Well I did it. I swam all 26 letters of the alphabet with a few repeats. Some need imagination. By my count, we swam in 10 lakes and ponds this summer.
Please enjoy My Alphabet Book
open water swimming
“V” is for victory
Although I tried to complete the alphabet today, I messed up “W”. There’s still time.
Kayaks are loaded on the car, bags are packed and we’re taking a horse and carriage ride into Great Camp Santononi tomorrow. And maybe I will get to swim.
First I have to pick out my camping, knitting project.
On a roll
We hiked with friends on Sunday and then swam to freeze off. We created, what I am sure would have been, a beautiful “R” but my gps hiccuped. Instead, I improved my “P”.
Today I was motivated and it paid off. Three letters! I could still feel my fingers when I was done. Drumroll…
“T” is missing because I already swam it when a “K” fail became a “T”.
Since I started at the end of the alphabet, I only have one, maybe two letters left. Maybe, because I could flip an “M” to make it a “W”.
We’re going kayak camping this weekend. I may really complete this challenge.
Just say no
Or not yet to fall. A tree has already changed in the Adirondacks.
But I’m stil swimming.
Letters of the day: “N & O”. It took a bit of flipping and turning to make it legible. I stopped the track when I was still across the lake so I didn’t have to backtrack.
JK
Just kidding and just “K”
Tim and I tackled a home project today. We had to replace the hardware on a twenty year old casement window. Its last straw was when a windstorm ripped it right off its track.
It is a large heavy window, nice to look through but not to hold from the second story. We had our troubles. I installed the hardware backwards and Tim struggled with a track. We were saved when a strapping young man gave us a helping hand.
They got the new hardware started in the tracks and left me to finish the job. I did but left this note for Tim.
“Gone swimming to drown my sorrows”. This was followed inside by another note which said simply, “JK”.
And here’s just “K”.
I’m pretty happy with it. I only swam one letter because thunderstorms were predicted and the sky was getting dark.
Here’s the raw form.
I’m hopeful we will have enough days left for open water swimming to fill in the rest of the alphabet before we are relegated back to 25 meter swim lanes.
Shaking it up
The water is starting to warm up again. I swam without getting hypothermia and there were even a few other people splashing in the lake.
“KLM” Is next but there are issues.
I don’t know what happened with this “K”. The bottom leg is way too close to the start.
But if I flip it over, I’m ahead of the game and have a “T”.
“M” needed a little tweaking.
Not sure what I was thinking when I started it sideways.
Next up is controversial. I took a short run for the first time in quite a while.
And ran an “L”. I’ll have to think about this one.
In the meantime, the wildlife is getting very comfortable in our front yard. The other day, I woke a fawn up when I went to check on my bees.
B.C.
My swim quest continues. We camped with family and friends on Halfway Island in Lower Saranac Lake. The open water swim from site 16-18 inscribed a sideways “C”. I didn’t feel compelled to go in strict letter order.
We were pretty busy, lots of swimming, crafts, boat trips. The grand kids took a canoe to scout for blueberries on an adjacent island.
We had tarps set up beautifully so did not mind one night’s train. Lightning in a nearby cloud kept us entertained as if it were a fireworks show.
Today I had time for a quick swim before supper. I question my gps’ accuracy since it showed me swimming over land. No wonder I am so slow.
New beginnings
They can’t all be winners. Today’s swimming goal was the letter “A”. I had a good plan. However, I swam back to the wrong starting point, because someone parked to the side of my stuff, with a bag that looked like mine from across the lake.
If I had aimed correctly, I would have achieved this.
Too many conditionals in that last sentence. I’m sticking with the original and calling it an “A” even if it could pass for an “M” and maybe even a “W”.
I spent yesterday afternoon tuning a vintage Singer 20 toy sewing machine. It was made sometime between 1920 and 1950. My father had cleaned it and got it moving before he died several years ago. Then it sat. I may have the need for a truly portable sewing machine soon and decided to get it running.
Thank you Youtube and Alex from England who clearly explained the parts and adjustments. By dinner time it sewed beautifully.
I might have to skip around the alphabet the next few days because we will be island camping and may not have the same blank canvas to draw on. So many options. “B” could be a challenge.
Sparky’s back!
After a year of being on the hard, Sparky, our 15’, 1972 Starcraft Sprint, with its original Mercury motor is back! We spent last summer at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, and even coastal Maine was too much for our little lake boat.
I finally had the windshield replaced and a professional motor servicing because I was too chicken to remove the lower unit myself. I knew I could remove it, but putting it back correctly is another matter.
Our maiden voyage took us to two lakes. Someone up here who loves swimming and lists has created the Adirondack 47 Lakers for adventure swimmers (like us?). Tim has a new Adirondack quest and Sparky will play a role. We hope to swim for at least 30 minutes in 47 lakes. Several will be with Sparky’s help. The rest will require a hike.
We spent our first outing in the Pharaoh Lakes wilderness in two beautiful settings: Paradox Lake and Eagle Lake. In both places, I assumed we would be confined to a small portion of the lakes.
Paradox has a narrows, which I thought might be too shallow and weedy to navigate.
My co-captain had other ideas. And it turned out fine. The beaver dam, the park host warned us about, was not a problem and we saw pontoon boats navigating the channel. The swim was glorious.
I need to remember Sparky is a tiny vessel but a champ.
Then we hauled Sparky and relaunched in Eagle Lake, where a very low bridge under the road separates the boat launch from the main lake.
I, once again, expressed concern and was overruled. I had visions of losing our new, crystal clear windshield on its first outing.
There’s the little bridge on our return trip. I was too nervous during the first pass to take pictures.
No problem, we had 4 inches to spare and made it back to the other side. I took my hat off though.
Both 1/2 mile swims were delightful and I look forward to many more. We capped this off with sandwiches and a beer at Paradox brewery. A good time was had by all.
Island and North Country Life 