A California police officer received an urgent call Sunday—from his pregnant wife. She said she was about to give birth to their son, who wasn’t due for another week. Officer Bryan Anderson rushed home at around 3:45 a.m. and called paramedics, but baby Michael didn’t wait for them to arrive. At 3:53 a.m., Anderson delivered Michael in the bathroom. It was the first baby the officer had delivered, and he hadn’t received formal training. He learned what he needed to know when he watched his wife Holly deliver their daughter Kimber, now a year old. Anderson, 31, is a second-generation officer. “We are a family-oriented department, but this is taking it a little too far,” Hemet Police Chief Dave Brown said.

An English tradition: swan census

Every July, boatmen take to the River Thames for a centuries-old tradition: Swan Upping. Among her many titles, Queen Elizabeth II is known as the Lord of the Swans and owns all mute swans in Britain’s open waters. The elegant, white, long-necked birds, who mate for life, are symbols of love and fidelity. While swans were once revered for their meat, they are now protected by law. The Swan Upping is a census ceremony and serves as a way to count and track the swans, who are in danger from predators: mink, foxes, dogs, vandals, and hooligans with air rifles. The swans also face hazards from power cables, fish hooks, and floods. The swan population declined in the 1970s because the birds had been swallowing lead fishing weights. A ban on the weights brought the swan numbers back up. GetSurrey.co.uk reported that more than 100 people showed up on Monday to watch, but only one family of seven swans came out.

Bad traffic? Take the tube.

On Tuesday, commuters in Boulder, Colo., skipped morning traffic and traveled to work by water. About 40 tubers wore helmets, and business attire over wetsuits as they splashed along Boulder Creek. It marked the seventh annual “Tube to Work Day,” which began in 2008 when two friends used inner tubes to float to work. For the second year of the tradition, a breakfast station greeted soaking-wet commuters with coffee and snacks. “‘Tube to Work Day’ is about alternative commuting and having a good time on the water,” co-founder Jeff Kagan told the Boulder Daily Camera. “It is the best commute ever.”

High-flying record-breaker

A South Dakota teen completed his solo flight around the world Monday night. Matt Guthmiller, 19, sent documentation to Guinness World Records for confirmation that he is the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe alone. Guthmiller, a second-year MIT student, made about a dozen stops in 14 countries during the journey that began May 31. “I guess it’s … good to be back,” he said after landing Monday. His father, Allen said his son had “a good plane and a good plan.” His mother Shirley said he looked tired when she greeted him after the 16-hour last leg of his journey from Honolulu to El Cajon, Calif. “I’m very relieved he is home, but I wasn’t worried,” she said.

If Guinness confirms the record, Guthmiller will take the title from current record-holder Jack Wiegand, who was 21-years-old when he made his voyage in 2013. An Australian teen, 19-year-old Ryan Campbell, claims he broke Wiegand’s record when he circled the globe last summer. Jamie Antoniou, the senior public relations manager at Guinness, said Campbell sent in his evidence “very, very recently,” and the team is still missing some documentation. She said Guinness will know by Thursday whether or not Guthmiller truly broke the record.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.