A Truly DIM story from LBI

Hard to believe that a week ago, we LIBs were here (for those of you who are not Libs, apologies that the acronym bears a resemblance to the abbreviation . . but you know, Dad DOES watch jon stewart and colbert. . . ) My goal is to try to catch up on the LIB blogging by posting a story from "the book" every few days  (yes, i kept my low tech tradition, even though we now have the blog)

anyway, this is the day view from the back deck of the house. Before i got down there, i was talking to Nicky on the phone, and I asked her, 

"What is our beach access like?" and she said, 

"Well, you go off the deck . . . "  I waited, then prompted her to continue:

 "Yes, and then?" 

"That's it," she said. "You go off the deck and you are on the beach."

And it was true!

I'm feeling a little resentful that right now, someone else is probably in OUR house!

Anyway, I don't have any pix of the beach at night. If  I did, I would post them with this little story  called

"Glow Sticks: 

It's All Fun and Games 

Until Someone 

Puts an Eye Out"

One quiet evening, after the nightly glow stick extravaganza, Jeffrey, Christopher, Susan,and Cagatay went for a walk on the beach. It was beautiful and peaceful: The moon, the stars, the waves--and the glow sticks. Jeffrey, caught up in being one with nature, began performing and impressive glow stick on strings display there on the beach. With all that space, he was free to really cut loose in a way that had not been possible on the deck. So maybe that explains why, in spite of repeated warnings about rogue waves, he began performing with his back to the ocean.  Everyone agrees on that part. After this, the details get a little fuzzy. Not one person who witnessed this event tells the same story (does that surprise you?) So Jeffrey is performing--the glow sticks are cutting through the air--and--

• Susan's version: "I shouted a warning because I saw a giant wave rushing toward the shore, but Jeffrey didn't hear me."
• Michael's version: "Christopher dared Jeffrey to jump in the water. I knew THAT was a bad idea."
• Christopher's version: "Really, Jeffrey just  turned and jumped into the water. Dude, you're crazy."
• Jeffrey's version: (can't hear him talking, he's underwater right now)

As the wave receded, Jeffrey appeared wetter, but no worse for the wear. In fact, he seemed somewhat invigorated. Soon, he was in the water again. . . Let's find out how THAT happened. . . 

• Susan's version: "You know Jeffrey, he just felt like going for a swim."
• Michael's version: "One of the glow sticks was still in the water, and Jeffrey didn't want to lose it. I said, 'Jeff, relax, it's just a glow stick"
• Christopher's version: Jeffrey left  one of the glow sticks in the ocean. I told him 'Dude, you better get that glow stick back. We only have 25 more back at the house."
• Jeffrey's version: "blub, blub, blub"

Ok, now the story starts to come together again. All agree that Jeffrey went back in the water, and all agree that he CHOSE to go back in the water for that second trip.

When they returned to the house to tell of this adventure, Nancy and i were understandably appalled that Jeffrey had challenged the sea in the middle of the night (it's all fun and games til someone puts an eye out) However (spoiler alert) as Jeffrey had clearly survived this adventure, we were at this point slightly more amused than upset. We did, however, point out the potential DANGERS of swimming at night in a vast dark ocean that had already proven itself more powerful than our hero during the boogie boarding earlier in the day. We reminded the gang that they had each been "thrown down" by the waves and tumbled underwater under GOOD conditions (daylight, lifeguard,  slightly more alert individuals at 3 pm than at 3am) and that perhaps swimming at night in the dark with the waves crashing and everyone so "tired" might not have been safe. But Christopher and Michael protested that we were not giving them enough credit. (At this point, Susan and Cagatay  plead the 5th) The boys had taken SAFETY PRECAUTIONS! What, did we think they were idiots? Before answering that last question, Nancy and i inquired as to the nature of said safety precautions. .. . . Christopher and MIchael patiently explained to us that they had given Jeffrey glowsticks to take into the water with him. That way, if anything happened, they would be able to find him. And besides, glow sticks also function as a flotation deviceI . 

ok, who wants to answer that last question NOW?

I might not have all the details correct on this. I suspect the participants themselves will have some correx. . . but be prepared, not one of them will tell you the same story!

Be DIM or be in the ocean at night. . . .