07/09/2025 Walk/Swim

This was an exceptional day. I didn't sleep all that well, got up and ate some cereal and read, but did get back to sleep. I woke up in time to have plenty of time to get ready for my ocean swim with Charlie. Left early to avoid some traffic and got there around 7:50. I walked on the beach and through the nearby neighborhood until about 8:30, then got my gear and walked over to the meet-up point. Charlie got there soon after, and we geared up and got into the water. Seemed about the same temperature as last week, but it was a little more shocking getting in, since the choppy waves poured some water under my wetsuit. We had more difficulty getting through the shore break, and even beyond the break the surface was more choppy. I had much better success with my breathing, got into a steady cadence and swam longer distances before stopping to wait for Charlie. We ended swimming all the way to La Jolla Cove, close to where the sea lions were in the water and on the rocks. There were several sea lions who come up to breathe very close to us, which was cool and a little disconcerting. Lots of sea birds as well, very cool. Then we swam over to the caves and swam through and out the normal exit point, where we saw Garibaldi fish in the kelp beds. Then it was time to swim back to La Jolla Shores, and that was a workout. We avoided the kelp beds this time, much better, but my arms were pretty tired at the end. They held up, I got out of the water further south than Charlie. We walked to the showers and rinsed off, then split. This was my longest swim ever, Zepp says it was 4273 yds, but it was really a little over 2 miles. It also looks like my watch stopped tracking the swim at times for some unknown reason. In any case, it was epic. I got back to the car and changed into dry clothes before driving home. Not as much need to rush when I got home to get ready for my volunteer shift. I got to the hospital early enough to stop at the cafeteria and have some snacks before my shift. The shift was unremarkable, slow at the start but busier near the end. After I rode home, Ann drove us down to Balboa Park for a picnic before going to see Noises Off at the Old Globe Theater. Traffic was pretty rotten on the way down, Ann drove. We had salad for dinner, then walked over to the Old Globe and sat down. Ann had bought $25 tickets, which were in Row 2 but on the left end. They were fine for the first and third acts but pretty limiting for the second act. It was a good show, well acted but not exceptionally well. The play was a farce that apparently we had seen back in the day in Gainesville. Fun, then an drove home and it was to bed.