Author Archives: Mary McCormic-McInnis

Close Encounter with a Moon Snail My journey is complete. No, not complete, but somehow feeling full circle in the way that I was needing yesterday. Yesterday the smoke returned. August in the Pacific Northwest is not the August I floated carefree and lazily through as a child. The excitement of summer, those few preciousContinue reading “August 12, 2021”

I’m a fat salmon. And I have my neighbor, Dave, to thank for it. And the shuttering of the pools last year due to the pandemic also played a part. This whole open water swimming thing I’ve embraced is entirely his fault, as is my designation as a fat salmon. Over a year ago DaveContinue reading “August 1, 2021”

People swim for lots of reasons. People don’t swim for lots of reasons. People love swimming for lots of reasons. People hate swimming for lots of reasons. If I could offer one thing to children everywhere, after the obvious necessities including unconditional love and education, it would be swim lessons. Drownings happen all the time,Continue reading “July 30, 2021”

Through the cabin walls the muffled voices of a single banjo and guitar, and the swerving, deepening voices of teenage boys reach my ears. Behind me the chop and dull thud of axe into wood and before me over the occasional chirrup of a bird and familiar jingle of our dog’s collar I hear theContinue reading “July 17, 2021”

I asked her to hold the seaweed up for a moment—a photo was needed. Dazzled by her innocence, her spirit, her red dress, her strong legs, her need to move, I saw myself in this young neighbor friend as I exited the salty water the other day. I had begun my swim at the headContinue reading “July 10, 2021”

Before our very eyes the Salish Sea has become a fuzzy wool sweater. Warm and soft to a surprising degree. I can hardly believe this is the same water I battled for months to accept, endure and let in, as it bore cold and icy to my core. Visibility remains so low that this pastContinue reading “July 5, 2021”

Lake Crescent, a poem __________________________________________ Deeper than the sky is vast Clear and sweet like rain A swim to the edge of bottomless blue Void of salt, void of murk, with mountain water cold like fresh snow And visibility to 100 feet. 200. 500. Silvery flashes dot the water. Fish reflecting light, reminding us thatContinue reading “June 28, 2021”

This is why I swim with jellyfish. How could I not? Since the memorable jellyfish sting incident of three days ago, I’ve been back in the bay twice. Yesterday I launched from my aunt’s dock, after a careful survey of the placid waters, where floated one yellow jellyfish. Like a misplaced traffic light, it hoveredContinue reading “June 19, 2021”

The initiation is complete. I waited a long time for this to happen, and after 14 months open water swimming in the Salish Sea, I finally got stung. Badly. A small run in with a Lion’s Mane jellyfish, say a small brush on one arm or one calf would have been sufficient. Nope. Apparently not.Continue reading “June 16, 2021”

Here we are Back at the landing It’s been awhile The water waited for our return Life got busy, but the tides kept rolling in and out as the minutes turned into hours turned into days into weeks. Or was it just yesterday that I swam here last? I was a child had a childContinue reading “June 15, 2021”