Beautiful Day

 Water Temp: 64 per thermometer but felt more like 61 per Buoy

Air Temp: 70

Wind:  Very calm

Waves: Tiny ripples

Skies:  Most sun we've had in awhile, smoke blessedly abated

Clarity: Decent

Kru, wetsuit: Lt. MJ, Dragonfly, 2 unknown dudes who swam south (we all swam north)

Kru, skin: Showgirl, Mermaid Princess, Magic Mike

Next Swims:  Saturday-Sunday 8 a.m. and 12 Noon, Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm  (post a comment if you are looking to swim at 6 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday.  One of our crazy people might be interested!)

I was struck with gratitude this morning for the simple, basic kind of beautiful day we have taken almost for granted in past years.  The smoke this week has been really challenging, with some folks avoiding the beach and those of us who insist on going unwisely anyway, missing their company.

Last night I had gone to bed feeling anxious and depressed, weighed down by the weather.  This morning, the near-clear air and bright sun lifted my spirits magically.  Afterwards, over coffee and bagels outside Bruegger's bakery, I felt such a sense of peaceful well-being, warming in the sun.  Maybe the first time I have sat there this season without shivering!

I also want to take a moment here to note how much I enjoy & admire the literary abilities of the other blog writers, and also of those who post in the comments.  In addition I have learned much from the scientific discussions of flora, fauna, and appreciate the sharing of books and thoughts on other topics.

{Yes, I was guilty of conflating the phlox and dame's rocket.  Apparently I learned nothing last year.  Maybe this year it will stick.)

What we have is a rare intersection of great wild swimming and great people, or maybe the Lake just brings out the best in us.

Coming and going

Last swim: Tuesday, June 27 6am

Next swims: Mon-Fri, 6 am and 6 pm; 

                      Sat & Sun, 8am and noon

Air temp: 64

Water temp: 58, + or - 3 degrees or so, I guessed. 

Waves: 12-18 inches out of the northeast

Clarity: 7/10

Kru: Mr. Anonymous, DragonflyRiffraff, Showgirl, Magic Mike, two swimmers who I crossed paths with on my return swim

Yesterday, the sun was shining and I encountered this little fellow flitting about as I walked up the path at the end of the swim.

Today, however, the sun struggled to shine through the Canadian smoke hovering over our part of the country. 

Before swim

After swim

The cold(ish) water had the slight swell described above, making the swim back from the north a little faster. 

As I swam I thought of a few counterintuitive naming habits we have for the landscape we swim past. Here are a few of them:

We call at least two sections of the bluff to the north "mudslide" even though there is little to no mud evident any more, to say nothing of sliding mud; we refer to "two cute chairs" when most recent observers only see one chair there; we call it "three piers" even though all the piers have been removed; there's a place between "three piers" and "two cute chairs" that I have called "one man beach" even though I have never seen a man or  woman on that beach. Can we see the "Love" on "Love rock"? I don't know the answer to that last one, because I have not swum south this calendar year!

Most of these situations come as a result of changes, both natural and human created, that alter our landscape. The lake however, remains relatively constant. The big houses have come and will eventually leave. Huge pieces of rock will delay erosion of the expensive properties along the lake's shore, but they won't stop it. Piers, chairs, boats and pipes show up, stay for a while, and then go away. Some days the lake is calm, some days it's rough. Cold water...warm(er) water. Clear water and cloudy. They are all variations, but they will always be variations. Constant change.

Speaking of things coming and going. These goggles were left up at the flagpole. If they're yours, I have them and can easily arrange a hand off. I'll be showing up at 6am for the rest of the week. Lemme know in the comments if they're yours. 

Last swim: Tuesday, June 20, 6am
Next swim: rest of the week at 6 am and 6pm, or any time any of us decides to swim!
Air temp: actually not sure, but it was lovely, and warmer than the water...
Water temp: 63℉ 
Clarity: really clear, we could easily track our swim by watching the ripples of sand along the lake bottom, sun glinting, shadows casting, entertaining.
Waves: very slight, essentially flat
Kru: there were three or four swimmers out on the early shift. It looked like Laguna and Sunny, Mr Anonymous, and perhaps Mystery Man? Then there were Mermaid Princess, Fin-fyn, Lydia (oh Lydia!) the Tattooed Lady, Gabby, Magic Mike, and another woman I have not had the good fortune to meet yet, but who definitely seems familiar with the Kru (I should get out more).

Because I am all together too cheap to go off and buy a new wetsuit, and because I have destroyed the cheap ones I always get, I have been without a wetsuit this spring. For a while, in the crazy water-warmth of this early spring, that has not been too much of an issue. But in the course of the last week or so, the water has been just shy of comfortable without a wetsuit. People often swam anyway. Today was a reward. 63 felt mild and the clarity and the sunshine added to the reward. 

I have been reading Roger Deakin's book Waterlog this spring (thanks Sheila). The subtitle, "A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain" is a hint that it is something of a swimming travelogue. Considering some of the places he swims-- muddy ditches, the moat around his house, the industrial Thames in London, other places where he arguably shouldn't be swimming-- I am reminded of the privilege and damned good luck we all have to be able to swim in our lake every day. A few dead gobies are nuthin to us!

Happy Juneteenth!

 Water Temp: 60 per Magic Mike's toemometer 

Air Temp: 64

Wind:  Almost none

Waves: Gentle lifts and falls

Skies:  Pale, but sun visible

Clarity: Must have been some

Birds:  Minimal

Fish:  We set up at north end, none beyond whatever is left of the gobies

Kru, wetsuit, 5:30 a.m. early shift:  Mermaid Princess, Lt. MJ

Kru wetsuit: 6 a.m. shift: Showgirl, Fin-Fyn, Dragonfly

Kru, skin:  6 a.m. shift:  Linda the Lamprey, Magic Mike

Wim Hofers:  2

Next Swims:  Saturday-Sunday 8 a.m. and 12 Noon, Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm

This is an amazing time of year and I can't get over how fortunate we are to have Lake Michigan in our backyard.  This is what we've been prepping for since, well since last June....

The peonies are blooming

The phlox is proliferating

The purple martins are in residence and raising families

The cardinals are calling

The breeze is wafting the cottonwood spores...

It's all happening.  Nature is so amped up and spiraling to the crescendo that is the Summer Solstice.  The entire Universe is getting ready for this massive celebration.  I feel for many people this tension will be ultimately released with the huge fireworks displays on July 3rd and 4th...unfortunately I have aged into this cranky person who somewhat actively dislikes fireworks and all that is associated (will be making an entire Netflix series on that, lol.)  

For me, I will find release in the cool still mornings like this one, characterized mostly by what was not happening:  no stink, no swell, no gobies, no screaming gulls  Just peace and so much time and space to think, or not think, and just swim.

Mermaid Princess and Lt. MJ; photo by Lt. MJ

The Adventurous Spirit, or, Best Non-Swim Ever

 Water Temp: 56 per Buoy

Air Temp: 56

Wind:  Big chilly wind from the North

Waves: Big long Graybeards

Skies:  Gray

Clarity: LOL

Birds:  Major flock of seagulls, plucking delicacies out the deep

Fish:  Gobies, Large (2 foot) dead fish half buried in sand

Kru, wetsuit:  Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Mermaid Princess, Mystery Man

Shore Support:  Showgirl, Fin-Fyn, Magic Mike, Dragonfly

Wim Hofers:  6

Next Swims:  Saturday-Sunday 12 Noon, Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm

I have long referred this subseason - between the false promise of Early Summer and actual Summer, which usually starts around July 4th, as Winter-mer.  It was a classic Winter-mer day, with gray skies, howling winds and cold, filthy crashing seas.

Nothing however would deter the adventurous spirits - LTL and Mermaid Princess raced into the surf, where their cavorting and frolics proved irresistible to the Mystery Man, who soon joined them.

Joined by Mystery Man.  

As the three bodysurfed toward shore, the gulls left their posts and circled over them hopefully, thinking these wetsuit warriors were actually some tasty new bounty being delivered by the waves...disappointed, they took up their stands again along the water's edge.

Skeleton Kru

  Water Temp: 57 per Buoy

Air Temp: 64

Wind:  None

Waves: None, slight ripples from NE

Clarity: Enough to see watch below surface

Kru, wetsuit:  Showgirl, Mermaid Princess, Forger, Dragonfly

Kru, skin:  Mr. Anonymous

Wim Hofers:  1

Next Swims: Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm, Saturday-Sunday 12 Noon

Conditions almost the same as yesterday, just not quite so.  Quiet, still & stinky on the beach.  A reddish sun peeking through clouds. Air slightly warmer.  Clearly we were the bright spot in the morning.

Into the (Stinky) Void

 Water Temp: 58 per the LTL (fka TTL)

Air Temp: 60

Wind:  None

Waves: None

Clarity: None

Kru, wetsuit:  Showgirl, Lydia the Tatooed Lady (aka TTL aka LTL), Mystery Man, Dragonfly

Kru, skin:  Fin-Fyn, Magic Mike

Shore Support:  SpongeBob PoopHead

Arriving at the beach we were overcome by a powerful odor of old bird guano and after some strenuous mental exertion, made the call to set up north of the north barrier.  We were safe here for a time, until invaded by this species of SpongeBob that Lt MJ located amongst our stuff:

"I think Shore Support Mascot's expression is reflective of the chilly water (and maybe also the stench that was slowly wafting through the air,)" Lt MJ commented.  LTL and I speculated that perhaps the stench was emanating from this entity.

Also disturbing today was the mucky bottom, like mud you'd find at an inland lake....but no mud here, what could it BE????????

Despite the odds, we had a great swim with the flat, though uncomfortably cold, water.

Picture of fog, above.  Actually it wasn't quite a whiteout, but close - 

LTL prepares to launch.  Photo by Fin-Fyn.

"What a Moment!" Sighting of the Wreck of the Appotomax

 Water Temp: 58 per the Buoy

Air Temp: low 80s, sunny haze

Waves: Small chop, north breeeze

Clarity: Enough to see the Shipwreck!

Kru:  Quite large, see below

Shore Support:  Linda the Lamprey, Adam, Squeeze o' Showgirl, Mr. Dragonfly

The sand was hot, the water was chill and a little rough as the intrepid Kru set out for its annual inspection of the Wreck of the Appomattox.

Always the question of this event:  Should we attempt to swim out to the weather Buoy, which taunts us from the edge of the horizon - about a mile offshore (AND a mile back)?  (It also frequently taunts us with capricious  temperature and wave readings.)

"The wind is rising.  The chickens are rotating," Showgirl advised against it.

The southbound Appomattox, a 300-foot wooden bulk steamer, sunk after running aground in fog on November 2, 1905 (a Thursday.)  Seeing the wreck fell as usual somewhere on the spectrum between thrill and anticlimax.  "Here it is! I've got it!"  Someone shouted.  A group of us swam toward that person.  

"So that's it!"  "What a moment!" Were these comments ironic?  I couldn't be sure.

I myself never got more than a fleeting glimpse of what might have been it.  I would swim over to where a group had gathered, and see what appeared to be large ripples in the sand.

Only Moondaug and Serious Athlete fearlessly braved the power boats as they set out to swim to the Buoy  Did they make it?  "We ran into some difficulties," said Moondaug.  "A large Lake Anaconda.  By the time we were done tangling with that we were really off course."

Later I overhead Magic Mike query:  "Did you get to the buoy?"

"We had no idea where the  heck it was!" admitted Serious Athlete.

Swimming was followed by delectable grilled chicken, ribs with unending BBQ sauce (thanks, Kahuna), German potato salad AND coleslaw, cornmeal muffins, Riverwest Stein beer, Coors Edge NA, ice cold water, ice cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce.  Good fellowship along two end-for-end picnic tables. It was a veritable feast and party, and really quite overwhelming.

Who's who on the Klode Kru:

Mystery Man, We'taco, Brady, Mermaid Princess, Moondaug, HFON, Kim, Showgirl, Fin-Fyn, Kahuna, Hollywood, Dragonfly, Magic Mike, Mr. Anonymous, Serious Athlete

Missing:  Scooby Steve

Classic Klode Kru gear storage area MAY be Re-opening soon!

 Captn's Log Saturday June 10th Noon - Klode

Water Temp: 59.9 (pockets of slightly warmer/cooler water along shore)

Air Temp:  78 mostly sunny with an occasional westerly breeze

Waves:  Flat

Clarity:  Clear

Kru:  Diablo, Itch, Rosey, Sandy, Brick, Bobber, Marion the Librarian, Luna Lagoona, Lagoona, Capt'n with Shore Support from Ziggy, Lil' Lagoona, Jeff

Next Swims: Sunday Noon (Klode), Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm

If you've been swimming at Klode for as The Patriarch & I you probably recall the the days where you could walk right up to the rock piles without getting your feet wet.  Back in those days, it was common for most Kru Mates to store their gear on the rock pile instead of today's tradition of creating an obstacle course for late arrivers attempting to find their way to the water.  In recent years, by comparison, getting to the rock piles typically required a few swim strokes unless you were really good at holding your breath.  If you look closely at today's Klode Kru post swim celebration picture you'll notice that traversing to the rocks barely requires you to get your feet wet!  

Now, if yer wonderin what's become of the water you'll have to come down fer a swim some day and hear our wacko theories...there's some good ones fer sher!  

(note: I'm told there really is no such thing as a "seagull"... but then again they do appear in the picture below.  If they really don't exist then perhaps the water in this picture doesn't either?)

Who needs Perfect when you have Paradise?

 Water Temp: "No one's going to get hurt today"--Magic Mike toe-mometer; 63 per Dragonfly thermometer wielded by MJ

Air Temp: 59, Sunny, calm

Waves: "Not completely smooth but enough ripples to make it interesting"--Lt. MJ

Clarity: Not really but everything else was so great

Kru, wetsuit: Showgirl, Fin-Fyn, Michael, Dragonfly

Kru, skin:  Linda The Lamprey & Diablo (early shift) Mermaid Princess, Magic Mike 

Next Swims:  Shipwreck Swim tomorrow at Atwater Beach, meet at the flagpole 10 a.m.  You can still get tickets to the Shorewood Men's Club BBQ at the event which starts at 11:30; event page  https://shorewoodmensclub.wordpress.com/fundraisers/  (Don't know why this isn't a link!)

Sunday noon at Klode

Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm

What I learned today:  Paradise does not require perfection.  The water was almost flat and very welcoming, with heated-pool pockets and just small bits of chilliness. The sun shone, the water sparkled, beach banter flowed, and glorious longish swims were had.

Same old amazing beauty we never get tired of.  Photo by Lt. MJ

REMINDER: SATURDAY, PIRATE SHIPWRECK BBQ SWIM

 

Next Swims:  Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm at Klode; Sat. 10 am at Atwater Beach; Sun. noon at Klode Beach

A short reminder that his Saturday, June 10th is the Shipwreck Swim, followed by a post-swim party at the Shorewood Men's Club Chicken & Rib BBQ Picnic. Both events occur at Atwater Park/Beach (not Klode Park/Beach). Details are in the below blog post from Monday.

The Adventure of Chop

 Water Temp: 65

Air Temp: 65, Dramatic skies, brisk chilly breeze (hey it blew away the bugs) (TTL:  "I think 'breeze' might be under selling it a bit."

Waves: Aggressive two-foot chop from NE

Clarity: Pretty good considering the chop

Kru, wetsuit: Showgirl, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Lt. MJ, Hollywood, Serious Athlete

Kru, skin:  Fyn, Sunny Luna Laguna,  Dragonfly, Moondaug

Next Swims:  Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm

Reminder:  Shipwreck Swim and Shorewood Men's Club BBQ on Saturday, post your request for chicken vs ribs in the comments by Wednesday, 5 p.m.

Much grumbling regarding the chop.

Hollywood:  "This isn't what I was promised."

Showgirl:  "Worst swim ever" noting a "mean slap in the face" from the waves.  Also:  "I feel the word "chop" understates the situation that we faced this morning."

Lt. MJ:  "It's like the Lake is an old man telling me to get off his lawn!"

Sunny Luna:  "Sometimes I'm up for the Adventure of the Chop.  Other times I'm like, mehhhh...!"

Showgirl and TTL battled through to the snowy peaks of Mt. Jackass, the rest of us took shorter swims (Moondaug unknown.)  By the time we finished, there were whitecaps.

Photos could not capture the elusive essence of the chop.

Ah, and yet.  Forwarding this poem from Linda the Lamprey (spiritual shore support):

For Klode Crew Swimmers

If ever you fear it’s never enough our strokes overlap and our hearts maintain form 

so don’t be lonely you won’t be ignored 

your pace is steadfast and your feelings mean more

than you perceive 

then you can believe

and as I remember the first times we all met

I’ll never forget the message that was sent

that all swimmers matter and we stick together

an infinity of ripples, forever and ever.

THIS SATURDAY: PIRATE SHIPWRECK BBQ SWIM

 

Captn's Log Supplemental, Monday, June 5th, 6 am (Kahuna Reporting)

Water Temp: 65

Air Temp: 54

Waves: flat

Clarity: clearing up nicely

Kru: Showgirl, Dragonfly, Fin, Kahuna (maybe Mr. A on the early shift); shore support, Linda the Lamprey (good to see you Linda!)

Next Swims:  Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm at Klode; Sat. 10 am at Atwater Beach; Sun. noon at Klode Beach

This Saturday, one of the highlights of the swim season is the Shipwreck Swim, followed by a post-swim party at the Shorewood Men's Club Chicken & Rib BBQ Picnic. I hope you can attend. Details (and how to reserve tickets for this community fundraiser event) are below.

Shipwreck Swim:  We gather at 10 am this Saturday at the flag on the bluff top at Atwater Park (not Klode) and swim from Atwater Beach out to the Wreck of the Appomatox (which is roughly 200 yards or so off shore). We keep our fingers crossed that Lake clarity that day will be good enough, for us to see what's left of the Wreck below us (an awesome sight on clear years, no matter what Showgirl says).  The depth of the wreck is about 15 to 20 feet below the surface.  If conditions are favorable, some of us swim on to the Atwater Beach NOAA weather buoy, and thank him/her/it/they for the favorable water temps and conditions so far this season.  (Just because the government initially determined it was a buoy, doesn't mean the buoy can't designate the buoy's preferred pronouns now, right?)  Another thing we do on the beach before we go up, is see if we can get the Tilt-a-Whirl playground ride spinning at warp speed.  

SMC Chicken & Ribs BBQ:  So post swim and Tilt-a-Whirl adventure, traditionally the Kru has climbed the hill to partake in the SMC Chicken & Rib BBQ, get a couple of beers, and maybe a sundae.  Kind of a nice, epic way to finish a swim.  (This is a community fundraiser so don't grouse to kahuna about tix prices, as there's free music to enjoy, and all proceeds go to things like improving the parks, youth sports programs, and scholarships for high schoolers headed for college or trade schools, and all the guys working the event are unpaid volunteers.)  If you want to reserve and buy tickets from Kahuna, indicate in the comments by 5:00 pm this Wednesday how many tixs you want, and which kind (chicken or ribs).  Kahuna will reserve tickets for you, and you can pay him on Saturday (or before, either via cash, or a check made payable to "Shorewood Men's Club").  Full chicken dinner tickets are being sold by Kahuna at the discounted rate of $16 (that's $.50 less per tix than day of).  Full rib dinner tickets are likewise available from Kahuna for $20.   

The Klode Kru Clubhouse

 Captn's Log Sunday June 4th - Noon

Water Temp: 67+ (warmer water encountered as we swam south)

Air Temp: low 70's with hazy sunshine

Waves: rippled lake surface

Clarity: hazy nearshore (5ft visibility) / clear further out

Kru: Diablo, Itch, Rosey, Sandy, Brick, Bobber, OG, Luna Laguna, Stink-eye Magoo, Kim, Ala Mode, Catp'n with Shore Support from Squeeze-of-OG, Beth and Squeeze-of-Beth

Next Swims:  Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm

While nobody knows for sure what Handyman Hank and Kahuna have in mind for the Klode Kru Clubhouse (see the Memorial Day Post)... checkout the portable clubhouse pictured below!  I'm told inside you can find a changing room, lounge with big screen tv, wet bar, hot tub, sauna....and more.  I was all set to go inside and take a few pics for this post but upon exiting Bobber exclaimed "Whoo wee...do not go in there!"  ....so I decided I'd wait until next time to explore.

Harmless Weather Instrument? Harmless Weather Instrument My Ass

Last Swim:  Sunday, 10 am

Clarity: Meh

Waves: Bit 'o chop
Crew: Scotharoo, Virginia, She Who Must Not Be Named ("SWMNBN"), Kahuna

Next swims: 12 high noon Sun. and Sat.; 6&6 M-F

Found on the beach today by SWMNBN, the above, remnants of something that looks vaguely like a large amount of latex fabric, along with data collection and transmission equipment, labeled "Harmless Weather Instrument."  Sure, that's what they want you to believe.  

Full Strawberry Moon Report

Water temp: 66-68
Air temp: Low 70's
Clarity: Excellent

Waves: Moon generated propelled slip n slide waves
Crew: Gabby, Meagan (?), Carol, Heather(?), Moondaug

Shore support: Unknown dude and various other moon gazers

Last swim Time: 8:30 PM, 6-3-23
Next swims: 12:00 high noon Sun. 6&6 M-F

As we headed on out to full moon strawberry swims, there was nothing but fun and nothing to get hung about. Just dolphin dives and moon swell rides. Strawberry swims forever. 

Moon shot wave rides, always a blast. Swimming out to ride the gravity generated waves feels like a moon shot ride around the moon destination to total liberation.  Dolphin dives into the waves on the way out, and body surfing the waves back. The pack played in the waves under a brilliantly displayed full strawberry moon. Sweet strawberries served up post swim for refreshment. Yummy. 

Saturday June 3rd Noon Swim Report - A rare June Gem!

Captn's Log Saturday June 3rd - high Noon

   Water Temp:  70.3!  (slightly warmer & cooler in some spots)

   Air Temp:  low 80's & Sunshine

   Clarity: Very Good (the ripples in the sandy bottom could be easily seen in 10ft of water)

   Waves:  very light chop from northeast

   Kru: Diablo, Kahuna, Dragonfly, Itch, Brick, Rosy, Sandy, Wet taco, Hollywood, Bobber, Fin-Fyn, Peaches, Ala-Mode, Capt'n with shore support from Beth

Next Swims:  

   Sunday June 4th @ Noon

   Monday-Friday 6am & 6pm

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  Although if you're a doubter of today's water temp I wouldn't blame you.  Had I not walked the plank today I too would have been a non-believer.  Heck, when I first heard the water temp announced today my initial thought was that someone must have been drinking grog with The Patriarch again.  

Today's swim was a dandy... reminiscent of some of the mid/late summer swims we enjoy with crystal clear water, bright sunny skies and water you could swim all day in without any worry of getting chilled.  The trick now is not to jump to any insane conclusions about the water temps for the rest of the summer...although wacko theories are always welcome.

Full Strawberry Moon Swim

 Full moon swim: Saturday 8:15 pm, (Strawberry full moon)

The forecast is for warm water, warm clear air, and smooth gentle moon waves. Full moon rises over the lake at 8:28 pm, with a sunset at 8:25 PM.  Swim on out and swim in/to the gravity feed pull sway of pulsating waves and shimmering rays. Strawberry swims forever. 

Fin-Fyn Goes Missing (or not)

Next Swims:
Mon - Fri 6am, 6pm 
Sat & Sun: noon and maybe 8am
Other unadvertised swims may occur, i.e. weekdays swim with Itch at 5pm.  Feel free to post yours (pre or post swim) in the comments

Last Swims: Friday 6am (and probably Thurs 5/6pm)
Air temp: 70-ish
Water temp: 64 per TTL
Waves:  Flat as glass
Clarity: very good
Beach Hazards:  STILL gobi stench, which mercifully seems to roll in only after the swim 
Kru:  Hollywood, Fin-Fyn, Lt MJ, Hurricane (? aka Cindy) Showgirl, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Dragonfly, Mr. Anonymous, Gabby, Magic Mike

It was a big meet-up in the parking lot this morning.

Still avoiding the gobi graveyard at the south end of the beach, we set up camp towards the north.  

If only Diablo would dispatch their fishy corpses with the same speed that he did with the dead racoon.

We suited up and the speedy swimmers vanished into the distance. (Foreshadowing.)

The rest of us met up at the two cute chairs and headed back.

Unbeknownst to the pod of speedy swimmers, Fin had ditched them returned to Klode.  The rest of them worried all the way back, only to find her relaxing on the beach.

Happy to report our fatality-free streak continues.

Not much to report other than that today was another incredible day in the week of amazing flat-water swims.

Beginning....

more beginning....

End... no fatalities.

Happy Birthday Johnny

Next swims:  Mon - Fri 6am, 6pm, Sat & Sun noon (check blog for occasional other scheduled swims).

Conditions: recent water conditions and water temps at Klode have been early-season excellent (see below blog entries and comments).

Today is Johnny Weissmuller's Birthday. Born in 1904, he spent his formative years in Chicago, where he learned to swim in Lake Michigan. He went on to win swimming races throughout the Midwest (including an AAU national championship held in the Milwaukee River in 1922), and to become a two-time Olympian (Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928), and a five-time Olympic Gold Medal winner (swimming and water polo).  He then headed to Hollywood, and created the definitive Twentieth Century movie portrayal of Tarzan.  Weissmuller swims in all his Tarzan movies, most noteably, in the mostly-nude water ballet in the 1934 Tarzan and His Mate, with fellow-Olympic-gold-medal-winner Josephine McKim ("standing in" underwater for the actress Maureen O'Sullivan).  Click on this link, to watch Tarzan & Jane's proto-synchronized swim routine.  

Who amongst the Kru should recreate the Tarzan/Jane swim underwater ballet routine this evening?  Synchro & Diablo?  Cap'n & Zig?  Other nominations?  

You're Not the Boss of Me, and....... welcome Gabby

Next swims: 

Mon - Fri 6am, 6pm 

Sat & Sun 8am (maybe) and noon, 

Other unadvertised swims may occur, i.e. weekdays swim with Itch at 5pm.  Feel free to post yours (pre or post swim) in the comments

Last Swims: Thursday 6am (and probably Wednesday 5/6pm.

Air temp: 60-ish
Water temp: 63 per TTL

Waves:  Flat as glass
Clarity: pretty close to flawless

Beach Hazards:  gobi stench remains high, with related gull infestation, which drove us to the north beach
Kru:  Showgirl, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, Diablo (aka The Undertaker), and welcome Gabby

Today was the third day in a row of magically flat water, with a tiny increase in temperature.

TTL and I were suiting up on the north beach when new swimmer Gabby joined us.  Moments later The Undertaker emerged from the water.

It seems like every day we're a tiny bit more trusting of the lake, and cast off a few more layers of neoprene.  Today we wore sleeveless suits, no booties or gloves, and our pinky fingers did not go all wonky from the cold as they had done on Tuesday.  I call that progress.

We swam to the two cute chairs, briefly exited the water there to check out the mystery yellow thing.  Upon returning to Klode we swam a minor add-on loop around the south rockpile.  The yellow thing was a tub/bucket that we hypothesize is used to keep the beer chilled while the owners of the two cute chairs do their relaxing.

All in all, it was fabulous.

Reminder: Saturday June 10th 10AM shipwreck swim followed by the Shorewood Men's club chicken bbq. Atwater beach.  Don't worry, we'll keep reminding you.