{"id":26644,"date":"2024-09-24T14:46:37","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T18:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=26644"},"modified":"2024-09-24T14:49:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T18:49:56","slug":"episode-1-107-beach-at-richards-park-looks-like-sandbut-it-is-not-sand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=26644","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 1.107: BEACH AT RICHARD\u2019S PARK LOOKS LIKE SAND\u2026BUT IT IS NOT SAND"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 1.107:   BEACH AT RICHARD\u2019S PARK LOOKS LIKE SAND\u2026BUT IT IS NOT SAND  <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Sept\/ 22. 2024<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cSwimming will be good for your new knee, Alan.”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
WE went for another swim at Richard;s Park.   The beach was empty<\/div>\n
at first then a young woman arrived.  Cheerful person.  Recent Ukranian<\/div>\n
refugee it seemed.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I wallowed around in the surf propped up with my wooden cane which gave<\/div>\n
me the advantage of a three point posture.  Without the cane I would<\/div>\n
topple for sure.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The swim was delightful up to the moment we decided to leave the<\/div>\n
water.   I wallowed to the shore.   Very unsteady.  The sandy shoreline was very<\/div>\n
soft.  Impossible for me to wade as my legs just sank into the gumbo.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie, I cannot stand\u2026too weak\u2026these small waves are pushing me over.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get so excited.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCannot stand\u2026no pruchase\u2026I\u2019m going over.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u2018YIKES!   ..I\u2019M dowm!\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And then almost instantly I was rescued by two angels.  Marjorie and the<\/div>\n
Ukrainian swimmer.   They fought the waves and tried to get me<\/div>\n
back on my feet..   It was not easy because the sand just would<\/div>\n
not let me stand.  My legs sank into the sand as they laboured to<\/div>\n
get purchase.  I tried to help but legs kept pushing through the sand<\/div>\n
as the small waves buffeted all three of us.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cThere, we made it.  Thanks to you two.”.  The Ukrainian girl did not speak<\/div>\n
English   She smiled and left us. \u201cWithout her I do not know what we could<\/div>\n
have done, Alan.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201c Could have wallowed my way to the hard sand, Guess\u2026I was not<\/div>\n
going to drown.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
There was something odd about the sandy shoreline.   Odd indeed.<\/div>\n
It was not sandy.   Looked like sand.  But the shoreline was composed<\/div>\n
of thousands\u2026hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic balls.  Grains of<\/div>\n
sand\u2026a fake shore.  That\u2019s why my cane and legs failed.  All three<\/div>\n
penetrated the plastic microchips.  A deceptive shoreline.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
CURLING DECISION \u2014 SAD<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMy balance is not good, Marjorie.  These plastic miniballs defeated me.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou cannot go curling\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBut I am the skip of my team.  They expect me.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou cannot even stand on a sandy shore\u2026how will you stand on ice?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
She was right of course.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Those millions of plastic balls that lined the shore at Richard\u2019s Park were reminders of<\/div>\n
just how we have mismanaged planet earth.  It is a fake beach.  A trap for unsteady feet.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I had to send a note to John Morton that I would be unable to curl.  I let down my<\/div>\n
team.  But had I toppled on the unforgiving ICE of the High Park Curing Rink and hit my head<\/div>\n
there would be no angels of mercy like Marjorie and that Ukrainian refugee.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
My knee was replaced on December 12, 2023.  The operation<\/div>\n
went well but the recovery has been long and painful due to a<\/div>\n
reaction to the drug used.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 1.107:   BEACH AT RICHARD\u2019S PARK LOOKS LIKE SAND\u2026BUT IT IS NOT SAND   alan skeoch Sept\/ 22. 2024 \u201cSwimming will be good for your new knee, Alan.” WE went for another swim at Richard;s Park.   The beach was empty at first then a young woman arrived.  Cheerful person.  Recent Ukranian refugee it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26644\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}