Friday Eye Candy: A Love Song for Swimming Holes

With photographs by Angal Field and words by Jenny Odell, the New York Times publishew a paean to Northern California's swimming holes.

Odell tells stories of swimming holes in Northern California:

I get the feeling that Northern Californians especially love swimming holes because our beaches are so un-beachy. Take Ocean Beach in San Francisco, an expanse of intimidating waves and frigid water. Sometimes swept with fog and a punishing wind, the beach has no lifeguards and, instead, a sign that says: “Danger – Rip Currents. People Have Died Swimming and Wading Here.” 

And Field's images survey the entire span of the state, including images from Malibu Creek State Park and Aztec Falls in San Bernardino County. The images are as much about the people enjoying the water and the sun as they are about the natural beauty surrounding them.