Ohio Street, July 1, 2011

Time to start a new season. Actually I came here yesterday while doing some other things in the area. I had hoped to swim a little but packed everything I needed except my suit. Men my age get into big trouble swimming without a suit especially when the beach is quite crowded so I did not swim, but did take the water temperature about 15 yards from shore. It was almost 70!

I was so annoyed at myself that I decided to return this morning early instead of the usual Friday pool swim. As it turned out an early swim was convenient for Ken who was to begin work at 8AM nearby. So Ken and I were there shortly after 6AM. At first the water seemed very cold to us since we have only done pool swimming since last summer. And even the outdoor pools have been warm this season. But the more we got used to it the better it felt. The water was 64.8 F, cooler than yesterday but certainly swimmable. It was quite windy and there was a lot of chop, it was also cloudy with even a few lightning strikes visible across the lake, but we knew this system has been attacking north central Indiana for the last 18 hours and we were safe. Not bad for a season opener.

There were lots of swimmers at this time, most in wetsuits so we were in the minority. We were amazed at a few very young women also swimming without them, but realized by their caps that they were members of a high school swim team. We chatted with their coach, who knew Ken, and it seems they were doing 3 miles, timed with descending times for each. So the water temperature was the least of their problems. Its nice to be swimming for fun, not to satisfy a coach.