This balmy July's night-swim was "indundated" by a sea of concepts that washed over us via an alphabet soup that seems to have forgone the luxury of choice: A-nomolous temperature; AAA; Type A ; and a big wave out of fric*in-A nowhere!
The night began with our meeting along the Avenida De La Playa, the street leading to the area on La Jolla Shores beach which is known as the "boat launch," but don't try to launch a real boat from the sandy end: kayaks and their nuclear family only.
Dan Simonelli offered our first "A" of the night. As all were ready to enter the water at approximately 8:15 pm, he was the last to close a door on a vehicle; unfortunately, being the last, knowing that others are waiting on you, often distracts from the little details. Dan: "Oh f*&!," he groaned, just after he slammed the car door shut, leaving the keys inside. "AAA?" "It'll be twenty minutes." It was thirty.
In A-ccordance with the building theme, as yet unknown to us, John and Shannon accidentally nurtured it along: We'll take category "A" for Another lost key; this one easily found in the grass by a gracious guest by the name of Carlos Lopez, a friend of Dan Simonelli's who is visiting from Mexico City, and a guy who is one of five elite swimmers that will swim 35K across a shark-owned bay in the deep south of Baja in October. It is a good thing he is acutely aware of his environment--to the point that he knew where that key was when John realized it was missing: "It's on the grass over there." Thank you Carlos.
Next up. "A" for: "Fric*en-A! Where'd that wave come from!" After spending a half hour under the bright street lights of Avenida De La Playa, we waded into the Pacific, a very dark place when looking out to sea--at night: you look into the sun for 30 minutes, then step into an unlit closet and close the door. We couldn't see darkness, never mind anything resembling shapes. And putting a kayak in the ocean without being able to see the kayak, the ocean, yourself, or even your imagination of what you are doing, let Mother Nature assault us with a wave, and wham! There goes John, the kayak, and any sense that we were in control of the evening.
Recovery and "embarkation." Once in deeper water, kayak and John recovered, the letter "A" bathed us in its essence once more: "Wow! This water is like...hot!" Anomalous temperature it was: never below 75.6 F! We could have swum to Avalon Bay that night--if it didn't take 36 hours to do--and never felt a chill; I think Shannon was tempted. We all know she could do it if we let her; maybe she just has to suggest she wants to...
Never enough "A's" in the average night-swim, we all left with one more in mind: "Type A." And that is to say, John and Shannon Welter--that they have the same name isn't because they don't find things in common--expressed their opinions on the details of the planning that have been left up to those of us who started this endeavour: "Details? Oh, that stuff will work itself out." That just wasn't going to do for two people as successful and competent as they are. To paraphrase their ever-politically correct and generous way of handling those of us who rely on good fortune to get the job done: "Maybe we could add a little definition to the amorphous mass of what it is we think we are doing." Of course, they were much more generous in their restraint.
Thus, the only thing that didn't evoke an "A" for the evening was our grade; perhaps "B." But due to the fantastic 2-mile swim we all shared in Tropics-like waters, under a near-full moon which we never saw due to the cloud cover, and the fact that we did it together, in unison, while laughing, and with great appreciation for the magical experience of what we were sharing, no lower than "B". Never mind. We deserve another "A" for that recovery. A!
All setbacks aside, what a team! Every setback ignored; every generous gift of the Pacific exulted in. We had a great time and emerged from the sea, satisfied, satiated, and ever more sure that something was right about this coterie of swimmers that has come together with great passion, in an attempt to make the lives of those who make ours possible, at least a little bit better.
Q.E.D.
Team in A-ttendance: Revered Guest, Carlos Lopez; Dan Henry, Dan Simonelli, John Welter, Lee Grove, and Shannon Welter.
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