Evanston, August 4

While I was away I swam in Lake George NY with my daughter, who is now far enough past her competitive days to be about my speed. We figured out a route about three fourths of a mile round trip. The 80 degree water, vegetation on the shallow bottom, and constant harassment from boats and water skiers made me appreciate our Lake Michigan even more.

In my last post I suggested that this past week was a good time for the August inversion which brings cold water to the surface just as the lake is getting warm. It turns out that, even though I was not here to experience it, I was right on. Mike reports that on Wednesday and Thursday the water temperature dropped to something like 58. Mike does not carry a thermometer, but he is very experienced in telling the temperature by feel, and when the water hurts he figures it is below 60.

Today he was not sure that the water had warmed up so, at his suggestion, we both wore our warm caps. This was not necessary as it is back to 74. But there was a strong south wind with 1 to 2 foot waves. It was only slightly difficult to swim out to the wall but, as we feared, it was a hard swim back. Probably the toughest swim of the summer. A relatively uneventful hour or so on the beach was our reward. Perhaps of interest were improvements in the private properties near the wall, someone has erected a landscaped garden by the lake that will last until the next northeaster and on a neighboring property there is a good looking bikini clad woman talking on a cell phone. She seems so still we might have confused her with a statue.