whales, sun, waves

wow. what can I say, we are so in love (again) with Baja. Had a spectacular time with the boys, no issues with safety at all. We spent the first night about 1.5 hours north of Guerro Negro on a remote stretch of rocky coastline, then cruised south to the secret spot #1. where Kevin got some great waves and for the first time maybe in the entire history of the area, there was almost no wind... the pix are from the "kitchen" watching K surf... then south to Scammons Lagoon where we took a panga out with the boys and 5 other folks to see some grays.... we saw a few, like maybe 200... there are currently 2000 in the lagoon as of last weeks count. Spouts everywhere, spyhopping (they are longer than it is deep, so really they just stand on their tails and look around), some mellow breaches (again, shallow 30-40ft deep water)... mamas, babies, grandmas and mating trios, even saw pink floyd which was really crazy. Then I got to take a panga out by myself for round two. This pic. was taken by the pangadero Rafael who is my new bff. Amazing connecting with these gentle and powerful creatures like that. From there, North to secret spot #2. a cute little sandy beach surf spot with friendly co-campers and a few kids to play with, and then home. We'll be going back again for this next year, so great!

big chill alert!

i have been asked to remind the beloved big chiller's to be sure to send in your miles for the new chart that goes up this week, it's in color! also, we are completely allowed to use nicknames, for example: last week i was 'laura no pants price', ruth can be 'RUTH!' mighty c's could be 'mc1' and then 'mc2', you get the idea. one last thing before i collapse; it's best to list your name and miles in the subject line only, no email body which makes data collection of funny names and puny distance (for me anyway, one swimmer is pulling in over 150 miles so far) easier for our bc powers that be. i have kept track of miles for steve and cami, if you guys need them email me.
okay, my work here is done. :)

swim crazed and crazy

wednesday 11am, lftc, claudia, ralph swam in very cool seas, 57 inside/58 out with some surface bump and tide rollers, a couple looked body surfing capable-but NO THANKS! we swam against the current to the caves since viz was looking so good but it fizzled so off to the a we went. lot's of fishies, some really clear spots that made us stop to bob and look and finally to the a, which was so warm, i had to climb it a little. never did a big yellow buoy feel so good to this cold swimmer. claudia and i decided to swim in the jacuzzi, we raced to shore, ralph accompanied us since he's a gentleman then went back for more. claudia did decide that she needed to see some sea life so she rammed her face right into a moon jelly, i think the jelly was more shocked than she but she laughed it off like a trooper although i did hear about some tlc from our handsome guards, she was with them for a looong time and who can blame her? such a beautiful day in paradise, really! once again lucky to have wonderful hard core swim crazies lure me into the beauty of winter seas, thanks you guys!
lftc-out

Close, but not quite!

So! The closest I have been to getting in the ocean over the last 2 weeks was swimming at the beautiful Coronado Community Pool, right on the Bay!! Sunday was FAB at the Bay, at least I could see the ocean! Did some speed work ala Master's workout. Can't wait to swim this weekend with the "crew". Miss y'all!

Tuesday Swim

Beautiful day at the cove. Clear sky. Calm ocean with just a bit of surface texture from the breeze. Cold, 57 deg. water with lite surge and sweet viz. No sealife encounters besides a couple of jellies. Tftc swam solo to the A, B, caves and in. I felt chilly for some reason, so I cut my swim short. I didn't take time to read the blogg before I left the house, or else I would have headed over to the Marine Room to see the sharks and crabs. Oh well, next time.

sometimes a girl needs a threesome

swim report monday noon: leonard, one mighty c (cary), lftc swam from the shores just because we could! it's like a sure thing without having to date it first. it was beautiful, mostly clear skies, mostly very clear seas, 58 degrees or so, some surf but the playful kind, very light wind chop, we pushed against the current all the way to the 1/4-had to see the cove, which looked great-. i led the swim today, yeah me! i guess the many days of no swimming paid off OR last week's beat down from cami and leonard demanded better performance, either way i felt great and was so happy to swim with these two! we were a very happy threesome, a triad, a trifecta, a trio, a menage a trois! (okay, a stretch but still!) we didn't see much until the end when leonard explored the marine room and came back with stories! tales of leopards and giant crabs! we have some crab research to do.. cary and i had drifted north to play in some big surprise surf and we all exited together. all in all a fabulous and fun fun fun swim and if it had not been for cary and leonard, i would have missed out in favor of god only knows what. something dry and awful, like housework. this is why i swim. thanks to my HOT partners for another great swim!
lftc-out
p.s. we'll have to ask cary how her complete wardrobe change went in the backseat of her beemer. i looked back at her car and saw only her legs sticking out of the window. (almost!)

Only half the C's today...

Sadly, Bill had to work today. So, did I give up, wimp out, pull-the-covers-over-my-head? NO --  I got out there with Light-warp-speed-Laura and Leonard today -- yes, MONDAY!  Had the day off and took that challenge from Laura...  swam and LOVED it!  Thanks so much for the encouragement from L&L today...  Bill said he was proud... me? Amazed... I'd swim every day if work didn't get the way!

Laura, I must say went ZOOMING out from La Jolla Shores in COLD water (air and water temps were about the same, around 56-58ish) -- she swam faster than dolphins and seemed to glide along on top of the water -- I don't believe she even got wet, well maybe a little...  LFTC flew along with Leonard and then me dragging behind.  Thanks for making me appear about as fast as a sea cucumber... still, I was out there... feeling lucky.

Leonard saw all the good stuff as he went by the secret spot near the marine room on our return from the 1/4 mile buoy... Laura and I watched him as we kept heading back north (like horses nearing the barn) toward the tower... Leonard saw leopards and BIG crab.  We don't know what kind, but will check with Janie, our local naturalist. Very cool...

A small, but mighty pod!  Thanks for the swim, you awesome swimmers. That will probably be it for two weeks from the mighty C's. Bill and I leave early Saturday morning (2/26) and won't return until March 8. We'll be back in the water on March 12.  Will miss you all!!!  Happy swimming.

Looking towards the cove... perfect day for swim!

North towards our pier -- no more storm!

no beat down for this swim chick

swim report monday noon: leonard, janie, lftc left the cove in smooth seas with some gentle low tide rollers, mostly sunny, mostly warm, heard from marta sharkbait that all was clear so we decided to go leopard hunting, all the way across we went in 59 degrees. after yesterday's beat down from cami and leonard i wore magic fins but for some reason the partners had no need to beat down lftc so i was adrift and cold. no leopards for me but i had a fast cruise back against the current, which i love and i could put my magic fins to good use. hard cardio, some kelp scares, sun and valentine's day loving vibes. the guards were being showered with love today, brownies, oranges, crepes, cookies, these guys are well cared for. tuesday may be the last day for a decent swim, taking orders now!
i missed the crew, each and every one that could not be with me today, i swam on your behalf though.
lftc-out

love love love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gq0sRCrcPg

get down with your funky selves.

Cami

Quietly swimming...

These mighty C's were heading over to La Jolla earlier than planned from our Torrey Pines workout.  In case no one noticed, we're really Cove-ers-at-heart and feel like fish-out-of-water at the shores (unless the cove waves are deadly) ... LOL.  Just me and Bill swam out in beautiful clear and chilly waters to the Marine Room.  We even hoped against all hope that we'd see our long lost pod, but no... just fish and kayaks...

We hooked up with Marta  there, who was hunting for leopards... and found some --  I was thrilled! Haven't seen those sweet, spotted sharks for ages and I've been missing them.  Nice to see Marta too, she's been swimming way up north in even colder waters near Bodega Bay. Yikes!

Deck side we saw Janie leaving early, chatted with Richard, met Don and saw Doug -- shared tea with Maritsa too... still missing our dear pod over at the shores...  Cary changed in public again -- despite serious humiliation -- you'd be proud (I didn't need three people to surround me with 6 towels, I'll have you know!

Hope to see our pod next weekend before we head off to the Caribbean on Feb. 26.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day Monday!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
 ~cary

swam at the shores for al...

swim report sunday 12:30, cftc, leonard, ralph, claudia, al, RUTH!, lftc-we missed the mighty c's so much, they elected to swim early but it was shocking to not be with them on a weekend. Anyway, shores side for al, (it's okay al, just go with us here) at low tide in pretty flat seas, light wind chop and super clear, you could count shells on the sea floor. a hunting we will go-for leopards and we found some big ones at the marine room. we turned back to swim to the pier, i guess, it was supposed to be the mysterious blue bathrooms (i have never seen them, i think these folks are tricking me into distance) but we passed them and some of us kept going and going and going. finally al decided to head back and i offered, selflessly i might add, to accompany him while the rest moved on like machines. claudia came back with us too, probably to accompany me. i wasn't on my game today, i blame the mighty c's, they threw me off with their shocking news. (i totally forgive you guys) cami and leonard RULED the sea today and lead the swim, way to go you two! we had some lovely snacks ater the swim, cami's hi maintenance cookies and ralphs peanut butter pretzels, fruit and chocolate chip scones. all yummy. no champagne as it was too chilly, even in the sun we were cold. all in all a fantastic and fun swim with amazing swimmers whom i adore! i'll shower with any of you any time!
nothing too funny from me so i'll tell you this:
a rabbi, a blonde and a horse all walk into a bar.
the bartender say to them, 'what, is this some kind of a joke?'
lftc-out

Beautiful swim -- great day!

Nice cove break-through with Laura, Ruth, Bill and I... we saw Toni before we went out... gorgeous swim to the Marine Room and Tower... thanks to all... see you Sunday!
~cary

Saturday solo swim

I missed the social swim this morning; but got out there before noon. Had a great swim to the shores and back. Good viz most of the way. Did anybody swim through those awesome warm patches of water?! What a way to get me Back to the Water!

Nice day, great sunset!

Went at 5 PM and swam to the B and back.  No wave problems and the sunset was beautiful.

sunny skies and clear water... well...

ok, so the water was absolutely crystal clear to the bottom on the inside, then a little murk the farther we went, but not "bad" murk, just not clear, but oh.so.nice. Lots of curious and frolicksome sea lions, perhaps 7 swimming under us on the way out, ok, maybe 8. My heart hardly skips a beat now with those crazy hounds. Nice swim with LFTC, RUTHIE, CYA Later STEVE who was on fricking FIRE today and me. To the A, 1/4, A, 1/4 (how creative are we?) and back in. I made some sinus donations to Mother O, Ruth stayed just out of reach the whole way in, Steve was just gone, LFTC is tough as nails with her badass no wetsuit self. Specifically: no wind. no waves. no bump aside from some rollers directly from the WESt, 5-10 on the oustide. Strong(ish) NE current, or was that the wake of Steve? no, only worked in one direction. 55, but Im saying a toasty 57 at least. Mby 57.6.

Over.

Walk/Run/Bike in April

I know this isn't for awhile.  But I was telling  Laura I would post this in case anyone here likes to do walks or bike rides.

http://www.sandiegocoastlife.com/events/mission-bay/sharons-riderunwalk-epilepsy.html

Cary's Chai

This recipe is for a batch of chai to store in an airtight container with cooking instructions following.


TEA:
8 ounces of black loose-leaf tea
1 tablespoon of pepper corns
1/3 cup of shelled cardamom seeds
1/2 cup mulling spice from Spice Barn (contains orange peel, cinnamon, allspice, star anise and cloves in a nice blend)
1/3 cup of chopped candied ginger (optional, but I think it adds some zing!)

Blend these ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
These ratios are loosely based on adding/taking away ingredients and a little trial and error, so use your on taste to try out your own blend of chai.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
When it's time to make tea, place three tablespoons of the tea mix (or more depending on how strong you like it) into a 2 quart pot,  2/3 filled with water, add fresh sliced and peeled ginger to taste (about a tablespoon).  I usually throw in 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks. Bring water, tea ingredients and ginger to a boil, (watch the pot to keep it boiling over).  Boil for a just minute or so, then turn down tea to a simmer, add 3 tablespoons of honey (or to taste) and add milk, (we use Vanilla Silk soymilk) and heat through.  Serve immediately or bring to the cove for a warm-up.

Enjoy!
Cary
(◠‿◠｡)●•٠·★٠•●♥☆჻*´¯`*჻☆♥●•٠·♡♥♡☆♥

I buy the bulk cardamom seeds, mulling spices, and cinnamon sticks or chips at Spice Barn online http://www.spicebarn.com/. They have great prices and good quality spices. I buy the whole pepper corns at Costco.  Candied Ginger I get at Trader Joe's (you need to chop it up finely).

holy rollers

sunday noon, the mighty c's, dianadarling, RUTH! leonard, lftc head out in a cool breeze, up and over, up and over a few rollers but nothing breaking on our heads, into murky and surgy seas, to the a, the b, the 1/4 which was invisible much of the time, back to the a and in. no sea life except us swimmers. we met a new guy that we all tried to recruit on the spot, morris was his name, hopefully he'll join us sometime. on the way back in we had washing machine action and big sea lions double dog daring us to swim their way, showing off the canines. yikes. ran into janie and her entourage on deck, i was too cold to banter or even smile. jacuzzi, jacuzzi, jacuzzi.
the swim was excellent as always but today the company made the swim rock, honestly, what would have been an okay swim (i have been an orphan at sea many times) was transformed into an amazing swim just because of the swim crew. you all have spoiled me! but, graditude is an attitude and i'm gradituding all over the place. thanks again!
lftc-out

Super Sunday Six Pack Swims!

We had a super-Sunday-six-pack-pod today -- fun swim with Laura pushing through that surf, Ruth right behind and Diana joined us today.  Leonard and Bill swiftly took off and the six of us blazed through the rollers and wind.  Not much in the way of sea life,  except for the amazing cormorant that nearly crashed into Leonard as he clipped along... The sea lions joined us in the cove for their usual antics... up close and getting more personal every week.  Diana noted a very large one making eye contact!  Look out...

The water temps still chilly, from 55 to 58 depending on where you are... rollers were fun as we tooled out to the A, then the B, then the 1/4, back to the A and in!  What a fun swim with such an amazing pod... you are my swimming rock stars!  Everyone made it back alive too -- no one lost on the rocks -- a great success!

Looking towards the sea caves...

And, a highlight for me, was (Bill is quite proud of me...) -- I changed on the GRASS in public, again!  Ruth was my witness! No one helped me (with the exception of verbal coaching from my sweet William) even though my hands were so cold they could barely put and pull things on...anyway, thought you'd all be proud, certainly Laura will be.  I'm just saying...

Gentle roller swim... Aloes in the sunlight.

The sea lion friends of the cove... with flowers.  Check the big surf!

Hooch

Diana and Walter's Limoncello recipe:

20 lemons just the skins, use a vegetable peeler, no white parts of the skin!

Soak in a large glass vessel with 1 bottle Vodka and 1 bottle Everclear (if you want you can just use 2 bottles of Vodka) until the lemon skins turn white like potato chips. Make sure you shake/swirl the vessel daily.This may take up to 2 weeks to a month...don't rush it. When it is done take out the large lemon peels out with a slotted spoon and let strain, then strain the remainder, through coffee filters make sure to get all the goodness from the strainer, then add 4 cups simple syrup and 4 cups water and let it rest for about 1-2 months...patience, patience. Bottle it up and enjoy! We get cool bottles from the Container Store or on line and give as gifts.

Two dolphin, two jelly day!

Worth the risk? I think so. Ruth was brave to jump into the white water... Leonard also joined the brave and the few for a spectacular roller-of-a-day... 55 degree chill, nice sun and some small gentle waves in the cove... nothing we couldn't handle --  so nice to be back in our cove again.  Sorry we missed Diana, but was happy to see she hooked up with the next bus out (Janies crew). Hope to see her (and the rest of you) Sunday -- it's supposed to be warmer and EVEN more beautiful too.

We swam to the A, then B, then off chasing dolphins -- even kayakers snapped our photo (maybe they thought we were seals?)...  a couple of beautiful jellies drifted in our path while we searched over the rollers to find the 1/4 mile -- a tough one to spot. Bill says, "hey, we're running out of the things to swim to!"  Back to the A, then the chill set in and we decided to body surf back into the cove -- fun, fun, fun!

Thank you to the brave and the few. Great swim!  So happy for the weekend -- such a great break from sitting in front of a computer all week.  We missed those that couldn't be there -- there's always tomorrow.  Hope to see you on SUPER-SWIM-SUNDAY.

~Cary

Checking out the cove, perfect day for a swim!

What waves?  SMOOTH...

Well, we braved some surf coming and going today. Missed the usual gang. Doug and Bill hooked me up with Janie's "Man Pod", (the 1:00 bus). What a great group to swim with! We did the A, to the B, to the 1/4 then back in. Our timing was perfect missing all waves!! Hope to swim again soon with Janie's Man Pod!!

great way to end the week

Dana Darling (the 'other' 'D') advised us the Cove surf was up - so Lady Jane, Dana Darling and RUTH! set out from the Shores. Water felt quite cold. Dana must think she's in New Zealand or something, frolicking around in the water in a polka dot bikini! Met up with some dolphins on the way to the quarter. Then on the way back from the quarter a HUGE swell lifted us - it was like a hill of water rolling toward us. Wheeeee. Sure glad I wasn't putting in at the Cove. From the beach after our swim we saw dolphins playing and leaping. All in all, a great late afternoon mid-winter swim with two brave and noble mermaids.

having low standards rocks!

thursday noon, RUTH!, lftc, loli swam all alone, no other swimmers out, too bad because conditions were actually good based on my new and lowered standards in which i'm completely happy if the surf isn't homicidal and the sun shines even the tiniest bit. see what swimming can do for us? it can balance our expectations unless you happen to be RUTH! who isn't happy unless she sees whales inside the cove. we're working on it though. anyway, 57 degrees, some light wind chop, pretty good viz out near the a, maybe 10/15 feet, good current toward the cove with a few happy swells pushing us right onto the sand. course: a, 1/4, a and in with a lone swimmer sighting. we sat on the bench with binoculars for awhile, searching for mammals but saw only boats and birds. absolutely beautiful and warm weather, clear sun, happy day.
thanks to my sweet partners, again, for getting me there and swimming with me.
lftc-out
p.s.on the board-the big chill miles chart is in color (fancy) and my name appears as 'laura the one and only'! i love it as i am the original lftc. thanks, big chill grand poobah!

playground players playing

tuesday noon, RUTH!, steve, tftc, janie, leonard, lftc-what a nice group to step into the cold, choppy sea, dodged a few breakers that picked up the instant i stepped in (janie calls these waves 'mermaid's surprise') swift swim with the current to the a, everybody spread out (i did have a little groove going on with leonard for awhile since i had fins and could groove). fast swim to the a then the 1/4. tftc decided she needed to see the cove up close and personal so away she went while the rest of us swam back in zero viz, the dreaded milk, big swells now and then, the kind that are high mountains, lifting us up and dropping us down for fun. back at the shore we had a visit from a big sea lion, just checking things out and when we were all collected on the freezing cold grass, dolphins! they are clearly enjoying our playground. we do have a very cool playground with the best players around, i say again: i swim with the best people!
thanks to those that got me there, swam with me and spread the joy!
lftc-out