Tides, and a Warning About Vaping

Here, right where our toes are, is where the river should be flowing out to sea, but the seasonal influx of sand has created a massive lagoon that stretches almost the entire length of the amusement park, effectively limiting access to the ocean on one of the busiest beach days of the year. Locals are used to the lagoon, and you might be too if you follow this journal, but I've never seen the trapped water stretch so far along the beach. I'd hate to be a lifeguard down there today--not only do you have hella crowds and the usual problems with people and water, but there is this pond of fetid water thrown in the mix. Someone, and identity must remain a mystery since opening a channel is illegal, someone has cut a channel way down in front of the casino, and the stagnant water and tides are conspiring to create a narrow, fast, deep and dangerous current right through the revelers (see Extra). Heavenly days, tourists were asking me about the tides and whether it was safe to put up their shelter on a particular stretch of sand. A word about the sky--black as night, but no storms til maybe November. It's just the morning fog. In this case it pretty much lasted all day.

And here is the Warning About Vaping, which has nothing to do with going to the beach on the 4th of July. My son, who has been trying to kick his smoking habit by gradually adjusting nicotine intake with e-cigarettes, had his vaping device catch fire in the pocket of his shorts as he was getting on his bike to come over for breakfast this morning. His clothing caught fire, and his leg was badly burned. His daughter took him to the ER, he is patched up and fine. But here's the point: the vaping device contains a lithium battery and it can spontaneously combust or explode. If you know anyone who uses such a thing, please make sure they realize the risks of simply carrying one of these around, never mind smoking it. Apparently these accidents are getting more common. Have a safe and sane day, folks.