NOBODY puts Baby in a Corner

 Next Swims: Saturday, Sunday noon, M-F 6am and 5pm

***SPECIAL NOTICE***The Monday, JULY 4th swim will take place at Big Bay because of holiday festivities at Klode.  There may or may not be a traditional swim from Big Bay to Atwater.  Check back here for time!

Last Swim: Wednesday 6 a.m.
Water Temp: 52
Air Temp: 68

Waves: a little bumpy from the east-southeast

Clarity: Murky

Kru:  Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Lt. MJ, Mermaid Princess, Cindy, Dragonfly. 

Early shift:  Diablo

Late shift:  Magic Mike

Another beautiful morning, thanks TTL!

TTL announced the temperature at the usual low of 52.  She, MJ and I layered on the neoprene while Cindy and Mermaid Princess prepared for a skin dip.  

Diablo happened by with a mystical creepy Baby, apparently wrested from the deep. The Baby made its way from towel to towel (as they do) before ending up on the wall:

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner," MJ quipped as she snapped this.

"I put Baby in the corner," Cindy admitted (boasted?) Clearly someone to be reckoned with.

TTL, MJ and I swam South past the guano-scented shore of seagulls, past Love Rock and arrived at the stinky Sewer Pipe.  The waves were not large but impeded progress in both directions.  MJ had them on her breathing side going out, I had them on my breathing side coming back.

The water was increasingly comfortable as the sun rose, especially east of the rocks.  Once you got inside the rocks, it was back to the little knives.  As we clambered up the shore, Magic Mike emerged from the water in full gear.  We exchanged pleasantries about the cold.

Rest of the day pretty much an anti climax execpt for a spirited text thread about a player soon to be nick-named...

Supple wetsuits and floating rafts

 Next Swims: Saturday, Sunday noon, M-F 6am and 5pm

Last Swim: Saturday 7 and 8
Water Temp: 57
Air Temp: 68

Waves: mostly flat, with a slight swell from the south

Clarity: 9/10

Kru: Showgirl, Laguna, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Moondaug on the early shift. Magic Mike on the late shift.

I lingered over coffee this morning and didn't leave the house until about 8:00. So I thought I'd have a little catching up to do once I got to the lake. Turns out the four swimmers there were just wrapping up their swims. It seems you might find swimmers there as early as 7 on weekend mornings, it kinda depends.

The water was the same cold its been all week. It seems to be stuck looking up at 60 degrees and never quite getting there. It wasn't there today. But by the same token, all week the lake accepted intrepid skin swimmers and neoprene clad softies (like me) alike. We had a brief conversation about the relative suppleness of various models of wetsuits before the early swimmers departed and I headed into the water.

I heard tell (from Laguna) of a floating yoga matt/raft thing that was adrift in the bay. He suggested  I might be able to stop and play on it for a bit. Immediately I thought of the first place I had seen these things: Lake Geneva. I envisioned the children of some Winnetka millionaire jumping off their daddy's Chris-Craft and onto one of these floating rafts and diving into the water from it. But as I cleared the cove and started looking for this raft, it was nowhere to be found. People walking dogs along the shore. Seagulls paying just a little too much attention to me. Large schools of bait fish swimming beneath me. All this, but no floating yoga matt/raft thing. 

Went as far as the mudslide and back and got out just as a few drops of rain began. Good timing!

Unnecessary Roughness

 Next Swims - M-F 6 or 6:30 a.m. and 5pm  

Women-led swim at 6:30 a.m. Monday; other days TBD and depends on work schedules.  If interested leave a comment.  (Persons of any gender welcome!)

Last Swim: Noon Sunday

Water Temp: A balmy 60
Air Temp: Delightfully pleasant mid 70s, great sunshine

Waves: Waves 2 feet, choppy, strong from the SE
Clarity: Water was a pale blue

Dead Alewives: Fairly well dispersed
Kru:  Capt'n, Kahuna, Diablo, Itch, Brick, Sandy, Rosie, Kim, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Marion the Librarian, Handy Man Hank, North Shore Nancy, Other Dave, We'Taco, Skippy, newbie Michael, Dragonfly (hope I got everyone!)

Earlier shift:  Mr. Anonymous swam from Big Bay to Klode.

An impressive number of Kru arrayed the beach all along the southern barrier, stretching from the waterline,  through the mid-beach and up at the flat warm top of the wall, where it was sheltered from the wind and warmest.

 

It was a day for long swims.  Itch and Rosie completed a round trip to Big Bay.  Brick and Sandy swam to the start of the Big Bay wall.  I surprised myself by tagging Love Rock, but declined to join TTL as she forged through the somewhat annoying chop & quite unnecessary roughness to the south Sewer Pipe ("Downspout!!" corrects Kahuna.)  Most folks wore some level of neoprene but there was skin as well.

Conditions were so pleasant afterwards, encouraging extensive socializing and some ranting.  (You'd have thought I would have taken at least one photo.)

New person Michael enjoyed his first open water swim as he focuses on training for the Ironman.  An experienced pool swimmer, he regretfully did not do anything stupid to earn an immediate nickname.  

We closed out the session with a nip of Kill-o-Pitch (Killepitsch) supplied by the Capt'n, toasting Father's Day, Juneteenth and Pride Month (not necessarily in that order.) 

Colorado Rocky Mountain High Potato Bug Pride Month Swim

Next Swims - 7:00 & Noon Sunday

M-F 6AM and 5pm  (Or maybe 6;30 AM; I'm not sure)

Last Swim: Noon Saturday

Water Temp: mid 50's
Air Temp: 60 with a cool breeze

Waves: Waves 2-4 feet
Clarity: OK

Dead Alewives?: Some near shore (much to the delight of some cow birds pretending to be sea gulls)
Kru:  Linda the Lamprey, Showgirl, Danny (he returned!), Cap'n, Brick, Itch, Kahuna (and I'm forgetting at least one other swimmer).  Linda impressively swam skin.

Shore Support: Squeeze o'Showgirl

LOST BUG FOUND

Have you lost your pet bettle?  Found on the beach, one Colorado Potato Bug, no collar.  Orange head, with cream colored wing covers, with 5 black stripes on each wing cover.  About thrice the size of a lady bug.  Contact Kahuna to claim and pay him the reward.

The Lake looked quite pristine as we walked down the hill today at noon.  Full sunshine and great colors.  A good time had by all.

Closeup of Shipwreck Swim Photo

Kru:  Mr. Anonymous, Showgirl, Moondaug, Dragonfly, Forger, Magic Mike, Kahuna, Linda the Lamprey, Mr. Bubble, Danny, Lauren, Super Hera

                                                                                                                                    Photo:  Mr. Dragonfly

Shipwreck and BBQ Success!

Next Swims - 7:00 & Noon Sunday

M-F 6AM and 5pm  (Or maybe 6;30....we've yet to committ)

Last Swim: 10:00 Saturday and probably noon

Water Temp: mid 50's
Air Temp: 70?

Waves: pretty flat
Clarity: good enough to see the SHIPWRECK!
Kru:  Linda the Lamprey, Adam (aka Sueeze o' the Lamprey), Lauren, Danny(new!), Kahuna, Mr. Anonymous, Moondaug, Mr. Bubble, Showgirl, Dragonfly, Magic Mike, Forger, Super Hera

Linda and Dragonfly impressively swam skin.

Shore Support: Squeeze o'Showgirl, Mr. Dragonfly, Brick

Okay, this is going to be a quick one.

There was a fantastic turnout at the top of the bluff for this morning's swim.

There were even some new (welcome Danny!) and nearly new (Lauren) swimmers.

Finally Kahuna deigned to allow us to proceed down to the beach.  Temperatures were taken.  Neoprene was applied.

We pointed towards the water and agreed that the shipwreck was probably more to the north than to the south. (That was a bit of a miscalculation, but no harm done.)

We then started to walk towards it, because Atwater is so freaking shallow.  At some point, our watery walk turned into a nice swim.  At about 400yards out, we looked here, and we looked there, and finally, someone (Mike?) found the underwhelming, though still delightful evidence of the shipwreck.  It's spread over a pretty large area, so we spent a while floating around admiring it.

KAHUNA WAS RIGHT, parts of the shipwreck are more like a checkerboard than merely parallel lines.  There, I said it.

Anyway, at some point, everyone swam back to shore, trundled up the bluff.  Next up we grabbed big plates full of BBQ, glasses of beer, and ice cream. Okay, maybe just I got the ice cream.

All to say, I think a good time was had by all.

BBQ/Shipwreck Swim - 10:00 Saturday at Atwater Park

Next Swims - 10:00AM Saturday at Atwater (deets below), also perhaps 5PM Friday?

Noon Sunday, and maybe an earlier morning swim

M-F 6am (?) and 5PM (?)

Last AM Swim: Friday 6:30 AM

        Water Temp: 56 per Dragonfly

         Air Temp: low 60's 

         Water: like glass

         Clarity:  crystal clear with a side of alewives

         Kru:  Laguna Mike, Showgirl, Lt. MJ, Dragonfly, Mr. Anonymous

Exciting Upcoming Swim:  Our annual  shipwreck swim followed by Shorewood Men's Club BBQ at Atwater Park.

--10:00 Saturday - Meet at the bluff top by the historic marker sign.

--Read the sign to educate yourself about the wreck of the Appomattox

--proceed to the beach

--important next step:  LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS about the shipwreck

--suit up, swim out, look for the shipwreck 

--return to shore*, dry off, lollygag, chit-chat, perhaps Killepitsch?

--proceed up the stairs to enjoy the BBQ

--the BBQ is 11:30-7

*some may get the hair-brained idea to swim out to the weather buoy

Here's more history on the shipwreck:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Appomattox

Here's what the Appomattox looked like afloat:

The Appomattox as it appears from above,
in its final resting place.

I hope to see you at this fun event.

Okay! There is also a swim to report on from today.  Ara put on full suit and accoutrements and swam about a mile.  MJ and I did three laps around the rockpiles skin (+booties/gloves).  

Laguna Mike and Mr. A did longish skin swims.

MJ and I both recorded our swims and this is what we got:

Lt MJ's three loops around the rockpile

My three loops.

Remember, no matter how much you may feel like spaghetti, we are all stars.

Premiocre? Or Just Mediocre? You decide.

 Reminder:  Shipwreck Swim (by Klode Kru tradition) from Atwater Beach on Saturday, June 11 to be followed by Shorewood Men's cookout.  See Kahuna for details.

 Next Swims - 6 or 6:30 a.m. M-F and 5 pm weekdays?  

Tomorrow looks iffy, weather-wise, a repeat of today.

Last AM Swim: 6-6:30 AM

    Tuesday, June 7

        Water Temp: 55 per Lydia the Tattooed Lady

         Air Temp: 60-ish, cloudy, unfriendly chill northerly breeze

         Water Conditions:  Chop from the north

         Clarity:  Meh, many dead alewives

         Kru:  Showgirl, Tattooed Lady, Lt. MJ, Dragonfly, Mr. Anonymous

In 2017 writer Venkatesh Rao coined the phrase "premium mediocre" which he defined as "...the finest bottle of wine at Olive Garden...truffle oil on anything...extra leg-room seats in Economy."  In other words, aspirational yet still accessible.  He went on to describe the concept as "ultimately a rational adaptive response to the challenges of scoring a middle-class life lottery ticket in the new economy." The phrase was coopted and shortened to "premiocre" in (naturally) The Atlantic.

Thrilled with this shiny new (to me) piece of word play, I immediately began to examine where it might apply in my own life.  My Humane Society cats with their possible Russian Blue heritage?  My self-cut and styled hair layers?  My husband's Carhartt shorts from Farm & Fleet? Or just quoting some intelligentsia from....five years ago?

Regardless.  This morning was definitely Premiocre on the beach.  I got pushback:

"But it's so cold."

"It's so choppy."

"So many dead fish."

"It stinks."

BUT. WE'RE ON THE BEACH.  It is June, and we are swimming.  Perhaps Mediocre compared with other swimming days, but still Premiocre as a day in Life.

Mr. Anonymous, ventures forth.  Two women Wim Hofers to the north.

Showgirl expresses somewhat joyful ambivalence 

at the general prospect.

Photos by Lt. MJ.

Die Hards Only

 Next Swims - 6AM Friday and 5 pm weekdays?  

Maybe 6 am every day now? (check back) 

Sometimes 6:30 when people (i.e. myself) are squeezing out that extra half-hour of sleep.

Will try to keep these caprices to a minimum and post them on the blog.

Last AM Swim: 6-6:30 AM

    Wednesday, June 1

        Water Temp: 46-something, per Lydia the Tattooed Lady

         Air Temp: 70-ish, cloudy, windless

         Water Conditions:  Blessedly flat

         Clarity:  Wonderfully clear (compensation for the low temps)

         Kru:  Diablo and Magic Mike, early shift 6 a.m.; Showgirl, Tattooed Lady, Lt. MJ and Dragonfly. 6:30 a.m.

MJ encountered Diablo and Magic Mike in the parking lot.  Both shared assessments that it was really cold; Diablo miming a shiver.  TTL took the temperature because we had to know HOW cold.  "I have bad news for you ladies," she said.  "It's below 49 (Tuesday's temp) and still going down."  "Get out of the water now!" we urged her.  But she stayed until it stopped at 46.

MJ, Dragonfly, TTL.  Photo credit, Showgirl

We set out North.  It took a while to put our faces in--MJ was first to do so--but the clarity was worth it.  The dying alewives were clearly visible. My face even stopped hurting after about 400 yards and the air felt noticeably warm when I turned my head to breathe.  There was also a fair amount of backstroking!

Dragonfly, MJ, TTL.  Photo credit, Showgirl

I swam to the structure just past Sewer Pipe and MJ and TTL continued some unfathomable distance past that.  Showgirl had donated blood the evening before and opted for a brief skin dip.

I was thrilled with my 500-yard swim!  I am still feeling a bit post-op-ish so I was pretty fatigued.  Some of you know that my ankle was broken in a fall while ice skating at Wilson Park in March.  (In a strange turn of events, I was "rescued" off the ice by TTL's husband, an accomplished figure skater!  He produced an ace bandage and, since I couldn't walk, a chair  I sat on while Good Samaritans pushed me off the ice because of course I was a the farthest point from the entry.) I had to have some hardware installed via surgery, and boy do those screws look giant on the x-rays.  But it felt great to be in the water making my comeback!