I have been actively swimming since 1994. As a marathon swimmer, I spend many hours in the lakes and pools. The water brings me pure joy.

In 2020, I moved to “Lake Country” in Wisconsin (located between Milwaukee and Madison). I am surrounded by lakes, perfect for an open water swimmer! In 2020, I explored all the lakes and swam the perimeter of 20 lakes in the area.  

You have probably seen Garmin routes from runners or swim routes for open water swimmers. But I am guessing you have probably not seen words spelled out in the water. My first summer of swimming in the lakes, I thought about using my watch to write my nickname ‘Mel’. It only took a couple tries, but I was pleased with the outcome. I met a man on the lake that summer named David Barnett. He owns the largest art gallery in the area, and he loves my art in the water. As he says, “The water is your canvas”. Since then, I would write out more names in Beaver Lake (my favorite) and I now have a collection of 25 different words.

How is this done? It is not that easy. I like to start writing the words in the dark before the sun rises. It is easier to do this and use the lights on a few of the homes to help me with my direction. I start in the same spot because there is a row of lights on a pier in the distance that helps guide me. I am sure if someone saw me, they would think what is that crazy girl doing swimming in circles in the middle of the lake!

I basically count my strokes for each word. This takes a lot of concentration. I have had to redo words because of disorientation in the water, messing up on the spelling or daydreaming.  

To give you an example, I will tell you how the letter “M” is done. I count 60 strokes up, curve for 15, then straight 10, then curve 15, down 25 and back up 25, curve 15, straight 10, curve 15 then down 60. I think of myself as a pen in the water. Some letters are easier than others, letters that I need to backtrack are not as easy because it is hard to go exactly the same way up and down. I always think I did a good job, but it takes a lot of practice. I do not see the results until I am out of the water and check it out on the Garmin app. I will study the results the next day before I swim, taking notes on what I need to do for the next time. It probably takes me 15 times to get it to where I am happy with the word.  

There are some mornings where I easily swim 3,000 yards working on words and spend 1.5 hours doing this (lots of starting and stopping of the watch because I need to get to the starting point and once a word is done, then I swim back to the starting point and repeat). Then I take off after that and swim around the lake. 

This summer, I worked on 10 words, mostly the names of friends I met on the lake and family members. I then frame the prints and give them as gifts. My water swim art was written up in the Milwaukee Journal and the radio station in Milwaukee was interested as well. 

Click here to read the interview.