Summer Time....

Favorite Summer Time Things...

Concerts in the park

Cook-outs

Playing in the pool

Hanging out at the beach

Some Mores

Picnics

Walking around the marina

Catalina

Cape Cod

Salty chips and cold drinks

Sun and shade

Long days

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!

Mercy Mercy Me

Oh, mercy mercy me...Oh, things ain't what they used to be
Where did all the blue sky go?

Poison is the wind that blows from the north, east, south, and sea

Oh, things ain't what they used to be
Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury

Oh, things ain't what they used to be.

Radiation in the ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying

Oh, things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can you stand?
My sweet LordMy sweet LordMy sweet Lord

California Coastline

My Turn: Rebuttal to responses to the letter to the edtior

To those who responded to the WSJ regarding my letter to the editor, I am glad I got you thinking. Type in the words "massive oil spill" into google and you will find over 473,000 hits. Oil dependence has a negative impact on the environment, economy and world relations. For those that called me selfish for my quiet enjoyment of the California coastline, who's calling the kettle black? As reported in the WSJ, there will be no relief in gas prices from new offshore drilling for another 10 years. No one likes gas at nearly $4+ gallon but more drilling isn't going to solve the problem. Buck up readers. Reliance on gas is not helping anyone. The time has come for change.

From the over-the-top, knee jerk reaction from several respondents, you would have thought I was advocating a moratorium on gasoline use in total. No. What I was suggesting was a commitment to new technology and energy sources rather than pouring more money into a limited resource, in which there is no immediate benefit to our economy. It's rather simple.

Results 1 - 10 of about 473,000 for massive oil spill.

BBC NEWS Americas Alaska hit by 'massive' oil spill
Mar 11, 2006 ... An oil spill at Prudhoe Bay field is confirmed by US officials as the largest ever on Alaska's North Slope region.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4795866.stm - 33k - Cached - Similar pages
BBC NEWS World Americas Alaska hit by 'massive' oil spill
Mar 11, 2006 ... Alaska hit by 'massive' oil spill. An oil spill next to a transit line in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The spill covers two acres of the ...news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4795866.stm - 33k - Cached - Similar pagesMore results from news.bbc.co.uk »
"Massive" oil spill in Alaska - Wikinews, the free news source
Mar 13, 2006 ... Although not as large as the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, this is thought to be the largest spill on record affecting the Alaska North ...en.wikinews.org/wiki/%22Massive%22_oil_spill_in_Alaska - 21k - Cached - Similar pages
Images: Massive Oil Spill - Photos - KNTV San Francisco
Images: Massive Oil Spill. Most Popular Slideshows. Awww-some Pics · Several Fires Rage In Watsonville · 3 Female Teachers Charged With Having Sex With ...www.nbc11.com/slideshow/slideshow/14532919/detail.html - 41k - Cached - Similar pages
Tanker spills tons of oil in Indian Ocean The Japan Times Online
A tanker operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. is believed to have spilled about 4500 tons of crude oil into the Indian Ocean after colliding with a freighter ...search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060816b2.html - Similar pages
Cleanup continues on B.C. oil spill
Jul 24, 2007 ... Ian Anderson, president of Kinder Morgan Canada, blamed city contractors for the massive oil spill. "We will be undertaking a thorough ...www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/07/24/bc-oilspill.html - 36k - Cached - Similar pages
MIDEAST: Bombing Stalls Cleanup of Massive Oil Spill
As Israeli bombs continue to fall from the skies across Lebanon, destroying homes, parks, roads, bridges, forests, hospitals and power stations, ...ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34280 - 66k - Cached - Similar pages
ESA Portal - Envisat’s ASAR reveals extent of massive oil spill ...
Oil from the wrecked tanker off the northwest coast of Spain had already reached the Spanish coast when ESA's Envisat satellite acquired this radar image of ...www.esa.int/esaCP/ESAGFD7708D_index_0.html - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
Spill closes bay beaches as oil spreads, kills wildlife
Some 9500 gallons of oil have been contained since a container ship rammed the Bay Bridge and spilled 58000 gallons of its fuel Wednesday morning, ...www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/08/BAD8T8PLU.DTL - 68k - Cached - Similar pages

Taco Tuesday & Happy Hour at El Torito in Redondo

A friend introduced me to Taco Tuesday at El Torito located at the pier in Redondo Beach. Although somewhat of a landmark at the pier, I had passed this up time and time again. Call it food snobbery - or anti-food chain mentality - I don't think this was ever on my radar for a rocking good time!

I was pleasantly suprised upon entering the dining room - the panaramic view of Redondo Beach was incredible. There were swimmers froclicking in the surf, folks enjoying the bike and foot path...all this... and...the Lakers were playing the Celtics - (they won that game and the rest is history). Definately a good vibe to this place. The chips were salty, the salsa had some kick and the tacos were good. I was impressed at the women working hard to produce fresh tortillas at the taco bar. She fills them with your choice of meat and you add the fixings from the buffet. I wouldn't recommend the combo plate - to me - fried bits and pieces of the same things in different configurations.

Yesterday after driving all over L.A. for two appointments and hitting Thursday rush hour - I was in the mood for attitude adjustment at the beach, with some salty chips. El Torito called my name. After consuming half the basket of chips, I tried the chicken quesidalla - quite good. The location is wonderful. The food is cheap. And with the economy the way it is, I'll probably be headed to El Torito more often.