Swimmer's Ear - Home Remedy

Swim class is over for the summer. I have really enjoyed it but I am left with an ear ache and after googling to confirm my suspicions regarding "swimmer's ear" I headed to the drug store.
You can buy a product called "Swimmer's ear" which is 95% rubbing alcohol or buy rubbing alchohol and put it in a dropper.

Here's one link to a remedy that advocates equal parts of rubbing alchohol and white vinegar.
http://www.mothernature.com/library/bookshelf/books/19/222.cfm

Freestyle 101

Now that it is the time for cooling off in the water...here's a little refresher on the freestyle stroke.

• When breathing, tuck your head in and look down at your feet - this will prevent sucking in water.
• Rocking side to side is a good thing when doing the freestyle. Staying flat in the water is not.
• The beat is 1-2-3, 1-2-3 when kicking and your arm strokes should match...so every 1-2-3 of flutter kick equals one arm stroke. For beginners this is important since we tend to forget kicking when concentrating on arm strokes and breathing!
• Don't cup your hands with closed hands - open your fingers so that you get maximize displacement of water.

More on this later!

Dolphins Surfing off Redondo Beach

While walking along the Esplanade this afternoon, I spotted the outline of a dolphin surfing just as the wave crested and it's form was back lit by the greenish blue clear water. It was a stellar shot. No camera but one for the memory banks of the mind. I stopped to enjoy the sights, sun and light breeze and was amazed to count up to 13 pods having one heck of a time swimming both north and south.

For those of you who might be interested in learning more about the local dolphin population or donate to this cause, here's the link:http://www.oceanconservation.org/

While looking for great sites on dolphins to pass on, I sadly came upon this recent article in the LA Times about a deep diving dolphin that died most likely as a result of a Navy sonar research program. Call me a softy but this makes me sick to my stomach. How would you like to be merrily swimming along and have a sonar blast the life out of you? If you want to read it, here it is: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-dolphin22feb22,1,6511399.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

This reminded me that swimming with dolphins is in my must-do living-life-to-the-fullest list. There is a family vacation coming up in Mexico and so to end on a happier note: http://travel.latimes.com/destinations/mexico/puerto-vallarta/clm/active-pursuits/swimming-with-dolphins


Call it a 2-fer day. After blogging about those beautiful elegantly plumed peacocks, there was one crossing the road today.