Monday, October 23, 2006

Hug your children. Life is short.

The tragedy at Orick beach just ate me up most of the day. The picture of the mother of the 4 year old being consoled was just heartbreaking. You just never know what to expect of the ocean beaches from Moonstone north to Crescent City. My brother Mike had to save me from a sneaker wave at Trinidad when I was around 7. I was down for the count and he grabbed me just in time. He was maybe 12 at the time. We both could have been casualties. My sons and I spent countless hours on the Samoa Beach either playing in the surf, skim boarding or messing around on our Yamaha's on the shoreline, but the surf seems less radical from the North spit to Clam beach. Wish I could just take that moment in time away from both families in this event. It was just supposed to be a happy camping trip.

7 comments:

Eric V. Kirk said...

This sends shutters down my spine right now like never before. Just one instance of the wrong circumstances and the unthinkable.

I don't know if my nerves can make it for 16 years when my daughter turns 18. And I doubt it ends there anyway.

Anonymous said...

yes Richard, I felt pretty bad about what happened too. I have been on that beach many of times fishing and even got knocked down into the surf with my waders on---boy was I lucky. The smelt fisherman have been talking for along time about the dangers of that beach--waves that just come up with out no warning and then bam you are gone. Maybe this accident will finaly get the Parks department to start making a presence on the beach--I mean the Parks Information Center is close by and they do own that beach currently---and it seems every year someone dies on that beach.....seems like a no brainer to me.
My heart goes out to the family who came to visit our wonderful community---sorry that the memories where not a happy one.

samoasoftball said...

I can't even imagine how it is they explain what happened back home just sad.

Rose said...

Trinidad, Big Lagoon and Luffenholtz. Those are the ones we were always told were dangerous.

Anonymous said...

You just always have to be on the lookout with kids and the ocean. And swimming in the local rivers too. One little mistake can cost you your life. It's very sad.

Eric V. Kirk said...

Even grown-ups.

Anonymous said...

I used to think my parents were being over-protective when they told me to stay out of the ocean. "There's a dangerous undertow here" they told me. I thought they were being old fuddy-duddies. Wrong!