My most searing memory of the corona hysteria was from California, as 2 local police arrested a man for paddle surfing, by himself, on a beach somewhere. That was not about public health, or law and order, or anything else legitimate. It was about control and making people doing illogical things.... because the state can if it wants to and there is no push back.
I'm not sure of the location, but I remember seeing a video of a man on the beach being chased down by a cop. It was like a real life Chariots of Fire. The rule-breaking beach lover saw the cop, turned it up to high gear and left the cop gasping in the sand. Sweet.
When going to the beach is a crime - which it was - you've got major problems as a society.
One of my best friend's daughters got arrested for taking her toddler to a local playground and sliding down the sliding board. The playground equipment was covered up in yellow police "crime scene" tape - which she removed. She also filmed herself doing this and put the video on social media!
The image of the Coast Guard cutter roaring in on him is forever seared in my memory. Likewise, the arrest of the lone jogger on a deserted beach… and the skate parks filled with tons of sand and playgrounds cordoned off with caution tape. Never forget!
Ahhhh thank you! I just went back to SO many bodies of water that have contributed to thousands of happy hours in my life. It started when I was young, up at lake Erie, my dad hold me above the waves and letting them splash over me, accompanying him on fishing trips in his homemade heavy as hell row boat ( I have no idea how he got it to the lakes and in and out of the water)- then as a teen sneaking into quarries with friends (who knew what was in that water!) and taking care of a neighbor's pool as a young teen (vacuuming it took hours) so that I could jump off their diving board and swim back and forth for hours (unsupervised!) with my younger sisters. Fast forward to the 80s and 90s completing many triathlons in lakes and oceans, a dozen swims from Alcatraz to San Fran, one swim under and along the Golden Gate bridge (that was a highlight!) and recently finishing a Waikiki Rough Water 2.4 mile ocean swim a year ago. We just completed a 1.2 mile in Lake Tahoe (our second) in 57 degree waters. (wore wetsuits!) I have been caught in a rip in the Pacific during a triathlon and had to be hauled out by a jet ski a few years ago...scary when I look back on it, but I have huge respect for big water!- the sad thing was that they unnecessarily closed our pool for a few weeks during the scamdemic, but kept gold going...huh...(all about $ maybe?) It was so obvious and our general manager opened it up when we pointed this out to him... We bought a state parks pass and headed down to a lake a little over an hour south of us. Just keep swimming....:-) Good for the body, soul and connection to people and Mother Earth!
Me too. Nothing as adventurous as you, but I have fond memories of swimming at a state park near our home. We would ride our bikes three miles to the lake, and swim in the cordoned-off area with a sandy beach. Then we would walk the wooded path around the lake, and find the spot with the rock ledge out of sight of the rangers . We would swim there, in the deep, clear, blue-green water, which was more delicious for the rule-breaking.
oh for kids to be able to just jump on their bikes and find adventure (and sometimes trouble!) Loved "breaking the rules"- still do at almost 72! haha! My mother told me in her later years that she "always knew where we were, who we were with and what we were doing"- I let her believe that her whole life!
Maybe she did know! To this day I don't know who ratted me out, but by the time I got home one evening, my mother knew I was behind a neighbor's barn kissing Dave. There were eyes everywhere. I used to say I could go to outer Mongolia, and someone there would know my dad.
Thanks funny...oh how our dads (and moms) tried to protect us....my dad came after me with a broom one night as I had spent too much time parking in the driveway with Mike! haha!
The amazing anecdote about the man finding $43,000 in gold rings at a local watering hole makes me want to think of places like this in Alabama and learn how to snorkel.
The price of gold is going up and will go up a lot higher in coming years.
I'm sure Mark related the biker's remarks accurately. I'm equally sure that guy's $43,000 claim is severely detached from reality. After a lifetime of hearing guys relate their fishing successes, athletic achievements, etc. when I often know what really happened, I know how it works. That they exaggerate doesn't cover it, "wildly inflated" comes closer, but still seems to fall short.
I def know of the tendency to boast/exaggerate and have been on guard for it since I've been five years old.
And maybe this guy was exaggerating. But that place was popular and I could easily see rings coming off there. I lost my own wedding band in the Atlantic Ocean.
And a bread bag full of rings would seem to me to be worth more than 43K.
Plus, the guy was humble enough to tell me he failed and was humiliated in school. I liked him.
Ah, but he TOLD you he filled a bread bag full of them. You never saw claimed bagful. OTOH, your other points make sense. He could be the "exception that proves the rule", if that makes sense, which it doesn't, but I like the expression anyway.
True, but the bread bag remains hearsay. One of those nice times we are free to believe whatever we choose, but no consequences, like there were for believing "safe and effective". You were there and talked to the guy, and you are not exactly gullible. So, I concede there's a good chance you're right.
Let's face it, those of us who can think for ourselves have way way more fun than those rule followers who are constantly looking for the approval of others.
Oh my word, yes. My eldest sister is a perfect example. For her, following the rules includes only doing those things that can be done perfectly. She was absolutely shocked when I mentioned how much fun I have doing things I'm very bad at. She said she had never actually considered doing anything she couldn't do perfectly.
Wow Double Mc, this really hits a nerve! You raise such an important psychological issue. No one does anything “perfectly” every time, especially when learning, so how will you know what you’re really capable of if you don’t try? I’ve seen so many times that fear of failure is selling yourself short.
Getting ready to head to Ocean City, NJ for a week of ocean swimming with my granddaughter. Can't wait! I'm fortunate to live on the Chesapeake Bay but I'm a (south Jersey) beach girl at heart. My husband grew up in upstate NY and although he loves the beach he does pine for fresh water swimming which we do on summer visits there. When we still lived in NJ/NY area, many years ago, there was a reservoir we snuck into. Can't remember where but maybe it's the same one you went to.
Our son lives in Chicago and last week we visited during the summer season for the first time so got to swim in Lake Michigan. Loved it. My granddaughter was in the water for almost 6 hours straight. She's a water lover like her grandmom :)
JFly I I had the spelling wrong. It is Lake Nummy, in Dennis NJ, about 1/2 hr drive from Ocean City. It sounds like you really enjoy the water. Lake Nummy is in the pine forest, which makes the water very much like tea. You have to wear an old suit because it can stain, but it is a special place.
I think I was there when I was 13. They had a campground nearby called King Nummy Trail. The name seemed goofy to me. There were many Quebecois there. The restroom signs said "Homme" and "Femme." I found that exotic.
I slept in a borrowed canvas tent with my brothers and sister. We also went to the beach from there.
Nice to hear I I stoked a memory! I spent my summers at the South Jersey shore growing up, and we went to Lake Nummy every year. Back then there were many Canadian license plates at the shore and they seemed exotic to us. Curiously I have not spotted any Canadian plates this year. I wonder why.
While I didn't have aquatic adventures like yours, as a scuba diver for 35 years I can attest to the appeal of natural bodies of waters.
I have also become much more aware of the differences between natural rule follower and those who prefer to chart their own course and not follow rules they feel do not make sense. I observe that the rule followers tend to be much more insecure, anxious and fearful regarding the uncertainty and unpredictability of Life.
Having rules to follow calms them by creating an illusion of control. I, and I think you too, fall into the opposite category of not liking to be told what to do. We accept the uncertainty of Life and actually enjoy exploring the unknown. I find that realizing that our lives hang by a thread incentivizes me to experience as many things as I can while I am still able to do so.
Interestingly those who prefer to follow rules also want to tell other people what to do. Those who resist rules have no interest in telling other people what to do. Just an observation.
What you said about rule followers and predictability rings true.
As does the notion that some of us know life can end at any time--and have had this experience--are less afraid to die. And thus, not willing to live in fear of a virus.
Wonderfully written and typically relatable. As youngsters we swam in a stream below my grandmother's house. The swimming hole had a large stone bottom and was shaded by trees on both sides of the stream. Funny how, although adjacent a pasture with milk cows, we never suffered from ill effects of the water contamination. The most memorable swim was with the BSA in Islamorada FL. The night dive (snorkel only) in warm clear water with gentle undulations of the sea was other worldly.
Thank you for keeping alive the justifiable indignation. My biggest take away is never underestimate the power of group think and peer pressure. Your independence and objectivity is an inspiration. May future challenges be met by all of us with steadfast courage you so admirably exhibit.
Your ability to include us in your adventures and insights is greatly appreciated. As always, beautifully written and a clarion call for individual freedom.
Growing up in Port Washington, Wisconsin, I lived near a coal-fired power plant run by a company we now know as We Energies, but back when I was a kid, it went by a different name, possibly just Wisconsin Electric or something else local folks used. We didn’t call it by any fancy corporate title; to us, it was just “the power plant.” Located along Port Washington’s harbor, it pulled fresh water from Lake Michigan through an intake system and discharged it back after cooling vital equipment. I don’t recall the exact mechanics, but a 7th or 8th-grade tour of the plant made it clear why the “No Swimming” signs near the intake were serious. The intake created a vortex so strong it could drag anyone nearby underwater to their death. That lesson hit home, and I never tested those waters. Besides you could see from the surface the water moving in a circular fashion and debris accelerating and disappearing into the vortex.
Wisconsin, though, was full of other spots where “No Swimming” or “No Jumping” signs were often ignored. One was a quarry near Wausau, WI I believe it was called Johnson’s Quarry—with cliffs towering over 100 feet. Kids and thrill-seekers loved it, but it wasn’t without tragedy. Every now and then, someone would misjudge a jump, hit the water wrong, and not come back up, their body later recovered.
I saw similar risks in Cabo San Lucas, near a bar called The Office. The beach there would sometimes close due to powerful riptides. Usually, we heeded the warnings, but occasionally, some of us swam anyway. I’ve been there when people didn’t make it out alive. As my friend Mark said, fighting a current is a losing battle. It’s better to let it carry you away until it loosens its grip, then take another attempt at heading back to shore.
As someone who generally follows rules, I draw the line at blindly obeying elected officials or bureaucrats in certain situations. Like jumping off quarries and swimming where signs say no swimming. Also, during the plandemic, I didn’t comply with mandates to stay locked in my San Francisco home, wear a mask anywhere, or take an experimental vaccine for a disease that posed zero risk to me.
Thanks, Mark, for the story. It gave me some good memories myself.
Sitting in a sweltering heat of close to 100 this story makes me want to swim too. I learned only late in life, and only swam a few times in lakes. Once in Germany with a friend, lots of water plants, but it was okay. Only when we drove back home she told me about the water snakes LOL.
Many many people drowned this year, I read almost daily 2, 3, 4 in Italy. Quite a few on 'guarded' beaches. We do not know what is ahead of us - a drunken driver, a fall from our back steps, the sun exploding ! All of it can kill us - chose your risks, or stay afraid. The choice is up to us.
Just the tribute to water and swimming would have been an A-plus column. But I can't wait for the excellent Scamdemic analogies I know are coming. A subhead of this column might be "In praise of having a little fun."
Should be "Boys Just Wanna Have Fun." Like Ellen, I have followed my husband into some adventures I would have never tried. Those adventures make good stories and memories.
I've had many great swims at the Jersey shore, and a few in the Pine Barrens as well. Below is a link to a favorite swimming hole near home when I was a kid (and now!)
“If I were to make errors in judgment and die or become injured from doing something illegal, such as swimming in uncontrolled settings or declining “life-saving vaccines,” I, not the government, would pay the price for having done so. Given my personal stake, I’m motivated to see things clearly”
One of the silliest things I saw was at Thanksgiving at a little resort in Tucson. Thanksgiving dinner was served outside on a beautiful afternoon. One woman with her family came to dinner wearing a mask and a shield covering her face. She took off the mask to drink her coctail but left the shield on while sipping her beverage. It was very awkward for her but humorous to watch.
My most searing memory of the corona hysteria was from California, as 2 local police arrested a man for paddle surfing, by himself, on a beach somewhere. That was not about public health, or law and order, or anything else legitimate. It was about control and making people doing illogical things.... because the state can if it wants to and there is no push back.
I'm not sure of the location, but I remember seeing a video of a man on the beach being chased down by a cop. It was like a real life Chariots of Fire. The rule-breaking beach lover saw the cop, turned it up to high gear and left the cop gasping in the sand. Sweet.
I was late to see that video.
I LOVED IT!
When going to the beach is a crime - which it was - you've got major problems as a society.
One of my best friend's daughters got arrested for taking her toddler to a local playground and sliding down the sliding board. The playground equipment was covered up in yellow police "crime scene" tape - which she removed. She also filmed herself doing this and put the video on social media!
She was a modern day Butch Cassidy!
The image of the Coast Guard cutter roaring in on him is forever seared in my memory. Likewise, the arrest of the lone jogger on a deserted beach… and the skate parks filled with tons of sand and playgrounds cordoned off with caution tape. Never forget!
Ahhhh thank you! I just went back to SO many bodies of water that have contributed to thousands of happy hours in my life. It started when I was young, up at lake Erie, my dad hold me above the waves and letting them splash over me, accompanying him on fishing trips in his homemade heavy as hell row boat ( I have no idea how he got it to the lakes and in and out of the water)- then as a teen sneaking into quarries with friends (who knew what was in that water!) and taking care of a neighbor's pool as a young teen (vacuuming it took hours) so that I could jump off their diving board and swim back and forth for hours (unsupervised!) with my younger sisters. Fast forward to the 80s and 90s completing many triathlons in lakes and oceans, a dozen swims from Alcatraz to San Fran, one swim under and along the Golden Gate bridge (that was a highlight!) and recently finishing a Waikiki Rough Water 2.4 mile ocean swim a year ago. We just completed a 1.2 mile in Lake Tahoe (our second) in 57 degree waters. (wore wetsuits!) I have been caught in a rip in the Pacific during a triathlon and had to be hauled out by a jet ski a few years ago...scary when I look back on it, but I have huge respect for big water!- the sad thing was that they unnecessarily closed our pool for a few weeks during the scamdemic, but kept gold going...huh...(all about $ maybe?) It was so obvious and our general manager opened it up when we pointed this out to him... We bought a state parks pass and headed down to a lake a little over an hour south of us. Just keep swimming....:-) Good for the body, soul and connection to people and Mother Earth!
Cheryl, those are impressive accomplishments.
And yes, great memories.
Me too. Nothing as adventurous as you, but I have fond memories of swimming at a state park near our home. We would ride our bikes three miles to the lake, and swim in the cordoned-off area with a sandy beach. Then we would walk the wooded path around the lake, and find the spot with the rock ledge out of sight of the rangers . We would swim there, in the deep, clear, blue-green water, which was more delicious for the rule-breaking.
oh for kids to be able to just jump on their bikes and find adventure (and sometimes trouble!) Loved "breaking the rules"- still do at almost 72! haha! My mother told me in her later years that she "always knew where we were, who we were with and what we were doing"- I let her believe that her whole life!
Maybe she did know! To this day I don't know who ratted me out, but by the time I got home one evening, my mother knew I was behind a neighbor's barn kissing Dave. There were eyes everywhere. I used to say I could go to outer Mongolia, and someone there would know my dad.
Thanks funny...oh how our dads (and moms) tried to protect us....my dad came after me with a broom one night as I had spent too much time parking in the driveway with Mike! haha!
Yes, we had no phones so we had to do something else with that time.
Today's trysters would take a selfie with Mike or Dave and put it on Insta, fishing for Likes.
The amazing anecdote about the man finding $43,000 in gold rings at a local watering hole makes me want to think of places like this in Alabama and learn how to snorkel.
The price of gold is going up and will go up a lot higher in coming years.
The place I describe is called the Pony Pasture. There's probably stuff about it on YT.
I'm sure Mark related the biker's remarks accurately. I'm equally sure that guy's $43,000 claim is severely detached from reality. After a lifetime of hearing guys relate their fishing successes, athletic achievements, etc. when I often know what really happened, I know how it works. That they exaggerate doesn't cover it, "wildly inflated" comes closer, but still seems to fall short.
I def know of the tendency to boast/exaggerate and have been on guard for it since I've been five years old.
And maybe this guy was exaggerating. But that place was popular and I could easily see rings coming off there. I lost my own wedding band in the Atlantic Ocean.
And a bread bag full of rings would seem to me to be worth more than 43K.
Plus, the guy was humble enough to tell me he failed and was humiliated in school. I liked him.
Ah, but he TOLD you he filled a bread bag full of them. You never saw claimed bagful. OTOH, your other points make sense. He could be the "exception that proves the rule", if that makes sense, which it doesn't, but I like the expression anyway.
AI, despite it's dangers, is useful, for now. Grok says the average wedding band, at todays gold prices, is 308.95 or 397.38 depending if 14K or 18K.
At 2019 prices, 130.66 or 168.00 respectively.
So at 2019 prices, average of $150/ring,
43,000 / 150 = 286.67 rings.
FWIW, maybe that's credible? Seems like a lot of rings to me.
There's easily that many in a bread bag.
True, but the bread bag remains hearsay. One of those nice times we are free to believe whatever we choose, but no consequences, like there were for believing "safe and effective". You were there and talked to the guy, and you are not exactly gullible. So, I concede there's a good chance you're right.
“I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Let's face it, those of us who can think for ourselves have way way more fun than those rule followers who are constantly looking for the approval of others.
...or are afraid of "getting in trouble."
Oh my word, yes. My eldest sister is a perfect example. For her, following the rules includes only doing those things that can be done perfectly. She was absolutely shocked when I mentioned how much fun I have doing things I'm very bad at. She said she had never actually considered doing anything she couldn't do perfectly.
Wow Double Mc, this really hits a nerve! You raise such an important psychological issue. No one does anything “perfectly” every time, especially when learning, so how will you know what you’re really capable of if you don’t try? I’ve seen so many times that fear of failure is selling yourself short.
Getting ready to head to Ocean City, NJ for a week of ocean swimming with my granddaughter. Can't wait! I'm fortunate to live on the Chesapeake Bay but I'm a (south Jersey) beach girl at heart. My husband grew up in upstate NY and although he loves the beach he does pine for fresh water swimming which we do on summer visits there. When we still lived in NJ/NY area, many years ago, there was a reservoir we snuck into. Can't remember where but maybe it's the same one you went to.
Our son lives in Chicago and last week we visited during the summer season for the first time so got to swim in Lake Michigan. Loved it. My granddaughter was in the water for almost 6 hours straight. She's a water lover like her grandmom :)
Have you been to Lake Numi in South Jersey?
Nope. We sometimes went to Lake Lenape though. And canoeing on the Mullica R. was always a good time.
JFly I I had the spelling wrong. It is Lake Nummy, in Dennis NJ, about 1/2 hr drive from Ocean City. It sounds like you really enjoy the water. Lake Nummy is in the pine forest, which makes the water very much like tea. You have to wear an old suit because it can stain, but it is a special place.
I think I was there when I was 13. They had a campground nearby called King Nummy Trail. The name seemed goofy to me. There were many Quebecois there. The restroom signs said "Homme" and "Femme." I found that exotic.
I slept in a borrowed canvas tent with my brothers and sister. We also went to the beach from there.
Nice to hear I I stoked a memory! I spent my summers at the South Jersey shore growing up, and we went to Lake Nummy every year. Back then there were many Canadian license plates at the shore and they seemed exotic to us. Curiously I have not spotted any Canadian plates this year. I wonder why.
Good to know. Sounds similar to Lake Lenape.
Mark,
While I didn't have aquatic adventures like yours, as a scuba diver for 35 years I can attest to the appeal of natural bodies of waters.
I have also become much more aware of the differences between natural rule follower and those who prefer to chart their own course and not follow rules they feel do not make sense. I observe that the rule followers tend to be much more insecure, anxious and fearful regarding the uncertainty and unpredictability of Life.
Having rules to follow calms them by creating an illusion of control. I, and I think you too, fall into the opposite category of not liking to be told what to do. We accept the uncertainty of Life and actually enjoy exploring the unknown. I find that realizing that our lives hang by a thread incentivizes me to experience as many things as I can while I am still able to do so.
Interestingly those who prefer to follow rules also want to tell other people what to do. Those who resist rules have no interest in telling other people what to do. Just an observation.
Neil,
What you said about rule followers and predictability rings true.
As does the notion that some of us know life can end at any time--and have had this experience--are less afraid to die. And thus, not willing to live in fear of a virus.
Wonderfully written and typically relatable. As youngsters we swam in a stream below my grandmother's house. The swimming hole had a large stone bottom and was shaded by trees on both sides of the stream. Funny how, although adjacent a pasture with milk cows, we never suffered from ill effects of the water contamination. The most memorable swim was with the BSA in Islamorada FL. The night dive (snorkel only) in warm clear water with gentle undulations of the sea was other worldly.
Thank you for keeping alive the justifiable indignation. My biggest take away is never underestimate the power of group think and peer pressure. Your independence and objectivity is an inspiration. May future challenges be met by all of us with steadfast courage you so admirably exhibit.
Thanks, Leslie.
Grandma's house sounds great. When can I come over? Ha! She doesn't need to know I asked. I'll just sneak in.
A stone bottom sounds better than a mushy bottom. I'm only saying that you can't let mush stop you.
I left out that I swam at night in a phosphorescent bay in Vieques in Puerto Rico. That was awesome. But the post was already too long.
And I did think this would be relatable, in that it focused on settings that resemble those that many of us have been to. And love.
Your ability to include us in your adventures and insights is greatly appreciated. As always, beautifully written and a clarion call for individual freedom.
Thanks, Ernest.
The extreme degree of prohibitions weighs on people. Swimming in a lake or river feels freeing.
Growing up in Port Washington, Wisconsin, I lived near a coal-fired power plant run by a company we now know as We Energies, but back when I was a kid, it went by a different name, possibly just Wisconsin Electric or something else local folks used. We didn’t call it by any fancy corporate title; to us, it was just “the power plant.” Located along Port Washington’s harbor, it pulled fresh water from Lake Michigan through an intake system and discharged it back after cooling vital equipment. I don’t recall the exact mechanics, but a 7th or 8th-grade tour of the plant made it clear why the “No Swimming” signs near the intake were serious. The intake created a vortex so strong it could drag anyone nearby underwater to their death. That lesson hit home, and I never tested those waters. Besides you could see from the surface the water moving in a circular fashion and debris accelerating and disappearing into the vortex.
Wisconsin, though, was full of other spots where “No Swimming” or “No Jumping” signs were often ignored. One was a quarry near Wausau, WI I believe it was called Johnson’s Quarry—with cliffs towering over 100 feet. Kids and thrill-seekers loved it, but it wasn’t without tragedy. Every now and then, someone would misjudge a jump, hit the water wrong, and not come back up, their body later recovered.
I saw similar risks in Cabo San Lucas, near a bar called The Office. The beach there would sometimes close due to powerful riptides. Usually, we heeded the warnings, but occasionally, some of us swam anyway. I’ve been there when people didn’t make it out alive. As my friend Mark said, fighting a current is a losing battle. It’s better to let it carry you away until it loosens its grip, then take another attempt at heading back to shore.
As someone who generally follows rules, I draw the line at blindly obeying elected officials or bureaucrats in certain situations. Like jumping off quarries and swimming where signs say no swimming. Also, during the plandemic, I didn’t comply with mandates to stay locked in my San Francisco home, wear a mask anywhere, or take an experimental vaccine for a disease that posed zero risk to me.
Thanks, Mark, for the story. It gave me some good memories myself.
Thanks, SF.
I suspected that others would have had similar water experiences. These places are fun and memorable.
I think we're all feeling confined by too much structure, too much fake "safety."
Sitting in a sweltering heat of close to 100 this story makes me want to swim too. I learned only late in life, and only swam a few times in lakes. Once in Germany with a friend, lots of water plants, but it was okay. Only when we drove back home she told me about the water snakes LOL.
Many many people drowned this year, I read almost daily 2, 3, 4 in Italy. Quite a few on 'guarded' beaches. We do not know what is ahead of us - a drunken driver, a fall from our back steps, the sun exploding ! All of it can kill us - chose your risks, or stay afraid. The choice is up to us.
Good
I’m sure I’m not the only one who reads and thinks: Where will Mark go with this one?
———
Unrelated, but curious how many jabbers and refusers are tattooed or not. Why?
Both leave a permanent mark.
Thanks to all who trust me enough to get to the point.
People tell me they like stories. I do, too.
Just the tribute to water and swimming would have been an A-plus column. But I can't wait for the excellent Scamdemic analogies I know are coming. A subhead of this column might be "In praise of having a little fun."
I considered "Death to Safetyism."
Or maybe "Boys Just Wanna Have Fun."
Should be "Boys Just Wanna Have Fun." Like Ellen, I have followed my husband into some adventures I would have never tried. Those adventures make good stories and memories.
I've had many great swims at the Jersey shore, and a few in the Pine Barrens as well. Below is a link to a favorite swimming hole near home when I was a kid (and now!)
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPl0N9LEfTMLO_FdqC7n6BDopnxL1_iT2ahXK9C/photo/AF1QipME_xmNJtIjJQbU8gJJfwhS-AzJPiW6Uuiwa-iP
This showed up as 404.
“If I were to make errors in judgment and die or become injured from doing something illegal, such as swimming in uncontrolled settings or declining “life-saving vaccines,” I, not the government, would pay the price for having done so. Given my personal stake, I’m motivated to see things clearly”
This!!!! Every bloody time! Well said Mark!
Wonderful memories! A great article! Thank you!
Thanks, Anna Marie.
I thought many people could relate to the lake/river swimming experience..
One of the silliest things I saw was at Thanksgiving at a little resort in Tucson. Thanksgiving dinner was served outside on a beautiful afternoon. One woman with her family came to dinner wearing a mask and a shield covering her face. She took off the mask to drink her coctail but left the shield on while sipping her beverage. It was very awkward for her but humorous to watch.