The Mighty C's and scones on the grass.

Color commentary for February 23rd swim and The Mighty C's 30th anniversary: First of all, this commentator didn't get the official Holy Roman Empire size group email inviting most everyone and their mother's for scones and booze in the jacuzzi and or hotel room the MC's booked for their special day which is okay, mostly because it turned out to be scones on the grass and warm water poured from buckets onto heads. It seems that the hotel was very busy so luxury would have to wait and I crashed the party anyway, as if they could ever evade me!  I don't think sooo.  So I managed to beg my way into a an anniversary scone which sent Bill into high alert, like Defcon 4 (above normal readiness) due to the limited number of scones, which were home made and delish in case you didn't get one. Just ask Richard, who totally scored on the scones before Defcon 4. Everyone who cruised up to the 'luxury' -aka- the buckets on the grass, wanted a scone, there were rumors on deck about the scones, people were asking for bits and pieces of scone, RUTH! was fainting on the grass for lack of a scone so Shayne broke his into parts and shared with her lest she pass out. He managed to do this while stripping and drying off his entire bod. That dude is talented. After I ate mine (thank god I did) I watched all this action for awhile while my mind was creating humorous and caustic commentary for later.  Cary wanted her hotel room NOW! She tried to get in 5 minutes early with no luck and now look, she was reduced to standing around in her wet Speedo on the damp grass and giving her scones away. Oh well, all mom's are accustomed to disappointment, we agreed that we have to tolerate quite a bit in life and in the name of love, for example: instead of swimming today, Sunday, I took Ali to the circus. Not even a very good circus. See? Suffering, thy name is Circus Vargas.  (I'm on the verge of committing a crime, if I go to prison, please bring me a scone!) We laughed and kidded around with Bill and the scones until the masses began arriving, literally closing in on the MC's and the scones. I had to take my leave since the booze was coming out and I was on my bike. As a party crasher, accepting the scone was more than enough.  All in all, the swim with a few of other non invitees, was stellar! Gorgeous seas, clear in most spots, 58 degrees, sun, flatness with a few tell tale rollers, beautiful faces of people I love, enough hugs and kisses to last at least 24 hours and as always, the most fun I can have with no pants. Outdoors.
I hope the Mighty C's used up their hotel room like rock stars and didn't check out until the clock was on the second and they have another anniversary ho down on the grass to which I will be invited and please for the love of Neptune, bring more scones!
Happy Anniversary to the Mightiest C's!
Everyone and their mother's love you!
lftc-out

once and for all, the straight dope

An open letter to my swim peeps, once and for all: I'm over the cove surf; little, big, no power, fluffy, easy, steep, low and so on. I'm also not a big believer in the 'lull', I have a wave attractant, like a surf beacon! You all have been witness to this anomaly. I have had offers from all of you to 'help me out', to hold my hand,  (thank you Stevie D., really cool offer but pass. I'll still hold your hand though) to give me a lesson, to wait with me and so on. I have told some or all of you about my ocean life but I want to make clear my history with surf: I was born in the water, I lived and grew up on the beach, I knew how to swim from a young age, I surfed as a teenager and when surf was too big, I jumped off the IB pier. I have swam and raced in tri's from IB to Santa Barbara, I was a PADI divemaster for awhile and I made money doing it. I have been slammed into the sea floor on more than one occasion and I was never afraid. I just had no fear. After Ali was born I found myself back in the water, this time Oceanside was my sea of choice, I belonged to a group called 'Dive Deep Swimmers'. We swam all around the area and pier swims were our thing. The name Dive Deep was coined due to relentless surf, we had to 'dive deep' every single swim, over and over.  I logged many miles with this group and there was/is ALWAYS surf. I still had no fear until-I stupidly did some sprints to the beach in front of a huge set, I couldn't beat the waves and I was being thrashed over and over due to the speed and size of the surf. I thought I was going to die and while being tossed mercilessly around I kept thinking about Ali, how she wouldn't have a mom to buy her shoes at Nordstrom, Dave would take her to the 7-11 for flip flops. When my body scraped the sand, I knew I'd live but I was deeply shaken. But! I still swam in the surf, I was more cautious but driven to swim in open water. Then the annual pier swim sealed my fate. In particularly large surf, reported as up to 10', I couldn't make my heat along with dozens of other swimmers, we all tried but just could not get out. Rather than quit, I tried for a fourth time and by chance I found a sliver of passage, literally a section between crossing waves and I swam out. I looked up and I saw the next wave face and I said, to no one, 'Oh shit' . I didn't know it but I was being followed by a guard on a board who yelled at me to SWIM! I did and I swear to you, I fell off the back of that wave and I was out. When I came around to the north side of the pier the surf had picked up and I didn't know how I was going to get in. For the first time in my life, I asked a guard to help and this kid, (I love him to this day and would have married him if he were over 18) guided me in. That was the beginning of the real end. I still have found myself in surf, I have been thrashed at the cove, right on the rocks, I have been pummeled at the shores, I have been scraped along the sand at the marine room and spit out of the ocean more than once since Oceanside.
So you see, it's not for lack of experience with surf, it's really about my reasons for avoiding it; peace and joy, harmony with the sea and a calming of my inner self. Not to mention the voices in my head, they really STFU in the cold. It's adventurous already! Let me say that again: already it's thrilling and slightly risky, physically all encompassing and a complete sensory experience. The surf, especially cove surf, takes all that pleasure and squashes it down, down, down. For me. However you all or anybody deals with it is not my business.
You all know I swim a lot, maybe 300 days a year or more, I'll swim in anything, rain, runoff, red tide, surge, fast currents, chop so high you can't see a thing, wind, sub zero viz, long distance, short distance, fast and slow, 54 degrees to 76, I swam in Kauai and Maui all alone in tiger shark territory, it's all good. I still swim in surf at the shores but I'm gonna say it once more: I'm over cove surf. You know if you need a partner in any of the above conditions, I'm your go to girl, I'll totally hook you up someway, somehow but if we are dealing with cove homisurf, I'm so out. I'll take you off the pier, I'll meet you in our boat, I'll summon dolphins, anything! Just don't hassle me over waves so that we may swim forever. It's all I want.

Peace!
lftc-out

Dirty Diana and the crack of dawn thanks to OEX

pictures speak a thousand words so here you go:

close up of these bratty sea lions, look at him, mocking us!

just blocking the way, they do this often..

Cirque Du Soleil action!

We rock!

Look at that ocean behind us, so flat! I must tell you that our TFTC is so good, so pure and sweet that she actually donned her PFD (life jacket) before we launched! Isn't that so cute? It was bigger than her body, almost, we gave her a hard time about it.. what, are you gonna fall out of the kayak and not swim? She's so cutie!

Here is Diana posing like Magellan mapping the seas but really she's looking at a catamaran mast wondering why it was so big. And long. Big and long. Isn't it too big? Really you guys, look at how big and long it is! Sadly, we didn't get the pic of the actual mast.   

P.s. for Dirty Diana I'll just tell you that she kept seeing really long things, really big and long things, things that seemed sort of long and she kept wondering why things were so big. And long. It was like a theme. Crack of dawn is the cool name of the paddles.
If you have to rent a kayak for any reason, EVAR!, please see Mike, Chris, Nick and I think Brian at OEX Dive and Kayak, the best service, the coolest guys and seriously handsome. Why would you go anywhere else? In fact, even if you never plan to kayak in your life, go there to say hi and to gaze. 2243 Avenida La Playa.
They like the swimmers and we like them, trust me.

No swimming, just paddling around

Friday, Feb. 15

Look at that beautiful day behind us!

Toni and Steve making a statement: "Wa-hooo!"

LFTC, TFTC, Steve D and Diana Darling rented two double kayaks at OEX from a very handsome Chris (ooh la LA).  Kayaking was splendid on a placid ocean with sea lions playing about.  We went all the way out past the C buoy looking for large marine life in the form of whales or dolphin and found nada.  But the water in the swim area had great viz.

So F*#@ing Stoked! and I hate running.

Swim report for Tuesday, Feb.12, RUTH!, Steph, Claudia, LFTC all met at     WTF 10am. What? When? Why? Who says? 10am, 10am, for some lunch thing for RUTH! and RUTH! says. OMG, whatever, okay. I need RUTH! all year, sometimes we have to give to get. As an aside, I ran this morning, I wore a jacket, full gloves and a base layer for my entire run, I was still cold. Also, my nose ran for the entire run. (I sell the sexy-I know!) My point: it was cold this morning at WTF 10am, light wind, very small surf if any and that's that. We march in and take such a long time, step forward, step back, yelping at the little lapping waves as if they held barbed wire until finally we make it out. It was brutal, my watch read 53.6, 54.6, 56.4, my teeth hurt! Doesn't swimming sound awesome! The water was very clear, we swam to the marine room where it was an aquarium with some murk close to the wall, we did some sightseeing over there and fought the current to go back. The hotel wouldn't budge today, every time I checked our progress, there it was, sitting there. It was a fab swim all in all and while I complain, (it's just my way, people, part of my charm)I wouldn't miss it for anything. I think of it like this: When I plan a run, I like the thought of running, I'm happy that I went running but I hate the running part. I'm miserable, I hate all the people on the roads, all the dogs, I hate Dave, I throw rocks at him and if it's hilly, I hope to be mowed down just so I can stop. I have the cardio ability, it's the gravity. 
When I swim, I sort of dislike the idea, especially if it's cold, dark, grey, windy, icy, rainy, surgy, surfy. (totally routine for our crew)
but when I'm done; oh man, I'm so happy! Or as Steph so eloquently said, "I'm so f**king stoked!" There are no problems in my life that I can't handle, it's like a fix and until my next swim, I'm totally fixed. Running cannot compare and if I add my beloved, can't live without them swim peeps? Forget it, running bites. Power panties be damned!
This more of an attitude report than a swim report so here's this:

It's about as Pollyanna as I'll ever be.

lftc-out

Cold Swell Sunday Swim

Nice gentle swells -- a swell swim it was!

Cold water and threatening waves couldn't keep us away!  Great swim today as many on Facebook debated the water temp -- was it 56? Felt like 54 -- Steve said it was 54, didn't he?  Ruth said, no way, had to be warmer -- she's really getting her no-pants-swimmin' on these days!  Seriously,  though 14 of us crazies were having a blast in the water... out to the A, then quickly to the B, then the 14 split up into the straight back inners and the 1/4 and inners...

So nice to see Carol and Bob back in the water too... Carol's arm is better but still painful, so she gets an extra award for making the long swim today!

The sun came out just for us!

We all made it back and some of us went to the dark side for a few moments of hot water soaking... others chatted on deck... Leonard, Diana, Mark, Jo, Carly, the MCs, LFTC, Carol, Bob, Steve, Ruth, Claudia and Lyndee!!! Whoohoo, what crue.

Thanks to you all for making my Sunday perfect... what would we do without our swims and swim-buddies?  It was a sweet and swell, Sunday swim.
Happy daze!!!

~cary

Another day in paradise...

Thanks for the swim today

The water was cold at first when we got in but the jacuzi made it worth it.

Whitewater and bellybuttons

today was kinda fun

me and claudia splashed around in the strong strong surf at the Shores - shallow water,unruly and powerful waves small enough to dive into the break or the wash.
it was actually educational - 

humbling and regressive

like the child i never was - i grew up near the beach and swam in the Atlantic but hardly ever ventured out into surf.

drove up to the Cove afterwards and it had really died down - it was totally swimmable so go figure

but then it started raining and i wouldn't have wanted to risk the changeability

but doug's big warning yesterday turned out to be a BUM STEER

as the Cove was quiet yesterday afternoon, or so i heard.

hope Laura got outta her iron panties, seein as how she bailed.

a group of Seacamp youth were getting their money's worth at the Shores today, decked out in wetsuits but reduced to standing in the surf just holding bodyboards in front of them.  too strong and messy to bodyboard.  afterwards i overheard a girl sharing her bellybutton issues with her girlfriends - she doesn't like when people poke their fingers in hers.

nor would i.

RUTH!

here's to NO PANTS-NESS!!!!

Happy birthday Stevie D. and just say no to shrinkage!

Swim report for Wednesday, Feb. 6th, Stevie D. and me and no one else because why? Why? The few previous days were beautiful, calm and clear , 57 degrees and while it took some negotiating, (begging, demanding) we managed to have several players but Wednesday just Steve and me and it was his birthday. Anyway, as you all know we have a nasty WNW swell that moved in Thursday, Wednesday had a little preview of this action which made me all weird and nervous and as soon as my feet touched the sand, the Laura waves showed. I   swear   to   you. Mike can verify and Steve too. Now I have swam with Steve many times, or near him as he wanders far and wide and abandons people regularly, but I haven't been in surf with him, I wasn't sure if he'd be solid-for me. He promised to have my back so rather than flee, I waited for the Laura waves to chill, that's right, I waited for the 'lull'. I'm generally agin this act but it was his birthday. (don't get any ideas that I will adopt this type of behavior for future homisurf, I won't) So out we go in fast moving water, strong current to the northwest moving us way outside, we had to swim a big arc back to the a, again to the b and back to the a. The surface was smooth but the current beneath was awesome to witness. 56 degrees, grey skies, very cool weather but I think I was breaking a sweat trying to pace Steve. He had his wetsuit on and is already fast. This was good so I could concentrate on my aerobic capacity or lack thereof and forget the god damn waves. Such a good birthday swim for Steve and me! Thanks, Steve, for spending part of your day with me! Man alive it was so cold afterwards, I was shivering while this couple was taking a census on the swim life. "Isn't it cold?" is my fave as I stand and shake and speak with numb lips. Yyeetthh iitt iizzth is my reply. Sometimes i touch these people. That usually ends our talk. 
Steve was worried about the cold so didn't swim in his birthday suit as he wanted to, we kidded around about the physical reactions-for the boys-and how someone might think the water was in the 30 degree range. Nobody wants that, right? Funny boys. 
So now we have ugly seas, some surf but who can tell with all the whitewater, whitecaps, wind, rain and hail, Stay dry Saturday, maybe play Sunday if you  feel like roughhousing and I know you all do.
I have so much more but later, there's always more, people! I write for you, for your pleasure, you all should reciprocate. Don't be selfish lovers!
lftc-out

Whales in the cove! And a little wow..

some kind of dark body part..

the white spots are in fact, fizzy spouts.

Incredible activity during this moment, my camera couldn't catch it properly but they are out there. 

Oh wow! How did this get here? I guess I took the shot, one of several, sent it to myself via email, uploaded it, made a hard copy, sent it back to my desktop, browsed and uploaded it again to this blog. How silly of me, sorry!
Doug and Mike

Swim report, Monday, January 29th, noon-just Ruth and LFTC and the whales! As I parked I saw a breach near the virtual 1/2, I watched the whale journey to the A before diving down, Doug and Mike swam right over him, they didn't see him though because he was probably too deep and viz was minimal. Ruth and I swam out in 57 degrees and a big swell but nothing breaking on us, we swam to the B along side some kayakers who were way more limited in travel options than we were, caves and boomers very dangerous, marine room whitewater mayhem, they paddled from A to B and back. It was tough to keep Ruth on task, she wanted to look around and lollygag, float around on her back, take in the day and daydream and I wanted to swim. Finally we landed and everyone on deck said we were cruised by a whale! We didn't see it! During this talk the whales came out to surprise everyone around. Playtime!  I have a new phone and didn't know how to take photos, I thought I took more but I think instead I called Manny from the club instead. (Sorry, Manny!)
So here you go, some pretty poor quality pics of the whales RUTH AND I SWAM WITH!
Lucky for us, Doug and Mike wanted to be within eyeshot, a little near full frontal.  A little abs and tallness, a little muscle, a little...
I gotta stop this now!
For those of you (especially CAMI) who need a little incentive, there you have it:.
Cami, I swear, if the decent swimmable temps, sunny skies and freaking whales can't lure you out, my next move will be kidnap)
lftc-out

Well, it's true.  I've done it.  Gone over to the no pants side.  I used to look at you people admiringly but mostly sceptically and said well either your body can tolerate it or not.  This summer i got a tease of the pleasure that awaited, swimming in Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks and in Barlogue, West Cork, Ireland.  The problem is there is no bath hot enough to warm me up afterwards and i tended to scald myself in the shower.  Then I discovered that you can really warm up pretty good when you're driving back in a heated car so you have to swim somewhere that you have to drive to.  Then I returned to San Diego and started swimming in the cold waters with the long sleeveless wetsuit - feels great - cold water rushing my shoulders but warm to the core.  But the wetsuit chewed up my neck and shoulders and gave me the excuse i've been looking for without knowing it - just go without!  And i love it.  And i'm someone who hates getting into cold water.  but the total submersion is incredibly peaceful and pleasurable.  indescribable, really.  sort of nirvana, even.  I started with 20 minutes and i'm up to 40 minutes now - but only at the Shores where i can exit quickly.  Have done 30 minutes from the Cove but don't venture farther than the A or the quarter.  So what a two weeks it's been!  First week that 20' visibility swimming along the coast from the Marine Room, every day as gorgeous as the last.  Shayne showing me a magic carpet ride on the swell above the seagrass outside the cave.  Then the week of no pants.  I did exit the surf at the Cove with Janie the last two days.  I don't believe in skill I think it's patience but mostly luck.  So that's the news from Lake Woebegone, I mean La Jolla I mean you know what i mean.  I don't have the gift of flowing narrative but i don't give a shit.

RUTH! is naked and the best jellyfish sting cure, evar!

Mini swim report for last Wednesday-or was it Friday..One of those days:
Rain, fog, cold, big WNW swell acting up but leaving the marine room and shores flat and I do love the flat. Ruth cruised the mean streets for partners, I did too and we had only one another to lean on which is plenty. You all know RUTH! she has a thing about open water, some kind of problem and needing to be in it, she recently ditched her wetsuit so there is no stopping her. She's crossed over and now her problem is ours. One which I happily accept and so do all of you. (I routinely have to speak for all of you guys and I also have to answer the myriad of questions about where you all might be. I represent our group and lucky for you-I love you!!) So RUTH! and I meet geared up for rain in that we have plastic bags and honestly, why bother trying to stay dry? We just get wet before during and after. Our swim was wonderful, 53 degrees in the very small surf and an incredible jump to 58 at the tower. Viz was very good, maybe 10' and clean. Easy swim with a few stops to search for anything, we saw swimmers out, lot's of kayaks and surfers and of course, big waves hammering the cove. REALLY, I SWEAR! No one ever believes me. Happy swim in the rain. I was attacked by invisible jellies, maybe the moon type because my left arm is a burning, stinging, itching hot mess. As an aside, Sunshine tried to fix me up with Lidocaine, when that didn't work, she used her special pharm blend of Vodka, champagne, Lemoncello and St. Germain.
Medical know-how, people. We must visit her practice, we may not get well but we'll have fun.
So that's all I have for now, you are all out there now without me thanks to the moon jellyfish cure, I hope someone reports on the so called 'flat', best swim evar! to even out the score. Shayne, thank you for trying to lure me over there with pressure and guilt-really! It's the way of the group to use wicked psychology. Smart man.
Next weekend: no jellyfish cures and conditions forecast is looking very good(flat). Viz horrid, icy cold temp, heavy surge, fast rips, strong currents, teeming amoeba but flat, so count me in!
lftc-out

The truth about weekday swims..

swim report for january 14th, 11am, sunshine, alexis, lftc and some guy named dan that we collected from the deck: sunny, very clear skies, calm seas and super clear from the a to cove, maybe 8' around the 1/4, lot's of fishies, sea lions and harbor seals hanging out right inside.  okay, done with that, moving on:
Yesterday Cary had planned to NOT swim because Bill has the flu, I suggested, kindly and with love-as I always do on the weekends-that she come and swim anyway. She did and of course she totally rocked the swim. Afterwards she told me she wanted to retire next year and we would swim all the time, so yay!
When I got home I realized I should inform her (Dave used the word warn, silly boy) about the weekday swim protocol and since it was a recent topic here it is again: Everybody has to swim, all year long in all weather and most all conditions. You can be late or early or demand your schedule be accommodated,  you can be fast or slow, wetsuited or no pants, fins or barefoot, snorkel or not, those things matter not. You could also swim later with another group, just keep in mind that while this will be frowned on, it is still okay as long as you swim.  Of course days off are totally allowed, of course! We are not dictators, we are kind and loving souls but still, you will be bugged by someone. Even if you are down with the plague, someone is still likely to ask you if you could drag yourself out of bed since conditions are so good. Be prepared for motivators, aka guilt, coercion and these words:
Related Words browbeat, bulldoze, bully, cow, hector,intimidate; blackmail, high-pressure, menace, shame,terrorize, threaten; drag; badger, harass, hound:
So now you know that weekday swims have a different vibe that weekend swims. Weekdays are more like a swimming job, weekends are more vacation like.
Now, you all know that Cami is one of my very first partners along with Toni and Diana, we comprise the A team, I regularly employ all the above listed verbs to get her in the water, she too has done the same with me-it's kind of scary when you think about it. Cami swam all last winter in hard seas, cold and dark seas and even the grossest red tide evar! Why not this year? This brings me to the excuses that are all used up, off the table and unavailable to all: Puppies. Yard work or any kind of house work. Rashes. Stitches. New tattoos are not allowed during good conditions-check wavewatch.com please. Non emergency dental or medical appointments mid day are discouraged. You're a healthy bunch with beautiful teeth, all of you. Cold temps. (puleeze) Rain. (again, puleeze) And now this one that I heard from my beloved Cami today; heart rate. In wanting to keep it up. The heart rate, unless stopped, is no longer a viable excuse.
Swimming is so awesome and so amazing that any swim under any circumstances is better than not swimming. Have you or anyone you know personally ever regretted it?
Swimming is truly a solitary sport, but swimming in the sea is special, highly adventurous with an element of danger and surprise thrown in, we need each other! I need all of you and will not swim without you.
Have a wonderful day!
lftc-out

Waves, swim, fruit of the looms-in that order...

Swim report, January 9th, LFTC, TFTC, Steph, Sunshine, Shane (the players), meet at the cove, kind of. I met Sunshine first, she was rehearsing her evil plan to coerce me into the GIANT WAVES. You know, the whole 'lull' thing, the 'wait it out' thing, the 'it's not so bad' thing all with the lovely smile and beguiling laughter. While I rarely know what's right me, I often know what's wrong for me and waves are just wrong-for me. You all go ahead, go with God, have fun with it, get jiggy with it but I'm out. As an aside, I must tell you that her earlier text regarding conditions said exactly this: HOLY SHIT! But I digress, so onward. 
While Sunshine was being all sunny about the homisurf, I heard this loud screaming from afar, it sounded like LAURA!!! And it was! Steph, Toni and Ladybug (I don't know) were yelling at me because they know we have to swim on the other side. At least our Toni knows, Steph is learning and Ladybug? I don't know. I grab Shane up off the street, literally, and we shuffle to the marine room and make our way into some surf and chill. Shane says the B buoy and it looked totally doable from the sand but I swear it was moving away as we swam out. Big swells rolling into the cove and caves, the kind of swells that make you look down the slope of water. The cove was looking scarier, Boomers was whomping. But we still had a little swim party, a sea lion joined us and on the way back, dolphins! Cruising along just for us. More sea lions doing some flipping around on a generally flat surface with around 5' to 8' viz. Temps recorded by my watch read 57, 56, 57, 56. As we swam back to shore the fog and clouds moved in making everything ethereal. Magic even with numb lips. 
Want a little fun? How's this: Sunshine sat in her car half naked, she didn't even want to get out for hugs goodbye but we made her. Toni, Steph and I kind of bundled up and cowered from the cold and Shane? Let me tell you about Shane. Completely nude for several minutes, right there on the street, in surprisingly good shape under the clothes and wetsuit, (that's how nakie he was) swinging his bloomers around, high stepping into them, hopping on one leg and basically providing entertainment for us. Thanks Shane, we must have you in the group all the time, between you and Cary, (Cary has delivered the fun regarding deck changes, she has earned fame) we will never lack post swim delight. Only swimmers can pull this level of naked off and only swimmers can appreciate the overall methodology of deck changes. I had a blast today, thanks to the brave crew for ensuring my swim and being super groovy cool kids. 
LFTC-out

This is what our swim group brings to the table...we are so not messing around!

We're so NOT messing around!

Laura Price 2:20 PM (23 hours ago) to Toni, me, leonard, William, Steph

Thank you all for showing up today, for being the best swim partners EVAR and for your friendship, it means more than you know to me. After my daughters up and moved to Indiana, which I'm sure isn't even a real place, I was shell shocked and since they took Dave along to help drive (move heavy furniture, rewire a bedroom, hook up all appliances, light the pilot lights on everything, repair the broken fence gate, all with one tool and a knife that he took with him) I had no one to lean on, I was temporarily lost in sadness and seeing you all in my element has both lifted my spirits and grounded me, how could I not count my blessings? Liquid peace, people!

I love you all for 98 more years...

I forgot my goggles and borrowed Toni's. Toni forgot her wetsuit and had to go back. Steph forgot her wetsuit which I went back for. Leonard admitted he is easily confused between cove and shore: the sand, the waves, the car, the keys-it's all too much. And Cary has been married to Bill for 30 years, we think he may having been doping her tea for a long time.
========================================================

Toni Pyjar 2:44 PM (22 hours ago) to Laura, me, leonard, William, Steph

HaHaHa!!!
Laura, that was our swim in a nutty shell. "Liquid Peace".
I'm gonna write that in lipstick on my bathroom mirror.

 Love love LOVED today!
========================================================

Tessendore 6:15 PM (19 hours ago) to Laura, Toni, leonard, William, Steph 

Dearest LFTC and all, 

What a fabulous swim of a swim today!!! Thanks to the brave-and-the-few that dared to dip into the chilly sea. I can assure you (having attended a recent conference there, and not the Indy 500) that Indiana is indeed, a REAL place, and you have married a REAL prince (is it Prince David of Scrippslandia, I forget?) and you are blessed to be loved by your dear family and all-of-us-friends (no matter how bloomin' far they or we are for the moment!)... 

I feel the same about you and ALL swim peeps -- you (plural) are the glue that holds my ocean together -- what? Well, it's just plain hard to write as humorously warm and endearing as our Laura, so that's the best I can do. I still try... And you, Laura--our rock, anchor, our boat and our pier! Wow--that's a lot! I guess you are truly, truly amazing, then... 

I'm also ever-so-grateful for whatever it is that Bill has been adding to my tea for the past 30 years... and am still searching for some sort of hey-slow-down-there-buddy pill to add to his! 

Until next weekend's ROCK-MY-WORLD swim,
 Cary 
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Steph Johnson 7:40 PM (17 hours ago) to Sunshine, Steve, me, Laura, Toni, leonard, William 

You guys are all really beautiful people and as much as I love the ocean, I wouldn't feel as comfortable and confident out there without you. Thank you so much for opening your arms and love to me! The ocean makes me so happy :0) It makes ALL of us so happy! Just look… 

 Also, here is a flyer for our show Wednesday night with that Flamenco guitarist/vocalist who is in town all the way from Spain. If you live close to South Park, wanna go out and hear some music, check out the flyer and send me a note back if you'd like to be there. :0) 

All my love! 
Steph
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leonard przybylo 8:04 PM (17 hours ago) to Toni, Laura, me, William, Steph 

Hi swimmers, you all are too much!! 
I thought it was just me getting all emotional about our before, during and after swim today. Our hunt for the 1/2 mile was great because we got a chance to warm up and smile as the sun was trying to break thru. I had such a comfortable time with you all today. our pic nic post swim made me dizzy. I haven't had caffine for a few months and what a rush! the Chai tea was!! On my way home I may have blown my car speakers, the music was so so exciting and the rain clouds were beautiful. I even got in a beach hike from glider point before the rain. What a day, the simple things each one of you do are so very special .. 
Take in the moment, 
Leonard
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New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge

Beautiful sunny skies and reasonably calm ocean.  The 57 degree water was completely unnoticed when swimming WITH pants!  Ahhhhhh.  I could have swum all day in my PANTS!

I have to admit, I was a little trepidatious getting in the water; since the last time I swam was pre-fifties (like 60).  Those 3 degrees lost made me wanna stick close to the shore, swimming to the MR and back.  But I was just fine, thanks to may full wetsuit and super-sexy, ear-covering insulated swim cap.

And there were a TON of people on the lawn before this event!  Claudia, Steve D., Alexis, Sunshine, Ralph, Al, Doug, Jaycee--we all got our swim on.  We missed you, Laura.  You know how it's just not the same without your bright lilting voice yoo-hooing us.

Wishing everyone bountiful chill mileage and many whale sightings in the coming months!