Note: I am sitting at my desk, mid-summer, gazing out on a hazy, warm day in July. I soaked my feet in the sea this morning and watched my dog, Gus, swim out to fetch sticks in the company of a resident harbor seal on Eagle Harbor. I have held the following essay captive forContinue reading “Dad”
Author Archives: Mary McCormic-McInnis
August 22, 2022
He swam away, last Thursday The tide, a traveling vet with a black leather bag worn down by other visits such as this one, took him out on a sunny day, a day like today We knew the tide would take him, we knew he would float out far, far away to places too farContinue reading “August 22, 2022”
February 20, 2022
Twelve starfish My one and only swim of February, and yesterday I counted twelve My wetsuit was tight, tighter than before My lungs heaved a bit But Dave waited for me And we swam under sunshine “The water is the coldest it will be all year, but it’s going to start warming up.” I don’tContinue reading “February 20, 2022”
January 15, 2022
Seaweed and Snores, A Poem Focus on one shining strip of seaweed Notice the tiny water etched rocks framing the waving shape of something just afloat To just breathe and free thoughts takes as much time, more time than counting shells One breathe, then another The breaths fall over each other, rising and falling likeContinue reading “January 15, 2022”
January 1, 2022
Happy New Year, Everyone! My last sea swim feels like a lifetime ago. My life was swept up over the holidays out of the sea, as I turned elf and baked rolls and sewed felt ornaments and gathered with family like the first time in a lifetime. Our house experienced something this year that feltContinue reading “January 1, 2022”
December 12, 2021
Snow berries and seals. Their memory woke me at 4am this morning I witnessed them both yesterday, with my husband, Josh, at Blakely Harbor We walked the trails around the harbor, Josh studying the shore, looking landward, while my eyes drifted out over the water, both of us catching glimpses of visiting ducks, their smallContinue reading “December 12, 2021”
November 30, 2021
Sometimes there are no words to do justice, express, explain, unravel, recount, capture, reveal, or otherwise describe what must be simply lived. Early evening yesterday, and there my little self stepping out of the blue. I wore my warm hat, kept my head out, bobbed up and over the waves to the pilings and back,Continue reading “November 30, 2021”
November 21, 2021
Open Water Swimmers: 2 Water temperature: 48 Fahrenheit (8.889 Celsius) Air Temperature: No idea, likely about the same temperature as the water Entry Time: 4:20pm Swim attire: Skin, swimsuit, two swim shirts, goggles, swim buoy with swim light and two caps (one standard plus one neoprene) Judgement: Clear, but I had my doubts once IContinue reading “November 21, 2021”
November 25, 2021
This photo is already over one year old. A day out crabbing with my youngest son during the first summer of the pandemic. A lot has happened since then. Lately for me that has included a whole host of crazy vivid dreams about the sea. The first one, several nights ago, had me open waterContinue reading “November 25, 2021”
November 16, 2021
On a misty, cold and rainy day last week my husband and I took the ferry to Seattle. Our destination was clear, the lightness in our hearts matched by the bright shimmer of raindrops scattering upon the sea as we happily anticipated our first visit together to our eldest son now living a few hoursContinue reading “November 16, 2021”
Mary Swims 