Alley, an accomplished swimmer herself, brings to the A Long Swim team a wicked sense of humor and a spicey personality. She turned 13 on New Year’s Eve and her new year’s resolution was “none of your business.”

She’s a pretty important team member because she’s basically my personal assistant on the busy days that the open water swims bring. We make food, pack bags, and fight about whether to bring the dog or not. On Doug’s final open water qualifying swim in Lake Zurich, Illinois … which was swimming 6 hours in 61 degree water … she jumped in and swam with Doug for a bit.

In this picture she is painting epoxy on the guide kayak that was built in the garage. She’s actually wearing a garbage bag and the fact that we used it as one of our christmas card photographs and on this blog really ticks her off, even though she knows that she looks adorable.