Monday, June 7, 2010

Day 126 - June 7, 2010


life guard tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA
trash collected for 20 minutes
4.4 pounds
496.7 pounds total
I've seen a sea gull eat one of these in front of me. Just gulped it down whole. Not one of my favorite memories at the beach.

Carl Safina was on PBS recently talking about the Gulf Oil Spill, the danger of dispersants, and calling this disaster big oil's Chernobyl. That sounds awful to me, but he may be right....
My uncle Jimmy will be swimming this weekend in a race that circles Manhattan. He is raising money for the Epilepsy Foundation of Conn. because my niece is a long time sufferer of the disease.

Here is a link to the swim. I am very proud of my uncle. This swim is part of distance swimming's "triple crown" -- the English Channel, LA to Catalina, and around NYC.

Jim Bayles, 58 of Newtown, CT is again raising money for charity through long distance swimming. This is Jim’s 18thswimming event for charity and his 10th for Epilepsy. Jim has always selected different venues in which to swim, including the English Channel. Some of his post-English Channel swims include a swim from Chatham, MA across the Pollack Rip Channel to Nantucket Island, from Point Judith to Block Island, from Westport, CT to Port Jefferson, NY and some of the lakes near his house, including Lakes Lillinonah, Zoar and Candlewood in Connecticut. Before his Channel swim, he became the first and perhaps only person, to swim under all the major bridges in the Tri-State region by, in successive years, swimming from the Tappan Zee Bridge to Midtown, Manhattan, from Greenwich, CT to Downtown, Manhattan and from Sandy Hook, NJ to Battery Park also in Downtown Manhattan.
Come to the Santa Monica Pier at 10:30 AM tomorrow. Meet me at the Sport Fishing Pier Sign at the top of the road down to the pier on Ocean Ave. for a 20 minute cleanup in honor of World Ocean Day with some local friends, and Oceana. I get to meet some other Ocean Hero Finalists tomorrow. I'm very excited. It is last minute, but don't you want to play hookie and join us?