The Lower Chesapeake Bay

by Maxine Kumin

Whatever happened to the cross-chest carry,
the head carry, the hair carry,

the tired-swimmer-put-your-hands-on-my-shoulders-
and-look-in-my-eyes retrieval, and what

became of the stride jump when you leap
from impossible heights and land with your head

above water so that you never lose sight
of your drowning person, or if he is close enough, where

is the lifesaver ring attached to a rope
you can hurl at your quarry, then haul

him to safety, or as a last resort
where is the dock onto which you tug

the unconscious soul, place him facedown,
clear his mouth, straddle his legs and press

with your hands on both sides of his rib cage
to the rhythm of out goes the bad air in

comes the good and pray he will breathe,
hallowed methods we practiced over and over

the summer I turned eighteen to win
my Water Safety Instructor's badge

and where is the boy from Ephrata, PA
I made out with night after night in the lee

of the rotting boathouse at a small dank camp
on the lower Chesapeake Bay?

I Didn't Go to Church Today

by Ogden Nash

I didn't go to church today,
I trust the Lord to understand.
The surf was swirling blue and white,
The children swirling on the sand.
He knows, He knows how brief my stay,
How brief this spell of summer weather,
He knows when I am said and done
We'll have plenty of time together.

Rise and Shine

http://youtu.be/SuPLxQD4akQ

The Bourbon Chase

WAIT! WHAT? How come I haven't heard of this till now?

2 days, 200 miles, 6 Kentucky distilleries, with 11 of your friends:



http://youtu.be/QMldPnwNdb8

Fun Run

So my buddy Sean had the idea to hike Cowels Mountain one day to watch the sunrise. Cowles is the highest peak in San Diego County at a little over 1500 feet and I had never hiked it so I was stoked to give it a try in the dark!

We got the trail head around 5am, strapped on our headlamps and headed up.

This is the view of the valley from the top of Cowels:

There is a trail that links Cowels peak to another peak named Piles. I had heard that very few people ever made the extra hike over to Piles so I was all for it. Sean was content to relax and watch the sunrise from Cowels so I struck out on my own to see if I could make it before the sun came up.

There is something exhilarating about running an unfamiliar trail in the dark all by your self and I loved it.

Just before sunrise at Piles Peak:

Looking back at Cowels from Piles peak (Cowels peak is just behind the radio towers):

Clouds blanketing the valley below:

Moon above the valley:

Almost!:

WHAMO!:

It was a blast and I definitely plan on doing it again!

Great idea Sean! Thanks!



http://youtu.be/wHs_XvtulzA

Happy Summer Holidays!

http://youtu.be/-DAT234I_BA

Good Fun

http://youtu.be/WxfZkMm3wcg

Little Surfer Girl

I am way behind on posting photos! This is from Me and Annie's latest "go out" in October. It was a little stressful as the wife and I were the only "AB's" that were at the event so it was just Annie and I going solo without much of a safety net. Well, we didn't get dressed up for nothin' . . .

The board is a "Wave Ski" that Mad Man Mark loaned us. The seat worked great for Annie!

Surf's Up!

Annie was deliriously happy the rest of the day. Here she is still feeling the stoke an hour later . . .

Life Rolls On!

When we bring up the topic of Annie surfing with Life Rolls On, most people cock their heads and say, "Wha?". Well here is how it all went down last weekend!

First off, we arrived at LRO-Central at La Jolla Shores Beach (they had plywood laid down on the sand to accommodate wheelchairs):

This is a professional operation!:

We saw our friend Patrick (the person who first told us about LRO):

We saw our friend Hunter:

We all received free t-shirts compliments of Citizens of Humanity clothing (the image on the front is both subtle and remarkable - very well done!):

Uncle Day came out sporting his "Go Annabelle" shirt for support (Uncle Day has a great post of his own describing the event from his perspective):

Checking out the action:

Our friend Hunter is suited up and heading out!:

Hunter catching his first wave of many:

Minutes before she was scheduled to go out, Annie (in typical fashion) fell asleep:

So they rescheduled us after lunch (Breakfast and lunch compliments of The Rock Church Surf Ministry):

During lunch we were entertained by Hula dancers:

Free Massages were offered to the surfers compliments of Shrader Massage Therapy:

Suited up and checking out the water:

Watching Angelo, the surfer ahead of us, showing how it's done:

Meeting Surf-Instructor Corey:

The Hand-off:

"Paddling Out":

Annie riding her first wave with surf-instructor Grant:

Again! (Annie's second wave with Grant):

Then it was Daddy's turn!:

Green Team!:

The event got a nice write-up in the local paper: They Will Surf Again at La Jolla Shores

It was an extraordinary day meeting extraordinary people and I am absolutely addicted. Life Rolls On's West Coast season is done for this year but they will start up again next spring and we hope to not only participate but volunteer as well!

We heard of another local disabled surf program called Wheels to Water. Naturally, Annie is scheduled to surf with them on October 22nd!


http://youtu.be/U1NtrwAOhwM

An Amazing Story Worth 8 Minutes of Your Time

http://youtu.be/tcXU7G6zhjU

More Palomar Mtn. Goodness

Cabin-Sitting on Palomar Mountain