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.
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| Before swim |
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| 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.
3 comments:
Water: Gray Sky: Gray Sun: Red
Despite the distinct smell of smoke, a beautiful and refreshing swim
A bright spot - literally - when Showgirl let me try on her orange/yellow goggles that cast a golden glow on all I surveyed. I need some of these 'optimist' goggles!
3 piers is still there, its just no longer in the water, it's on a new beach
Those with asthma/breathing difficulties beware there is an air quality warning that recommends abstaining from outdoor exercise until the fire smoke subsides.
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