“And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” This line from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 sprang to mind when my swimming buddy and I approached the lake for a full-moon swim. Already we are past the peak of summer and are gliding toward the autumnal equinox. it’s been a hot, dry summer here in the Pacific Northwest and I am quite ready for this particular lease to end. I miss the clouds, the rain, the cooler air.

Recently, the air took on a welcome chill and we pulled out our fleecy after-swim dry robes for an 8:30 p.m. swim across the lake. The plan was to swim under the full moon. The moon did rise…on someone else’s lake. Due to the little problem of a very tall wall of trees on the eastern shore of the lake, we didn't get even a glimpse of the moon. No matter—the stars came out and we swam under Mars, the Big Dipper, and a sprinkling of faint stars. A lovely consolation prize.

However the sun, stars, moon, and our own calendars mark time, August 21 marks my first swim of Autumn. On a hot summer day, a water temperature of 75 degrees F would normally feel cool or refreshing. With the air temperature at 65 degrees F, the lake felt like a warm, liquid blanket wrapping around my shoulders. While swimming the crawl, I was aware of the pleasant sensation of alternating warmth and chill as my arms submerged and emerged.

As the sky darkened, it was a challenge for my swim buddy and me to stay close by. She veers right and I veer left so we took breaks more frequently to call out and stay in voice contact. And though the water was clear and dark there was enough light in the sky still to illuminate my body underwater. Such a strange sight to see my arms—almost disembodied—slowly pulling through the dark water beneath me.

This warm, languorous swim will be one I hope to carry with me into lake this fall and winter.