Spirit House

I’m out of the house at about 6:30 this morning. While it is completely overcast, the texture of the clouds is more interesting and varied than a smooth grey screen. Overhead, the cloud cover looks thin with splotches here and there where you can see the faintest tinge of blue. Further out on the horizon are large bulwarks of clouds. One guesses that there is some space between these formations letting in light that highlights the contours on these vaporous giants.

When I get to the parking lot I can see a sort of stucco texture to the ocean surface and there is a more than slight (not much more) breeze in the air.

The walk down the stairs is filled with the sounds of birds and the faint hum of waves from the shore.

I realize as I get close to the asphalt and can’t yet see the beach that I did not check the tides this morning. Oh my god. What ever will I do? After a moment of this brief panic, I realize that it really doesn’t matter what the tide is. I know the surf should be small so there is no risk of waves crashing on the end of the shore.

I round the corner and there is the beach and all is well. Looks like a medium tide - 2ish most likely. I do know that the tide is on the way down.

Looks like the sand has made a comeback since Friday. It’s just a gentle step from the ramp to the sand and all those double fist sized rocks below the boulders are well covered. The water looks clearer today.

From the beach I feel like I am seeing more blue in the sky. You have to search for it but it’s there.

I set down my stuff and head to the water. Surf is really down today. It is very gentle and nothing of consequence is rolling in.

I start swimming and it feels like the southbound route is against the current. The surface is bouncy just like it looked like it would be from the parking lot. The water is not crystal clear but clearer than it has been in a while. I watch the ocean floor for most of the swim.

I don’t know why but I’m having difficulty finding a good breathing rhythm today. Much of the swim feels like a bit of a struggle. It’s nothing dramatic or even mildly concerning but I just feel like I am either out of breath or no breath at all because of the water coming into my mouth.

The water is just a touch colder today. However I’m not too uncomfortable. If I pause my mind and inquire of how my body feels in this coolness, it doesn’t feel bad at all, but it is by no means cozy.

On the way back north, I see multiple layers of clouds on the horizon. There is a thick white coat of frosting that looks from my vantage point to be right on the water’s surface with a layer of darker and more foreboding clouds above.

I wonder if the frosting is a fog bank. I sort of doubt that it is but just don’t want to stop right now to analyze.

I’m a bit sleep deprived today. My son did not want to get to sleep last night. I’m wondering if it is my fatigue that is making this swim a bit of a slog. My muscles feel good though.

I’m nearing the bathrooms and starting to look for the Green Monster buoy. I can’t seem to spot it. With the surface texture, the buoys can be hard to see until you are practically right in front of them. Somehow, as I almost always do, I have wandered quite a bit off shore over the last half of my northern swim. However, the Green Monster is also anchored further off shore than the other buoys so I figure I should intercept it soon. Sure enough, I find it about 30 feet due north of me.

I make my obligatory orbit around the buoy and head back south to where I started. I aim diagonally south east to get closer to the shore. Eventually the ocean floor comes back into view.

Once I am aligned with the ever familiar blockish house that is just above my pack, I head directly to shore. I like to think of this house as my spirit house. It is undoubtedly the house that I am meant to live in. I plan to make the current owner an offer they can’t refuse just as soon as that 20 million dollar check arrives in the mail. I swear it feels like it is just going to take forever for that to get here.

I see a group of swimmers gathering at the shore as more members of the group finish their swim. I notice that one is holding fins. He tells me that he always brings fins but rarely wears them. They are for heavy surf. I admit that I would definitely like fins on larger surf days.

As I head up the stairs I wish I would have asked where he keeps his fins while he swims.

Rain comes on the drive home. This is a good solid rain. One thing I know, today is not going to be the day the water makes it into the mid 60s.