode in the elite tandem division of the Riverwest 24, some years riding with competitive bad-assery and other years with relaxed bonhomie. They also rampaged with the Santas, tandem-style.

It seems to me that friendship was one of Renee's super powers. I am honored to have been included in that magic tribe, and sad that it ended all too soon.

Mark invites you to celebrate Renee's life on April 26th:

R.I.P. Renee.

Nothing Quite So Enjoyable As A Good Slush Swim

 Last Swim: Sunday noon, February 1st

Water temp: Ice and slush

Air Temp: Cold, judging from the photos

Water Quality: Small, plate-like bergs that turned to slush as you struck them

Clarity: ??

Kru: Itch, Brick, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Fin Fyn Klodecky, Diablo

Shore support:  Synchro 

*Important note* - I wasn't there.  This blog is based on testimony from Lydia the Tattooed Lady

An intrepid Kru gathered as the air temperature edged into the 20s on Sunday, February 1st.  After initial exploration determined that there was "no way" to get into the Lake between the rocks, Itch, with the aid of Yak Tracks, rigged up a guiding rope leading to the beach South of the barrier.  Climbing over some snow mounds, the Kru found a flat frozen shelf directly on the beach.  It was a dicey business, getting into the water (?) and even more so getting out. 

Gear ranged from full wetsuits to skin (Diablo of course)

Itch pioneers a route.

Negotiating the down climb to the ice shelf for launching.

A beautiful vista

The wide open spaces generated anticipatory excitement about actually getting in.

A closer view of the platelets which TTL said shattered into slush when struck. She enjoyed a 15-minute swim in the cove with Diablo.  Itch and Fin Fyn went "somewhere," and Brick went to "maybe frickin' Love Rock."

Afterwards, hot tea and beers were consumed.  Synchro provided popcorn!

And now.... 2026

Okay, well, in spite of the weather, lots of peeps jumped in the lake on New Year's day.  Here's the documentation.

Moondog's cooler of hot water

Assorted Plunge-ers, plus support staff

Hardy Souls

Swim gear is beginning to freeze solid

A blanket blanketed in snow.

 

Klode Kru Polar Plunge: NOON, Thursday

The New Year's day weather does not look promising, but the opportunity for socializing IS promising.

And thus, we will see you on the beach at noon, Thursday.

Refreshments will (probably) be served.

It might look like this:

This might happen:

Or... check old blogs for other photos of Jan 1st shenanigans.