Cinco de Mayo Exciting Swim: A Big, Fat Seal Swam Next to Me.

I have been resting my body for a few days but I really needed a dose of salt water to re-energize myself today.  I was taking medicines and wearing the TENS units on my back and neck but still pain, pain, pain...
At 5:30 PM, I parked above the Pier and took some photos of the scene.  My batteries ran out quickly in my camera.  The water was nice, but a little dirty and cloudy.  It was warm.  Surfline.com has it at 59-62.  It was 62 at least, I'd guess.  Flat water outside and 2-3 foot waves in the surf.  Maybe a dozen and a half surfers on the south side.  Lots of people on the sand and in the water.  No Cinco de Mayo stuff today-they are going to have it tomorrow, the 6th, instead.  If I swim tomorrow (Sunday, el seis de Mayo), it will be late, before sunset.
I had some good excitement today on my swim.  I swam out on the north side and a little past the end of the surf zone, as I was breathing to my left, I saw this big, fat seal next to me.  It didn't scare me, though.  It dipped in front of me and as I looked to the right, it surfaced and looked back at me, whiskers and all.  Then it went away.  I talked to it a bit, "Hey seal, thanks for the thrill."  Just a quick social visit.  It was really cool.  That was the closest a seal has swum to me-and the biggest harbor seal that I have seen in the water here.  Maybe it's the warm temperature...
I swam around, trying to work on my left arm pull and my left hand entry into the water.  With a better hand entry, I was able to get a better pull.  A wave threw me around as I got close in and knocked my goggles off.  Luckily, I felt around me and grabbed them before they got away.  Cool swim.
I've been trying to memorize some poetry and a few Bible verses recently so I took the time on my swim today to recite a few poems in my head to try to see if my memory has retained them.  I reviewed Robert Frost's 'Fire and Ice,' which gave me a challenge coming up with the lines-it's been a while.  Another Frost poem that I reviewed was, 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.'  I did well on that one-I love that poem.
Then I know a bit of the inscription on the Statue of Liberty: " Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.  The wretched refuse of your teeming shores.  Send these the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.  I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
That's all I know of that poem for now.

"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

North County Times Link

"Oceanside for a 'Staycation'


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Pier Swim the Evening of Junior Seau's Death-Wednesday

I went down later today to swim because the Junior Seau death had lots of press and people crowding the beach area just a few blocks south of the Pier where I swim.  I figured it would be better to go later.  At 6 PM there were still lots of people walking the Strand and on the sand near Junior's house.  Cars could not get down the street; a police car blocked the entrance to the street.
The water was warm again-the third day in a row.  The waves were small and there was a small chop to the outside water.  No current.  Visibility less than yesterday-about 4 feet.  Still a greenish hue to the water under a partly cloudy sky.  The sun still had an hour to shine before setting for the night.
During my swim I thought for a while about Junior growing up near the beach here in Oceanside and living in a home just across the one-way Strand across from the sand.  I thought about all the good works he had done for others in his lifetime.  Years ago, he went to my kids' elementary school in Oceanside for a visit and gave out free tickets to a pre-season game.  We attended the game.
I read today that he gave at least $4,000,000 in philanthropic works over the last ten years!  What an amazing man!  Oceanside has lost a special man today. 
I also thought about my arm stroke during the swim.  Basically I thought about Junior on the way out and my arm stroke on the way in.  My left arm doesn't want to behave as well as my right arm.  It just doesn't feel comfortable doing a correct stroke with my left arm. 
The water was a bit too warm and I was slow and lazy tonight.  Gosh, I can't even think of anything interesting to write tonight.  Just keep it real.


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Pier Swim Oceanside. Swell Up for the Surfers on Pier south side.

Rough surf zone today and flat, smooth water outside for swimming.  The surfers had great conditions on the south side of the Pier and it was fun to watch them for a while.  I swam without the fins and it took me 4 minutes to get through the surf zone.  The water was warm and pleasant.  Strong current northward in the surf zone and mild northerly current farther out.  The water was a pretty green with visibility of approximately 8 feet.  I wore my tight, new bathing suit today again and caught two surfers joking about me in it.  I don't think I was just paranoid.  Maybe I'll shrink my stomach down and improve the overall appearance.  The suit sure does feel good, anyway.
Surfline.com has the water temp at 59-62.  Pretty warm.  They have the waves at 3-5 feet, which seems accurate.
Neat swim today. A good mile swim in 38 minutes.  Dang, I'm still slow.  One of these days I have to learn how to swim better.


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."