Knuckleheads

 

Next swims: Monday-Friday, 6 am and 5 pm
Saturday/Sunday, 7 am, 8 am and Noon

Last Swims: Sunday (8/29) @ Noon

Water Temp:  Upper 60's to Low 70's  (i.e. slightly cooler than the mid 70's we enjoyed Friday & Saturday)

Waves:  None

Clarity:  Clear

Air Conditions: Upper 80's with scattered thunder storms

Kru:  Diablo, Itch, Kahuna, We'Taco, Dragonfly, Forger, Queso Queen (formerly known as Elanor), Ala Mode, Lydia the TTL, Cathy, Linda, Lindsay, Capt'n with shore support from "She who shall not be named" and Moondaug

Well, it's not every day you get to do a "Knucklehead" swim.  For the record a "Knucklehead" swim is defined as an open water swim in which you apparently lack the common sense not to swim when there's lightning nearby.  If you're bored sometime I'm sure you can still find the original story behind this name buried somewhere in the early archives of this blog.  While years of excessive grog and rounds of Pitch may have skewed my recollection of the exact details of this story....here's how I believe it goes:

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful swim
That started from our Klode beach

while the sun was shining bright.

The Capt'n was a mighty swimming man,

The Kru was fit and trim.

We all set sail that day

For a three hour swim, a three hour swim.

The weather started getting rough,

with lightning all around, 

If not for the courage of the fearless Kru

We surely would have drowned, we surely would have drowned.

The Kru set ground on the Klode shore

With The Patriarch standing there...

With his half crazed eye and wagging finger

he officially proclaimed....

"Only knuckleheads would be stupid enough to swim during a thunderstorm!

...what are you, f---ing NUTS?!?!"

And there you have it folks....the story behind the first ever Klode Kru Knucklehead swim....at least as best I can remember it.

Side note:  for the record, only a few drops of rain fell on us today and my onshore gear was completely dry when I returned.  All observed lightening exceeded the 30/30 rule....at least as best as I could tell....

On a different topic....exciting news!  An official proclamation was made during our traditional post swim Pitch toast.  It went something like this: "From this day forward Elanor is to be known as 'Queso Queen'.  So it has been proclaimed, so shall it be known!"

73.4°

Last Swims: Friday, 8/27 @ 5pm
Next swims: Monday-Friday, 6 am and 5 pm
Saturday/Sunday, 7 am, 8 am and Noon

Water temp: 73.4 per mitch-o-meter

Air temp: High 80s and muggy in parking lot, milder at beach

Swell: 1-2 feet 

Clarity: much better - almost see bottom sometimes.  7-8/10

Kru

Early Shift:  Itch and Rosie

Prime Shift:  Sir James, Big Show, Mr. Bubble, We'Taco, Peaches, Dave, Capt'n, Hannah and another friend training for IMWI

Shore Support:  Synchro ("73.4!  So bummed I didn't bring my stuff!)

Itch's bike was already locked to the tree when some of us headed down at 4:55.  We found out later he and Rosie and done a round trip to Doctors Park, which Rosie said took about 3 hours.  

Synchro came down and was in total shock to hear how warm the water was.  She contemplated going home and coming back.  

Dave when out in his sleeveless wetsuit and was bemoaning the fact that the water was so warm and that he would be burning up with all that insulation.  He confirmed as much when he returned.  Hannah's friend also agreed she was a little too toasty in her full wetsuit.

I learned that Nena is the real name of the woman I referred to as Eva in yesterday's blog post.  Also learned that she already has a nickname - Peaches.  Seemed very appropriate her skin tone seemed like a peachy color to me.  Turns out Itch gave her that nickname because she misheard him when he was talking about beaches.  

There were a couple of other unidentified swimmers bobbing around when Itch and Rosie came back - they were doing their own thing.  

Capt'n was kind enough to bring a cold bottle of Killepitsch - Hooray!  Dave had never tried it and would only accept about a 5 ml serving.  Some debate between Capt'n and I about whether warm Killepitsch tasted more disgusting than Jagermeister.  Call me a contrarian - I think warm Killepitsch isn't too bad but I will never consume another drop of Jager at any temperature.  

Tonight's toast - Warm Water!  

Musical Accompaniment - Too Hot by the Specials, circa 1979

You Got It

Last Swims: Thursday, 8/26 @ 6am
Next swims: Monday-Friday, 6 am and 5 pm (for real!) 

Saturday/Sunday, 7 am, 8 am and Noon

Water temp: 67 

Air temp: High 70s/low 80s and muggy on arrival, milder on departure

Swell: very flat at sunrise, escalating to 8-12" within 20 minutes 

Clarity: Murky, 5-6/10

Kru: Lt MJ, Mr and Mrs Laguna, Alla, Chris, Mr. Bubble

Late Shift:  Handyman Hank

Shore Support:  swarms of blood thirsty flies

Laguna alongside vagrant Sendik's bag

Quick confession to make - despite the absence of blog posts about 5 pm weekday swims, they have been occurring regularly.  Itch of course has been swimming consistently.  Mr A and Moondoggie were there last night, along with some newcomers.  There's been a couple of other consistent newcomers, but I haven't gotten their names yet.  Haven't seen Brick or his Clowns to the Left, Jokers to the Right pickup for a while.  Lauren from Chicago was there the other day and Rosie has come a few times.  

Anyway, this morning was perfectly calm and lovely on arrival, except for those f@~#!*g flies.  They were on us from the get go - upside was that everyone was motivated to get in the water very quickly.  

Clear skies at first, so perfect view of the sun coming up on the horizon.  We all headed north.  Good incentive for me to do some freestyle with right sided breathing - got to sight the sunrise with each stroke.  Still didn't prevent me from going off course though.  

Started to notice the wind picking up and water surface going from flat to light ripples to light swells and then full swells maybe up to a foot.  Fortunately, the swells were coming from the North, so they helped propel us back.  MJ reported that her Barbie was being pushed around, as was mine.  I rejoiced at the hope that the stronger wind would roust the flies from the beach.  No such luck.  

Changing the subject again - I was asking folks last night if they had heard any new details about the  Klode Park Beach Restoration and Shoreline Stabilization Project.  No one else had heard about it at all.  I first heard about it when Northshore Nancy called my attention to this Facebook post back in July:

𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗞𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 - 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: In November 2020, the Village Board approved a $180,038.10 grant for the restoration and mitigation of the Klode Park Shoreline. The grant includes a 75% Federal cost share ($135,028.58), a 12.5% State of Wisconsin cost share ($22,504.76), and a 12.5% local Whitefish Bay match ($22,504.76). Village Staff and shoreline restoration consultant SmithGroup worked with FEMA over the winter/spring to design and bid the project.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗼𝘄 (𝟳/𝟭𝟮/𝟮𝟭): The Village Board approved the project construction contract at the Village Board meeting last night. Construction will take place after Labor Day to avoid the summer beach season. The project consists of sandy gravel/cobblestone for beach replenishment, funds to repair a broken support bracket on the storm sewer outlet pipe, and a revetment of geotextile and rip-rap to armor the shoreline against similar future damage.

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱: As a result of a severe winter wind storm that took place in early January 2020, the Klode Beach shoreline encountered substantial erosion. This storm was so severe that the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management coordinated with local municipalities and was successful in obtaining a FEMA emergency disaster declaration.

There was a comment on this post saying that the "substantial erosion" was on the north side of the beach and that the goal of this project was to make the north side like the south side.  

I made a comment on this post asking for more details just before I started typing this blog post, and they've responded already:

We're working on a project notification letter that will go out next Monday in the newsletter and online. Work is anticipated to begin on or after September 13 (weather permitting) and last around 4 weeks. Access to the beach will be closed during construction.

Given all of the above - I propose we do some Special Labor Day Swim.  Maybe Big Bay to Klode?  Or vice versa?  I've got an idea of how I could position my van to shuttle people back to the point of origin from the destination, for those of us who only want to swim one way.  Let's discuss in comments.  

Last thing - what does this blog's title, You Got It, have to do with anything else in this post?  Glad you asked - You Got It is a love song from The White Album, by the Average White Band White, circa 1974.  These white guys were a bona fide and outstanding disco band (unlike the Bee Gees, who never released even one disco song before they were in the movie Saturday Night Fever - total cover band).  So, I thought this love song was perfectly appropriate for all us who love swimming at Klode.  The chorus of this song says it all:

You got it, any way you want it
Any way you want it to be
You can have it, take it from me
'Cause it's waiting for you

Feeling the Love (Rock)

 Next swims: 

    M-F, 6am and 5pm; 

    Sat & Sun, 7am, 8am and noon  

Last swim: 6am Wednesday(and other, un-blogged swims)
Air temp:  70's
Water temp: high 60's
Waves: big swells out of the south
Clarity: nope

Kru: Tattoo Lady, Dragonfly, Showgirl, AlaMode, Forger, Mermaid Princess, Lt. MJ, Linda the Lamprey, Magic Mike, Cap'n, Cindy, special guest swim by Gigi, Flipper Guy

Shore Support:  Wim Hoffers? or maybe not?

There were slow swells out of the south so we swam.... south, departing moments after the sun rose above the horizon.

For the second day in a row Cap'n graced us with his presence.

Most agreed that the light on the shoreline made things exceptionally beautiful.

Fiery pre-sunrise horizon, (photo TTL)

North? South? (we chose south)

I trailed the faster swimmers to one of the new white rock walls (the one that had the backhoe on it last summer) and there was a six-swimmer meet-up when I arrived.  

A lively discussion ensued about how nice it would be to have some kind of raft to lollygag upon, and everyone was assigned responsibilities to make that happen.

And then, we turned around and swam back.  The south shoreline has far, far fewer interesting landmarks to spice up our swims.  We swam along the rock wall.  After the sewer pipe/Love Rock combo we swam along another rock wall.  After the beach formerly known as Picnic Table, we swam along the rock wall and finally returned to the beach.

Mystery driftwood

Two unidentified (at first) swimmers, plus flipper guy

Next Swims: T-F 6am and 5pm; Sat & Sun 7am, 8am, noon

Last Swim: Monday 6am

Air temp: not really sure, but it was pleasantly chilly. A sweatshirt was a good thing to wear to the beach--that was the temp.

Water temp: 66

Waves: very small, slow, gentle rollers...barely there

Clarity: Weak. 3/10. I couldn't see the hand at the end of my arm as I swam.

Kru: Laguna, Magic Mike, Ala. Diablo on the early shift. Flipper guy was also swimming this morning. 

Shore support: Six Wim Hoffers, five young women in bikinis (an odd site at 6am). One of this latter group risked life and phone to swim out to the second rock pile from the north. What some people will do for a good sunrise photo!

Monday mornings are often lightly attended swims. This morning, besides the aforementioned shore support, only Laguna was on the beach when I arrived at about 7 minutes after 6. 

At some point in our swim north this morning, perhaps between the birches and the wall, Laguna and I stopped to chat and look about us. We had almost swum into each other, and it was a nice morning bobbing about on those small little rolling waves. He casually pointed out a swimmer I had not been expecting to see. "There goes Diablo," he said. Sure enough, Diablo was slashing through the water just outside of our position and angling back in to his spot along the north beach. I had not noticed that he was out this morning. Then, upon returning to the cove, I noticed another swimmer's stuff alongside ours (not Diablo's--he had been in and gone by this point.).  Curious. A barbie floated out near the new rock pile. A second unidentified swimmer! As the mystery swimmer approached, we began to analyze stroke technique and speculate about who it was. I managed an accurate guess. It was Ala. I guess spending six or more years swimming in the same pool with someone helps you recognize their stroke. We stayed long enough to welcome her back ashore, and then headed up the bluff. 

The magic of a morning swim turned into a regular Monday morning. Tomorrow awaits. 

Sturgeon Moon

 Last Swims:  Noon on Sunday, and Full Moon at Sunday 8:30 p.m.

Water Temps:  All over the place.  59 degrees close to shore, and well into the 70s 15 yards past the rocks

Waves:  Big water, big currents; 3 to 5 ft. at noon, close too the same at 8:30

Noon Kru:  Itch, Fred, Laguna, Luna Laguna Other Dave, Forger, GiGi, Lydia the TTL, Kahuna, others, shore support from the Cap'n, Zig, Ice Princess and SWMNBN!

Moon Swim:  Moon Dawg, Coach "Old Man River" Connor, WeTac, Carolyn (first swim, so no nickname!), Peaches, Mr. A with shore support from SWMNBN! and Kahuna.

A beautiful moon rose from the lake at about 8:30, and had a bright orange glow, the same orange glow that the coals had which we roasted marshmallows over.  Life is good

And here is video from our roving and swimming reporter, taken as she is swimming maybe 25 yards East of the rocks:

Thanks Carolyn!   

North Shore Fire and Rescue--get a room!

 Next Swims: Sunday- 7am, 8am, noon, and a FULL MOON SWIM at 8:10pm

Last swim: Saturday, noon

Air Temp: 83

Water temp: 68 ( 69 from Itch, 67 from the rubber ducky), but there was a lot of cold water lingering under that. At one point, Itch measured that colder shelf of water to be at about 58 degrees. 

Waves: Choppy, generally disorganized 1-1.5 footers

Clarity: pretty clear: 9 /10

Kru: Capt'n, Itch, Diablo, Moondawg, Dave, Neo, Blake, Crabby Abby, Peaches, Super Hera, Magic Mike. An extra Triathaloner came as we were getting out, suited up, and headed out for a swim. 

Shore Support: Neo's two chips-off-the-old-block, aka, collectively, spawn o' Neo.

For the last three days, the good people of the North Shore Fire and Rescue teams have been at Klode. Thursday, and Friday, they were running training sessions and preparing for the future. 

Here are some random beachgoers struggling to remove a dummy from the water on Friday. It is not apparent how or why the dummy was in the water, but it is suspected that it has something to do with NSFR.

Today they appeared to show for more immediate concerns. A beachgoer was not feeling her best: lightheaded, short of breath, etc. She appeared to be in very good hands and was helped from the beach by these fine public servants. 

But all that is prelude to why we are really here. The noon swim down at the beach! The sun shone; the waves tossed lightly; the Kru swam south into the chop. Some, like me, stopped short of a trip out to flatrock. A decent contingent went on to that destination and returned en masse to initiate the beach change, gather around the Capt'n as he benevolently dispensed the nectar of the gods, and raise one toast to another good swim and another toast to some well oiled joints (Itch provided a second round to those so inclined). 

I swam over a very large school of smallish fish on my return trip. I was speaking with Dave about our swims and mentioned it to him-- I think he called it a bait ball. Which I took to mean a school of bait-sized fish swimming closely together in a ball. It was a big ball. Big enough to actually darken the water around me as I swam through them.  Pretty cool. 

Lastly,  consider the full moon swim tomorrow night. Arrive at 8:10 pm. Greet your friends. Get into the lake and swim out to see the full moon rise at 8:20. Then, acting like a bunch of pagans, do all sorts of unaccountable things before coming back to shore in the dark, pretending like it was just another swim. In fact, you'll know you did something special and transcendent. Lucky you!

Foggy Covfefe

Next swims: 12 noon weekends

Last swim: Friday 6 am 

Air temp: Low seventies 

Water temp: 68 

Waves: Mostly like rippled glass 

Clarity: Bottom views 

Kru: Mermaid Princess, Forger, Lamprey, Moondaug, shore support -Kahuna (with coffee and kringel) and pup, parking lot coffee groupie-Showgirl 

Some trepidation was sensed starting out, as the fog was all encompassing and one had to really hug the shore to keep it in sight. As I swam lead it seemed like swimming in a cloud with nothing to worry about except keeping track of my form. On the way back from mudslide, midwater collisions were avoided as we anticipated warm coffee served up before we stepped to shore. We were not disappointed. Thanks Kahuna! Princess Mermaid remarked how nice the warm coffee warm up was and thought of bringing her thermos from now on. I've often dreamt of having a double espresso delivered to me while standing on Flat Rock. Applications for Klode Kru barista are now being entertained, mermaid fins are a plus.

 Comment if interested in full Moon Swim Sun. at 8:10 pm . Full moon rises over the lake at 8:20, with a sunset at 7:43 PM. Air temps forecasted in high 60s and water temp close to 70, according to current trends skies forecasted to be clear!

Klode Kafe

Ever dream of emerging from the cool embrace of the Lady of the Lake, only to be greeted before you step on shore with a nice warm cup of coffee?  And maybe a piece of Kringle?  Dreamer awake!  If you have nothing better to do with your life this Friday morning at 6:00 a.m., come to da beach, and experience KahunaFest 2021.  God willing, Kahuna will be there when you get back from your swim, to-- like they say in the theme to Laverne & Shirley, "make all our dreams come true"!      

Two shelves

 Next swims: R, F- 6am and 5pm; Sat & Sun- 7am/8am and noon

Last swim: Wednesday 6am

Air temp: 68

Water temp: 64, but it was pretty much colder a little deeper.

Waves: flat like glass

Clarity: nice and clear

Kru: DragonflyRiffRaff, Showgirl, Forger, Mr Anonymous, Magic Mike with Diablo on the early shift

It was a quiet swim this morning. Gone was the crowded lot; gone were the fitness people; gone were the hugging teens, and the friendly middle aged women, gone were the Wim Hoffers. Those who were there were individuals doing their thing. Diablo paddled through the otherwise still morning waters. The seagulls were making more noise than the humans.

When we measured the water temp at 64+  degrees, it gave us a false sense of the water's warmth. Many folks are familiar with that perennially cold patch between the rock piles. So that wasn't an issue, really. What became the issue for me as we all swam north was these two shelves of water: one that we swam through at the top of the  water column, and one about 2 and a half feet down that was probably 10 degrees colder. THAT shelf served to refrigerate the one on top of it. So the swim was a cold one. I am still in a sweatshirt two hours later looking to recoup some lost body heat. 

On my return trip, just out from the new rock pile, I encountered Showgirl standing about waist deep in the water. I was perhaps 10 feet away (north) of her and could not touch the bottom. I had to ask her what she was standing on. To which she replied, "The bottom!" We dug around some and theorized that the barge that brought in the new rock pile had to dredge a bit to get in close enough to offload all that riprap. She was standing on the part where the dredged sand was deposited, I was trying to stand where they dug the path in. I do not know whether this was an active dredging or just a situation where the barge simply plowed through the sand leaving a sand wake behind it. Either way, I wonder whether or not this will be the locale of a future rip current. Swimmers beware!

 

greeting the day

 Next swims: W, R, F  6am and 5pm; Sat & Sun  7 and 8am and noon

Last swim: Tuesday, 6am

Air temp: 65

Water temp: 60-61

Waves: very small rollers coming pretty much straight in, basically calm

Clarity: clear

Kru: Diablo, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Showgirl on the early shift. Capt'n, Scuba, Lt. MJ, Mr. Anonymous, Magic Mike. Handyman Hank on the late shift. 

Shed the neoprene this morning! The water temp was right at the bottom of my "skin zone," so I ventured in without the wetsuit. Nice to be back in more temperate waters. 

Took the picture today that I didn't take yesterday. Not that things looked the same,
but this morning's rise was a different kind of nice from yesterday's. 

Diablo's bike was at the rack. Showgirl and Lydia's gear was unoccupied on the beach. It was evident people got an early start this morning. Those of us preparing for a 6:00 swim found our way into the water just as the Wim Hoffers stepped out. With some swimmers in wetsuits and some not, the lion's share of us swam north to look for the early swimmers. Scuba swam south to look for a cannon. I watched Diablo and Lt. MJ almost collide out in the bay. I eventually spotted the pink barbies belonging to Showgirl and Lydia. At a spot a little beyond the new rock pile, I turned back. Others went as far as the Cialis chairs (aka two cute chairs) and the staircase in the rocks beyond mudslide. 

Come February, we dream of days like today.

I wish I took a picture!

 Next swims: T-F 6am, 5pm; Sat & Sun 7am, 8am, noon

Last swim: Monday 6am

Air temp: 62

Water temp: 59/60- we had no thermometer, so we guessed

Waves: none

Clarity: beautifully clear

Kru: Mermaid Princess, Lt. MJ, Cindy, Luna Laguna, Magic Mike

I stumbled away from my bedside thoughtlessly this morning (or more thoughtlessly than normal). Managed to dress myself and gather my swim stuff, but forgot my phone. The particular beauty of this morning's sunrise had me groping for my phone, which was resting unmolested on my bedside table. I am not going to attempt a description, your imagination will be better. It was stunning. A picture would be nice...but it didn't happen today.

The lot was nearly full of cars at 6:02! There were joggers doing the hill and the track on top of the bluff. There were hugging teens on the northern rock pile no doubt documenting the beauty of the sunrise in the sort of perfectly curated images that their generation seems to create effortlessly. There were Wim Hoffers communing with the sunrise in their own manner. There were three middle aged women cheerfully engaging each other and the Wim Hoffers in appreciative and voluble banter. And there was the Kru. 

We guessed the water was about the same as yesterday, perhaps a little warmer. This despite MJ's attempt to throw us off by making us think it was colder than yesterday. It wasn't. With some caution, we wrapped ourselves in neoprene, except Luna who dove right in. The rest of us pushed off behind her and swam north. A nearly ideal swim! a perfect way to mark Cindy's birthday. Happy Birthday, Cindy!

Scratching back

 Next Swims: M-F 6am and 5pm; Sat & Sun 7am, 8am, noon

Last swim: Sat and Sun 7/8am

Air temp: 65

Water temp: 54 Saturday and 58 Sunday

Waves: basically flat Saturday, very gentle rollers in from the east Sunday

Clarity: beautifully clear... 9.5/10 - 10/10 both days

Kru: Saturday: 7am- Showgirl, DragonflyRiffRaff, Mermaid Princess, Lt. MJ, Magic Mike; 8am- Mr Anonymous, Laguna Mike, Kahuna

Sunday: 7am- DragonflyRiffRaff, Showgirl, Cindy, Lt. MJ, Jenny, I hope I didn't miss someone; 8am- Mr. Bubble, Handyman Hank, Magic Mike

Shore support: Squeeze o Showgirl

After the cold water of the early part of the week, this weekend appears to be an effort on the part of the sun and the lake to bring the temperatures back a little closer to normal for this time of year. It looks like we are scratching back to swimmable temps! It would be interesting to hear what the noon swimmers experience. 

I have noticed a gender break in the weekend morning swims. Saturday morning there were four women swimming the 7 o'clock shift and, if I would have slept in, four men on the 8 o 'clock shift. I did sleep in on Sunday and there were at least five women at 7 and three men at 8. I wonder about that. No matter who is in the water, when the sun shines and the water is clear and calm, there is little in the way of an excellent swim. 

Both days, I found myself planning on a relatively short swim. Then, before I knew it, I was bobbing around at the mudslide talking myself out of going further. It's probably good to get back to shore and the rest of the life we all live. But there is always that what-if-I-keep-swimming? scenario to contend with! I wanted to say something about what a pleasure these August mornings are (and they really are!). But then I thought that there is not that much difference between those pleasures and the pleasures of July swims and June swims. So just keep swimming, be glad for the lake, and look forward to socializing with Kru-mates on Sept 5 (thanks in advance Synchro!).

Adieu, Racoon

Next swims: 

    M-F, 6am and 5pm; 

    Sat & Sun, 7am, 8am and noon  

Last swim: 6am Friday(and other, un-blogged swims)
Air temp:  60's
Water temp: 48.9.  But let's round that up to 49
Waves: flat
Clarity: Excellent

Kru: Tattoo Lady, Dragonfly, Showgirl, Mr. Anonymous, Luna Laguna, Mermaid Princess, Lt. MJ, Linda the Lamprey

Shore Support:  many Wim Hoffers

August 2021

In spite of the cold water, there was a banner turnout this morning.

After a brief respite yesterday morning, the Wim Hoffers were also back in force.  We studiously ignored them.  They gazed longingly at us, desperate to share the doctrine of their cult.

Some did brief but highly impressive skin swims, some wore random assortments of gloves/booties.  Dragonfly wore a shorty wetsuit, "for a short swim" she said.

TTL, MJ, and I (all in full wetsuits & accoutrements) voyaged to the new rockpile, which continues to impress.  I was wearing new, and thus super-clear, unscratched goggles, so I could see even more of the submerged part of the rockpile.  I'm disappointed to say that you can no longer swim behind it, which was delightful while it lasted.

After that, we returned to Klode.

TTL once again assumed the mantle of Dead Animal Removal Coordinator by calling the WFB DPW, and thus, our dead racoon friend is no longer sunbathing on our beach.  TTL, we are forever grateful.

48-49 -- Visited the New Rockpile Anyway

 Next swims: 

    M-F, 6am and 5pm; 

    Sat & Sun, 7am, 8am and noon  

Last swim: 6am Thursday (and other, un-blogged swims)
Air temp:  70
Water temp: 48-49
Waves: flat
Clarity: Good

Kru: Tattoo Lady, Dragonfly, Showgirl, Mr. Anonymous

Shore Support: a dead racoon (?) and the chatty Wim Hoffer dude

tl;dr The water is even colder, and we swam anyway.

Church of Lake Michigan, every day.
(photo credit: TTL)

I keep hoping that the storms we're having will bring back the warm water.  But.... they haven't yet.

Mr. A was already on the beach when TTL, Dragonfly, and I arrived.

Once again a wall of cold air foreshadowed the cold water.  TTL put on her wetsuit BEFORE taking the temperature, which was probably a good thing, since the temp was.......... 49.  Or 48.  Whatever.

But we were already dressed for swimming, and so we did.  Statements of "sewerpipe" helped adjust expectations.

So we got in, with an appropriate amount of swearing, and side-stroked, back-stroked, and  breast-stroked.  All the strokes that are swimming without actually putting faces in the water.  But finally we did.  

Upon arriving at sewerpipe, I told myself that garage wasn't far off.  Once there, could the birches be far away?  But then the start of the rock wall seemed do-able.  TTL arrived and said, "how about the end of the rock wall?"  Once there, New Rockpile was in sight, and since I hadn't seen the final result of the crane+barge+tug's efforts, and we were practically there, we checked it out.

At that point, we compared notes on which body parts were feeling extra-cold, and (obvi) swam back.

Once again, Dragonfly did an amazing skin swim out and back.

R.I.P. our racoon friend.  We hardly knew ye.

A Bridge Too Far!! (cold water remains)

 Next swims: 

    M-F, 6am and 5pm; 

    Sat & Sun, 7am, 8am and noon  

Last swim: 6am Wednesday (and other, un-blogged swims)
Air temp:  70
Water temp: 54.  FIFTY-FOUR!  FIFTY-F-ING-FOUR
Waves: small swells out of the south 
Clarity: Not really

Kru: Tattoo Lady, Dragonfly, Showgirl, Mermaid Princess, Caroline (a new friend)

Shore Support: Linda the Lamprey, plus a group of screaming younglings

Suspiciously Absent:  the Wim Hoffers

Thumbs Down to the cold water.

tl;dr  the water is still f-ing cold, and the air was very foggy, but we swam anyway.

TTL brought her wetsuit, and I dug around in my car and found mine. Mermaid Princess had her sleeveless and sleeves.  Dragonfly went skin!

Twenty-feet or so from the water, we passed through the invisible wall of cold air and learned the truth:  in spite of last night's storms, the water is still cold.

With much, much grumbling and use of the f-bomb (okay, that may have just been me) TTL, MP, and I struggled into our wetsuits.  I initially declared that gloves and booties were A Bridge Too Far! but ultimately put on the booties, and was happy I did.

Dragonfly did an amazing 400yd swim, skin!

I trailed after TTL, doing the elementary backstroke until I finally sucked it up and put my face in the water.  She and I made it to the garage, where I handed her my barbie and I headed back.  She swam further.

By the time I made it back to the Klode neighborhood, I was feeling better and swam south for a bit.

I know that in early May, we would have been happy to have 54 degree water, but....... It's August, and we like our 70 degrees.  Nay, we deserve our 70 degrees.  <sigh>

Yep, it was foggy.

WTF!?! Cold Water Returns

Next swims: 

    M-F, 6am and 5pm; 

    Sat & Sun, 7am, 8am and noon  

Last swim: 6am Monday
Air temp:  70
Water temp: below 60
Waves: small swells out of the south 
Clarity: Who knows... I was just focusing on continuing to swim

Kru: Lt. MJ, Showgirl, Diablo on the early shift, and of course, three Wim Hoffers

MJ was about to leave at 6:02 when I rolled into the parking lot.  Given how cold the water was, that might have been a better choice.

We headed down the ramp, and encountered Diablo at the bottom.

"Wear two caps," he said.  If Diablo tells you it's cold, it's cold.

As we neared the water we could feel a wall of cold air.

A helpful Wim Hoffer came over to re-state Diablos' bad news-- cold water.

MJ said the (big fat lying) buoy said the temp was 69 degrees.  I can assure you, that is NOT the temperature.

Anyway, she put on her sleeveless wetsuit and I put on my usual, non-wetsuit-y stuff.  

"Sewer pipe."

And so we went to just short of the sewer pipe.  I was questioning my choices the whole way.  It's been so many weeks (months?) of skin-able water that it was hard to even wrap my head around how cold might be too cold to swim.

Back on shore it was fairly easy to warm up due to the warm air.  I did have the heat on in my car, and had some shivers once I got home.

We were only in the water 10 minutes.

New Most Awesome Swim Ever, Plus Sunday Biergarten outing

Next swims: 

    M-F, 6am and 5pm; 

    Sat & Sun, 7am, 8am and noon  <-- see Capn's previous post for Sunday biergarten details

Last swim: 7am Saturday
Air temp:  70-ish
Water temp: 70-ish
Waves: small swells out of the south 
Clarity: Good!

Kru: 7:am Diablo, Brick, Showgirl, 8am Kahuna, Blake, Sandy, Kim

Shore Support: the dudes operating the crane, tho if we get technical, they weren't on shore, either

Yes!! We were right on the beach where the crane is dropping rocks!

OMG, this morning's 7am swim may be my most fun, epic, swim ever, and this will be  a quick telling of this tale.

There were no cars or bikes when I got to Klode at 7ish, nor anyone on the beach, but happily, Diablo and Brick arrived on the scene.

The obvious swells out of the south suggested that swimming south was the way to go, but Brick hadn't seen the amazing new north rock pile.  That's not a landmark to be missed, so we swam north, feeling the push of the waves.

Brick detoured to the rocks, while Diablo and I continued north. 

I was thinking just to swim to the Two Cute Chairs, but once there, Three (Four? Five??) Piers beckoned.  These are truly the magic days of summer swimming, and if you've got a calm, warm day, you'd better make the most of it.

So looking back towards Klode, we saw a large boat on the horizon.  Rejoined by Brick, we kept swimming north. The boat became a barge, heading towards (you guessed it!) the new pile of rocks.

We went to 3-4-5 Piers, and THEN, went past it, off the edge of (my) world, and went to the sandbag shore.  We got out of the water, analyzed the concrete-bag shoreline, all the while, the barge with its pile of rocks got closer and closer to the new rock pile.

We explored the piers for a bit, discussed whether to swim on the shore side or lake side of the barge, and then set off on the return trip.

Near New/Old Mudslide an executive decision was made, and we started hugging the shore, ultimately getting out on the beach to watch the crane drop rock after rock onto the pile.  It was AMAZING!  Fantastic swimming PLUS heavy equipment!  Giant splashes of water!

Finally we got back in, and swam back to Klode, arriving at nearly 9:00.

Kahuna, Blake, Sandy, and Kim were the 8am shift, but they had missed the excitement and drama of the barge by swimming south.

PS. Be sure to read Capn's blog post about a Sunday Biergarten outing.

Beer Gardens & Beavers

Next swims: M-F, 6am and 5pm; Sat & Sun, 7/8am and noon

Last swim: 5pm Thursday August 5th
Air temp:  82
Water temp: 70
Waves: light chop from south
Clarity: Improving!  Frequently could see bottom
Kru: Itch, Wet Taco, Ziggy, Quinoa Salad, Capt'n

If you're a frequent open water swimmer you've most likely had an "encounter".  You know, when you unexpectedly encounter something while swimming that catches you off guard and images of sharks, alligators or sea serpents flash through your mind.  This was the case this evening when Itch and I unexpectedly came across the roots of 10ft+ tree bobbing in the water just offshore from the Silver Spring Downspout.  (a.k.a. Lauren's Golden Shower)  Funny thing about this encounter were the flash backs we had to last summer when Itch and I encountered a real live racoon swimming in nearly the exact same spot.  (...although last year's encountered occurred during a freak thunderstorm we got caught swimming in....)  

This evening's tree encounter does bring up an observation which has led to an interesting theory....after all, this blog was founded on the premise of "OBSERVATIONS, RAMBLINGS, RANTS, AND WACKO THEORIES"...  If you've been swimming along the Klode shoreline this summer you may have noticed quite a few trees that have either washed ashore or will soon be washing ashore.   You may have also noticed quite a few trees missing along the bluffs over looking the bay.   Why, why, why are all these trees disappearing from the bluffs and now washing ashore?  My theory is that this is the precursor to an oncoming invasion and inevitable colonization of Beavers along the shores of Klode.  These busy Beavers have been spending the spring and summer strategically pitching trees into the Lake so that they will provide ample building materials for their soon to be colony along the Klode shoreline!

Now, about the Beer Garden....Sunday, Sunday, Sunday....this Sunday (August 8th)!  A proposal has been made to follow-up Sunday's Noon Swim with a trip to the Estabrook Bier Garten.  What say ye?  Who's in?  If I had to estimate...we'll likely be at the the Beer Garden between 1:30-2pm...Hope to see you then!

70/70 swim

 Next swims: M-F, 6am and 5pm; Sat & Sun, 7/8am and noon

Last swim: Thursday 6am

Air temp: 70

Water temp: 70

Waves: flat, a calm surface

Clarity: getting good, could see the bottom, 8/10

Kru: Dragonfly RiffRaff, Showgirl, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Magic Mike. Diablo and Moondaug on the early shift.

The sunrise is happening closer and closer to our arrival time these days. A pale orange, pink sun presented itself as we showed up. Diffuse smoke from the Canadian fires --or general haziness-- muted the effect of the sun early in its ascent. But that's fine. We were talking about bugs. Millipedes, ants, probably spiders but I don't know. I was obsessing about the ants. Read this story,  I haven't read it in over 30 years, but it came to mind as we were talking about ants. Very Eurocentric, natives-are-savages sort of story. But still...those ants.

Anyway, this is a swimming blog, not a literary criticism site. On to the swim. And what a swim! Those flat, calm waters, round about 70 degrees, and we could track our progress against the bottom, because it was visible. All hallmarks of an ideal morning swim. Dragonfly and I swam to 2 cute chairs and Mudslide, respectively. Showgirl and the Tattooed Lady swam further...I suspect to Three Piers. It was definitely a day for a nice long swim. I am banking my energy for the weekend swim in Bayfield, so distance wasn't a thing for me today. 

At one point along the swim, somewhere between Sewer Pipe and Garage, I stopped and looked around me. I saw the other Kru who set out on the swim with me. But then, behind them and swimming straight in from the middle of the lake, I saw another swimmer. I presume it was Moondaug (since we saw Diablo leaving before we got in the water). He was on a deep water swim. He looked like he was coming straight from Michigan. Impressive. I am sure he was looking for these treasures...little did he know they were there on the beach all along!

While I was up at the car, brushing off the sand, a car pulled up, rolled down the window, and presented two former students, Maya and Martha. They were there for a swim. These were young people I worked pretty closely with when they were in high school. They both swam for the high school and at least one, if not both, swam in college, too. It was really nice to see them, and good to know that there is another generation ready to pick up the open water swimming mantle. 

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For consideration by the Kru and other readers... discuss the relative benefits and drawbacks of the following swims: a 50/50 swim, a 60/60 swim, and a 70/70 swim. First number is air temp, second number is water temp.

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Warm and flat

 Next Swim: M-F 6am and 5pm; Sat & Sun, 7/8am and noon

Last Swim: Tuesday 6am

Air Temp: 62

Water Temp: 70ish ( per the Capt'n's toes)

Waves: flat

Clarity: very slight improvement. maybe a 2/10 or a 3/10

Kru: Lt MJ, Cindy, DragonflyRiffRaff, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Capt'n, Magic Mike

As we were gathering in the lot at 6, the Wim Hoffers came up the path. All the world knows, that beach ain't big enough for the two of us. So with the coast clear, and at the proper time, we proceeded down. Three of the four Kru members who are swimming in GitchiGumee up in Bayfield this weekend were in attendance. So there was some talk of this weekend's swim, accommodations, logistics, schedules, etc. Then we told the Capt'n where Bayfield was. That man has to get up north more often!

This is the location of Bayfield. I did
a crappy job of explaining it this morning.

A nice sunrise and a warm, flat bay always make swimmers glad. Today was no exception. We skirted the leftover algae bloom on the shore and struck out into the slightly clearer, but still quite turbid waters. Four of us swam to Mudslide. Dragonfly and Lydia went further. It seems they were headed for Three Piers. 

Back on shore Capt'n relayed a story that the feature of the shoreline out beyond Three Piers that some refer to as Sandbags, isn't really sandbags, despite its appearance. Turns out he and Brick approached the shore there recently and found that those bags (or whatever they really are) are filled with concrete! Who knew?!?! I'm still callin' it Sandbags. That said, we also tossed around potential names for the new pile of rocks. They look different than other piles of riprap along the shore. They're darker, and look to be pretty randomly dropped there--although it appears they may just be staged there for future placement along the bluff where the tree massacre happened earlier in the season. In any case, someone mentioned that they looked like Dinosaur Dung. That phrase is now in direct competition with Itch's "Mt. Jackass." I am sure, as with many names this group adopts, time and consensus will determine which name sticks. 

Meantime, go jump in a lake.

Monday Morning at the beach

Next swims: M-F, 6am and 5pm; Sat & Sun, 7am and noon

Last Swim: Monday 6am

Air Temp: low 60s

Water Temp: about 70 

Waves: slow rolling 6-inchers, barely even breaking on the shore, lots of room between them

Clarity: none!

Kru: Scuba, Mermaid Princess, Luna Laguna, Magic Mike

There was nobody in the lot except the guy setting up for the fitness class and a bunch of garbage left by yesterday's beachgoers (c'mon people!). On the way down the hill I encountered a handful of Wim Hofers coming up.  Two of the four or five people said my name. As some of you can attest, at 6:00 in the morning, I am barely conscious, a little spacey, and definitely without words. So when I hear my name being called, it takes a moment for me to establish focus. There was my neighbor, Ranji. This was a familiar, expected and friendly face. I hope I returned his greeting properly. Then there was Katie, a colleague, who I did not expect to see. I traded a few words with her and continued down wondering at how inarticulate I am at that hour. 

This is a shot from a couple of weeks ago, not today. It's what I expect to see every day when I show up at the beach. I just felt like there needed to be a picture with this post!

At the beach level was Scuba, finding a chance for a lake swim in the absence of the Schroeder pool, which is apparently down for a few weeks for routine maintenance. As we greeted each other, Luna and the Mermaid Princess arrived. Critical mass had been achieved! After some discussion of the new rock pile, and some recollecting of weekend swims, attention turned to the water.

The aforementioned slow rolling small waves promised a gentle, rocking swim. Nothing turbulent, but not flat either.  Closer consideration revealed a lot of green organic mater floating at the water's edge, mucking up the entry into the bay. We found a small spot about the width of a human along the southern edge of the beach without the muck and waded in that way, before swimming north. All murk, no clarity. I could not even see my arm going through the water. It is at times like these that I am thankful we know the contours of the bay so well. Otherwise I'd be worried about what I couldn't see under the water. I swam to mudslide, others turned at the wall. 

Scuba was gone by the time I arrived, and I was lucky enough to share the walk up the hill with LL and MP. I had some words by then.