"How Are You For A Swim?"



LJ Shores and Scripps Pier

This was the question being asked by my friend, Ruth, when she rang me (as I sat in my car after my doctor appt), pondering whether or not to pay a visit to the beach.  All I could think to say was..."well, my oceans are plentiful and my shores are broad."  We just giggled, not really knowing why, but it seemed funny at the time.

The day had been socked in with fog... dense, cold, all-encompassing,  non-penatrating (dare I say dismal) gray of a day.  Up until today, we had the finest weather America's Finest City could grant us.  And now this!  People were still running around in shorts, flip-flops and tanks, while clutching themselves in disbelief to keep warm, occasionally glancing sky-ward for a wee bit of blue...any blue would do!

Okay, I'll just say it...it was yucky.  I think I was looking for excuses not to swim today, and I had some good ones.*  But, I'm sure every coach I'd ever known in life (including my Dad) would be frowning and giving me the look...you know that look.  Then would come the lessons...those one line wonders they have that sum it all up with a "get 'er done" outcome.  Fine...I'm going!  "Sure, I'll see you there," I told Ruthie with a sweet smile. 

bad, bad wayward buoy

Down at the Shores, the waves didn't look so big, the sky not as gray.  I chatted with the guards (turned out to be LG John that used to be at the Cove) about conditions and plans for a while.  The plan, as it was, was to swim toward the 1/4 or 'A' buoy and back.  We started swimming, seemed like forever, looking for the buoys.  Couldn't see them in the usual places...did they get moved in the high surf like the stick buoy I had found?  We swam a bit further, she in her wetsuit and I, in my Speedo (Nike in this case).  The water seemed to hover around 54-55F.  Finally we found it.  Touched it.  Turned for shore...this time with the current, not against us, but with us.  It (the buoy), did seem further away than it should.  The trip home was swift and more pleasant mainly due to the dolphin that joined us (5 or 6 big, dark ones).  I figure all in all about 1.65mi, but I'm rounding it off (and up)...we deserve it.  The tide had come out further while we were swimming.  We motioned up at the Lifeguards in the Tower and quickly changed and watched the dolphin from shore, before cranking up the heaters in our cars for the drive home.  My feet were so numb.  I wonder if the CHP would accept that as an excuse for speeding?

* It's cold, It looks like rain, gigantic waves, my knees hurt, sinusitis, did someone see a shark?  I could offer up more excuses...really I could!

LJ Cove - gray or not, still a beautiful place to be