Author: Monty

  • Chas Lap (Feb 1, 2026)

    Chas Lap (Feb 1, 2026)

    I can’t believe it, but as far as I can tell, I haven’t done a Chas Lap since the 2019 Chaslapaloosa. If I have done a Chas Lap between August 2019 & February 2026, I didn’t have a GPS watch on. Apart from posting to Strava and/or making notes in my TideLog, I haven’t been great at actually documenting long-ish swims. I really don’t want to have to dig through 6 years to TideLogs in my storage unit to see if I’ve done a Chas Lap that wasn’t recorded by a GPS watch. So here’s to starting a new tradition in 2026 where I keep better track of my more eventful swims.

    Today I swam with Bobby, Barry, John & Brian. It was going into high tide, so we swam through the Farnsworth Gap and under the Tunnels to Gashouse Cove. Somewhere along the way to Gashouse, I started to think that the conditions were ripe for a possible Chas Lap.

    At Gashouse we met up with Packer & Fiona. Bobby talked about weaving in and out of the Fort Mason piers, but the flood didn’t feel that strong to me, and I was worried the ebb would be coming in closer to high tide at 9:30, so I suggested swimming to Creakers instead. That way if the ebb did arrive early we wouldn’t get stuck west of the Opening.

    At the Opening, Barry & John peeled off to head back to the Club. The rest of us soldiered on. The flood started really picking up, so I took it easy along the Breakwater to conserve energy in case I had to fight the flood up the Inside. Luckily the flood wasn’t too bad on the inside, but halfway back I swallowed a massive amount of water. I had to stop swimming to cough it out and almost puked. The smell of the birdshit on the Breakwater was overwhelming. Once I cleared it out, I let the others know I was OK. We swam around to the Opening where Bobby, Packer & Fiona continued to swim for another 45 minutes. I decided to head back after that coughing fit, and Brian swam back with me.

    Date: February 1, 2026
    Toes In: 8:29 am
    Distance: 3,677 yd
    Time: 1:15:53
    2026 Chas Lap Count: 1

  • Site Updated

    OK, so I’m trying to write & trying to use this site as a notebook of sorts. Looks like the facelift is complete & all of the data has transferred over as expected.

    I’m having trouble importing a feed from stoke-sandwich.micro.blog into to Photos, but I’ll figure something out. Updates to come.

    I’m happy to report that I was able to get a Swim Log up and running. Right now the plan is to write up the longer swims I’ve done.

  • New Year’s Day Alcatraz 2026

    New Year’s Day Alcatraz 2026

    Date: January 1, 2026
    Splash: 8:43 am
    Distance: 3,042 yd
    Time: 58:04
    ​Alcatraz Count: 9

    This was my longest Alcatraz swim distance-wise. We arrived off the island on Bravo around 7:30 am and had to wait for the pilot boats to arrive. The original splash time was 8:15 am, but a loaded cargo ship came through and forced us to hold our jump until about 8:45. High tide was predicted for about 7:45 so with the later jump there was a thought that the strong ebbs would kick in, so we were told to sight on the Ferris wheel at Fisherman’s Wharf. Just as the ship was abeam of Bravo the fog dropped. The Ferris wheel is white and wasn’t lit. It was still flooding when I jumped, and I ended up moving about 500 yds in 5 mins. The fog lifted enough to catch sight of the wheel but it was a struggle to sight on it. I’m so glad I remembered to wear my contacts. As I nearly got across the channel I spotted Adele in a kayak who told me I needed to start swimming west. When I stopped to talk to her I noticed that it was only at slack or maybe slightly flooding still. By the time I hit the Breakwater at Creakers the ebb finally started and I got a push in.

    The last time I swam a New Year’s Day Alcatraz in 2024 it took me 39 mins to swim a nearly straight 2,106 yd. line.

  • Goodbye 2025

    Well it looks like I’ve been maintaining this site since August 9, 2014, and this is my first actual blog post (if you don’t count the recipes I’ve been posting since 2015 on Recipes Montgable). Not sure why I’m writing this publicly after all these years. Probably due to the introspective nature of this dreary New Year’s Eve. Not really sure how it’s going to show up on this site at the moment. But from the personal to the political it’s been an absolutely awful year, and I’ve decided that I’m long overdue to leave social media (once again). Yet I still have a strong desire to share. Especially photos. I want to maintain connections I have with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances around the world. I miss when Tumblr was top. And as I write this I think what I need to do is find a way to roll my own Tumblr-style blog on this site. A place where I can share links, photos, ideas. Maybe all I need is to refresh this website and actually share out the URL.

    I spent the week between Christmas & New Year’s Eve unfollowing folks on Instagram. I was following over 1,500 accounts, I’m down to 748 (and counting).

    I thought briefly about moving over to a Flickr account I’ve been sitting on for many years, but then I read about how Flickr photos were being used to train AI. Probably in Karen Hao’s Empire of AI.

    In the end, I need to just keep writing.

    Update: Spent the day looking at laze.net, and I’m thinking about moving this from WordPress.org over to Micro.blog or Micro.one.

  • Southwest Chicken Quinoa Bean Salad

    Serves 4

    Ingredients

    • 1 bunch of cilantro
    • 1 cup of olive oil, divided
    • 2 limes
    • 4 cloves of garlic
    • 2 teaspoons honey, divided
    • 2 teaspoons chipolte powder, divided
    • 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, divided
    • 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
    • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (Fage 0%)
    • 1 head romaine lettuce
    • 2 cups of cooked quinoa (1 cup dry yields 3 cups cooked)
    • 1 can black beans, drained
    • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 1 avocado
    • 2 chicken breasts (~1.25 lbs)

    Instructions

    1. Cook quinoa according to instructions or use rice cooker method (1 cup of quinoa to 1 3/4 cups of water & 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt in the rice cooker yields 3 cups of cooked quinoa. Be sure to rinse the quinoa).
    2. Make the cilantro lime marinade. Mix the following in a blender & blend until smooth:
      • 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
      • 1/2 cup olive oil
      • 3 tablespoons lime juice (1.5 limes)
      • 2 garlic cloves, minced
      • 1 teaspoon honey
      • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
      • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
      • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    3. Cover chicken breasts with marinade & marinade for a minimum of 10 minutes.
    4. Preheat oven to 350.
    5. Make creamy southwest salad dressing. Mix the following in a blender & blend until smooth:
      • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (normally Fage 0%)
      • 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
      • 1/2 cup olive oil
      • 1 tablespoon lime juice (1/2 lime)
      • 2 garlic cloves minced
      • 1 teaspoon honey
      • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
      • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
      • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    6. Bake chicken for 20-30 minutes until done.
    7. Assemble salad using 2 tbsp of dressing per salad.

    Adapted from My Food Story.

  • Rice Cooker Quinoa

    • 1 cup quinoa
    • 1 3/4 cups water
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 pound butter
    • 2-1/2 to 3 pounds cut-up frying chicken
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
    • Salt and pepper
    • 3 cloves unpeeled garlic
    • 2/3 cup dry white wine or 1/2 cup dry white vermouth
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon dry white wine or vermouth
    • 2 tablespoons fresh minced basil, fennel fronds or parsley

    Instructions

    1. Heat butter in a large skillet until it is foaming. Add chicken pieces and saute for 7 to 8 minutes, turning often. Do not let chicken color more than a deep golden yellow. Season with herbs and salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook, uncovered, for another 20 to 25 minutes, turning 2 to 3 times, or until chicken is tender and juices run clear. Remove chicken to a warm platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
    2. Mash garlic cloves with the back of a spoon. Remove peel. Add wine and boil down until reduced by half.
    3. Beat egg yolks in a separate small saucepan until thick and sticky. Beat in lemon juice and wine with a whisk. Slowly drizzle  liquid remaining in saute pan while whisking until a creamy mayonnaise sauce begins to form. Beat over very low heat until warm and thickened.. Remove from heat. Add finishing herbs and adjust to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

    Serves 4-6.

    From One Perfect Bite/Juila Child

  • Lentils + Quinoa with Spinach

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 small onion chopped
    • 1 cup chopped carrots (about 3 medium)
    • 1 cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
    • 1 jalapeño  seeded + dieced
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon salt + pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1 can of diced tomatoes
    • 1 cup lentils
    • 1/2 cup quinoa
    • 4 cups vegetable broth
    • 2 cups fresh spinach
    • 1 cup coconut milk

    Instructions

    1. Cook quinoa separately
    2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or cast iron pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, pepppers and garlic, and cook until everything has started to soften, about 3 – 4 minutes.
    3. Season with ginger and spices and stir around until the whole mixture becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.
    4. Pour in the tomatoes, lentils, and broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce to simmer for 25 – 30 minutes until lentils are soft.
    5. Remove pot from the heat, uncover and add spinach and coconut milk, stirring gently to combine. Taste (carefully!) and season with salt and pepper.
    6. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh herbs and sliced hot peppers.
    Adapted from Simply Quinoa.

  • Ard Bia Brown Soda Bread

    Ingredients

    • 125g strong white flour
    • 125g brown flour
    • 50g sunflower seeds, plus extra for topping
    • 50g sesame seeds, plus extra for topping
    • 50g pumpkin seeds, plus extra for topping
    • 50g pinhead oatmeal
    • 1 tbsp baking soda
    • pinch of salt
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 300ml buttermilk

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 900g loaf tin.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, mixing well. Add the oil and half the buttermilk, stir well to mix and add the rest of the buttermilk bit by bit. You’re looking for a moist consistency but don’t want it to be too wet or sticky.
    3. Transfer the mixture to the greased loaf tin. Score the surface with a sharp knife. (Because we include a little white flour in our recipe, the bread will rise more than traditional soda bread. It needs to be scored to rise evenly.)
    4. Scatter the top with extra seeds and bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Allow to cool a little before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

    From Paolo’s Brown Soda Bread from Ard Bia Cookbook & the Ard Bia Blog.

  • Margarita

    • 2 ounces tequila
    • 1 ounce Cointreau
    • 1 ounce lime juice

    From Isabel Eats.