Where does one keep keys and cell phones and the like during the swim so they don’t get stolen? And I still marvel at your early am swim in the outdoors in the fall and winter. Of course I live in the north and it’s already 36 degrees in the mornings.
I used to just leave them in my bag, but then I heard about bags being stoledn. I don't always have a cell phone on me; these days I have a sort of waterproof case (cheap) for my key, which I then put in a watertight waist bag (expensive). It does the trick!
I'm having a similar affair with the dark and my morning mountain biking. I can wear a headlamp, though. I find your heron friend. I've found that they are usually bold, like this one, or very shy, taking flight at the first hint of humans. Most of ours are the shy kind, so your friend is a rarity.
Perfection, Elizabeth. A place. A time of day. A boiled wool dress. The mystery of dark, cold water waiting -- we don't go in yet. Will we, with you? A heron, the other sense of time, here and then gone, seen and not seen, evasive, like aging, comical, portentous. Plot: a small hole in the boiled wood dress, already bringing the tiny sensation of cold, a potential viewer, exposure. We know that over time, swim after swim, the hole will grow bigger. (underneath it all, my God -- the discipline!) Thanks for the writing lesson.
Before my head injury, I would get up at 5 and ride the bike for about an hour. I was always glad when the time changed and I could see more in the morning. Now I have the Dawg who gets me up around dawn and takes me out with him. As he is a black dog, I got him a flashy flashy collar so I can know about where he is without having to follow him with the flashlight. I'm half dreading the time change this year because it's also election day week where I have to be at the polling place at 6 to set up and stay past 8 pm to close up. Then drive half an hour to the county office to turn in the ballots. So I'll be up from about 4:30 until 11.
I'll be doing the same on election day (minus the drive to the county office) in southcentral PA, getting back to my dogs by 9:30 if no one is still in line at 8:00 p.m. My dogs will be on what my husband calls "suicide watch", certain that I've gone for good.
But it's important work, making sure the polls are open and all the voting goes smoothly. Hope your Dawg understands.
I've observed that folks in Switzerland like their cold water swimming. Lakes, rivers, ponds, tout. They'd not bat an eye at your suit changing tactics; I've mainly noticed cleverly deployed large towels. There are even specially designed, not terribly expensive (for Switzerland) dry sacks you can purchase for holding your clothes & such as you swim down river. 🏊♀️ https://shop.kitchener.ch/aarebag-2024-fische-splash-rucksack-granite-grey.html
Where does one keep keys and cell phones and the like during the swim so they don’t get stolen? And I still marvel at your early am swim in the outdoors in the fall and winter. Of course I live in the north and it’s already 36 degrees in the mornings.
I used to just leave them in my bag, but then I heard about bags being stoledn. I don't always have a cell phone on me; these days I have a sort of waterproof case (cheap) for my key, which I then put in a watertight waist bag (expensive). It does the trick!
I'm having a similar affair with the dark and my morning mountain biking. I can wear a headlamp, though. I find your heron friend. I've found that they are usually bold, like this one, or very shy, taking flight at the first hint of humans. Most of ours are the shy kind, so your friend is a rarity.
There's a bigger heron who is more skittish. This little guy is my favorite.
Perfection, Elizabeth. A place. A time of day. A boiled wool dress. The mystery of dark, cold water waiting -- we don't go in yet. Will we, with you? A heron, the other sense of time, here and then gone, seen and not seen, evasive, like aging, comical, portentous. Plot: a small hole in the boiled wood dress, already bringing the tiny sensation of cold, a potential viewer, exposure. We know that over time, swim after swim, the hole will grow bigger. (underneath it all, my God -- the discipline!) Thanks for the writing lesson.
Before my head injury, I would get up at 5 and ride the bike for about an hour. I was always glad when the time changed and I could see more in the morning. Now I have the Dawg who gets me up around dawn and takes me out with him. As he is a black dog, I got him a flashy flashy collar so I can know about where he is without having to follow him with the flashlight. I'm half dreading the time change this year because it's also election day week where I have to be at the polling place at 6 to set up and stay past 8 pm to close up. Then drive half an hour to the county office to turn in the ballots. So I'll be up from about 4:30 until 11.
I'll be doing the same on election day (minus the drive to the county office) in southcentral PA, getting back to my dogs by 9:30 if no one is still in line at 8:00 p.m. My dogs will be on what my husband calls "suicide watch", certain that I've gone for good.
But it's important work, making sure the polls are open and all the voting goes smoothly. Hope your Dawg understands.
"A breeze on my person." 👩🍳💋
I've observed that folks in Switzerland like their cold water swimming. Lakes, rivers, ponds, tout. They'd not bat an eye at your suit changing tactics; I've mainly noticed cleverly deployed large towels. There are even specially designed, not terribly expensive (for Switzerland) dry sacks you can purchase for holding your clothes & such as you swim down river. 🏊♀️ https://shop.kitchener.ch/aarebag-2024-fische-splash-rucksack-granite-grey.html
"a breeze upon my person" ❤️
💯 on the dismount! “I do love the dark…” A delightful read. “A breeze on my person.” 😆