Up and Over

It was fully overcast for the first few hours of the post-dawn morning but by the time I was out of meetings, things had really cleared up.

I left at 10:30 and the sky was fully sunny and warm. I didn’t even bother brining my pack with towel and warmer clothes today. I just need my wallet, goggles and camera and I am good to go.

When I get to the parking lot, the place truly feels like Summer. There is a layer of low lying marine layer resting on the water far off shore and that is dissipating by the minute.

The temperature is perfect as I walk down the stairs. I’m wondering how I can establish permanent residence here beginning right now this moment.

I bump into my dad and his friend Denny at the lifeguard station at the bottom of the asphalt. We notice that the posted water temperature is 64. This is a step in the right direction. Last posting I saw here last week was 63. Every degree counts!

I walk out to my spot. Surf is still on the smaller side and the water surface is relatively smooth.

The water on my feet feels cool and makes it hard to motivate myself to take the plunge with this wonderful sun shining on me.

I walk out and am soon wet and on the move south. The water warms a bit past the surfline and then seems to fluctuate between a very pleasant warm and a not too bad cold fairly frequently over the entire swim. Overall it is super nice and feels great.

The light here is as bright as can be and I feel like I am 16 again enjoying a summer day.

I keep fairly close to shore over the beginning of this swim. I’m drawing the sun and pleasant water into my experience and let my mind settle on these basic elements. I feel the stimuli, the response is good and I swim as deep as I can into that goodness.

I turn around to head north and focus on the horizon. That marine layer is indeed fading. I melt into the light that illuminates this water to a bright blue. It is like looking into the sky and I am flying through its outer stratosphere and I can feel it surrounding my skin.

The water has that same constant undulating and rolling feature today that it had yesterday. I swim up and over, up and over, up and over.

As I approach the Salt Creek bathrooms, I look for the Green Monster and just can’t find it. I feel confident I will find it by the time I am parallel to those bathrooms and I do.

I stop just short of the Green Monster buoy to take a couple pics. I notice that I am quickly drifting south. That seems odd because it felt like I was making good speed going north.

I resume swimming and circle around the buoy and then head back to my starting spot. I see jet skis behind me that I think are part of the jr. lifeguard operations here and I try to remain aware of their location to avoid collision.

Eventually I am back on the beach. I’m in no hurry to get back to the top but I am told I have to work to eat and God knows I love to eat.