"Radiate Lodge Hotel " whilst prepping Apple for our next Passage...it
brings back memories of a distant storm that passed me in california
coast a number of years ago....
The california state Law strictly forbids dogs on the beaches...
However, The LAPD (Los Angeles police Department) appears to turn a
blind eye to enforcing this law after sunset, (i guess they accept
that local Dog's also need their exercise).. So basically, this is
when I 'd Run with apple along the beach..
So my story begins... One night at around 11pm, a little later than my
usual run with "Apple" , due principally to a massive a storm that had
passed earlier that day... .. We usally ran around 1- 1+1/2 hours &
were at this particular time running parallel to the "Marina
Peninsular" (a broad stretch of beach front properties that divides
the Pacific ocean from yachting Marina in Marina Del Ray)...
I remember this whole event with a very vivid reality, that through
passage of time, i can now laugh about it!....
Venice beach was illuminated by ultra violet surf from massive Pacific
rollers that crashed against this infinity of californian coast line,
this whole night seemed saturated in silver, a rare result of a full
moon breaking through an overcast stormy night skies... ..
Suddenly, Im the middle of our run.... Apple was disturbed by a
distant object & started barking like crazy.. through the dark misty
surf, I could just make out a strange shape moving in the Ocean,
writhing back & forth in the breaking surf... What ever it was?..It
was in big trouble.!!.... something was holding it in the break? ..
This Thing.... ? just appeared to be stuck? ... The closer i got, the
stranger it became!!! I could now hear a haunting suffocating sound..
like a race horse regaining it's breath after winning the "Grand
National".. It was totally freaky.... The closer i got the more
disturbing the scene became..
Suddenly through the darkness everything became clear........ Or at
least i thought it did...! .. I appeared to be confronted by a Seal
or Sea Lion.. trapped in some sort of pollution... yes!! it was
Caught in a massive plastic bag?... EEEK!!! .... & the thick plastic
bag & was now suffocating it!! i know this sounds crazy... & Crazy as
it sounds.. The seal must swam into the bag head first?.. the bag
then got caught round its neck & was now suffocating it... It's whole
body appeared to have a plastic shine, thrashing back & forth in the
break...
Suddenly i was running up the beach.... I simply left Apple barking
at the ocean & ran across the beach to the colony of houses for
help... the Next thing i remember was.... i found myself banging on a
large opulent blue door in the middle of the Peninsular.... just
hammering it with my fist.. Bang.. bang... !! Suddenly the porch light
illuminated me out of darkness as simultaneously a grumpy old man open
the door holding a golf club!!..
A little short of breath.. I tried to explained the whole
scenario..... The seal being caught in a plastic bag.. Ummm he didn't
look very happy.. ... he just kept mumbling "it's midnight.!!".. it's
F midnight.... then he asked ..."why i only had shorts on?? "...
before i had time to explain about my midnight run etc.. he'd simply
slammed the door on me .... shouting "Your completely crazy!!"
Dazed & Confused... I ran through an adjacent alleyway to join the
main road at the front houses with the full intension of flag down a
car.. but the road was deserted being around 12:13 am. Then just
like the caverrey in a cowboy& indian movie. ......a Yellow Cab
appeared out of nowhere... i quickly flagged it down.. & No sooner
that the cab pulled to a halt..., I'd already explained the whole
seal-pollution theory to this very attentive 60-is polish driver..
The driver immediately phoned the police & i ran back to the beach
front houses to enlist more help.... " Wake-up! wake -up !! I
shouted...."We All live in this amazing location.. & we're all happy
to use the beach as our own!! BUT it's our RESPONSIBILITY to protect
our beach wild-life".!!
Suddenly, an old woman wrapped in a white gown step out onto her
balcony and peered down at me.. "what's happened?" she said.. i
quickly explained about the seal & pollution.. She immediately awoke
her husband, who then awoke another household.. & another etc etc.
suddenly i had an eclectic mix of around 20 dressing gown's & pajama
people, following me back down to Apple, the ocean & the Seal..
On arrival.... Things began to look drastically different... The
waves had calmed a little, The seal was now just rolling, the
breathing noise had almost stopped... Apple was still barking & wining
at this strange shape rolling around...
Again my better judgment took hold of me.... Suddenly I found myself
racing into the sea.. determined to rip the plastic away at any
cost.... but this was a wild seal..! & every-time i'd get close
enough ..A breaker would push the giant beast straight at me..
realizing exactly how heavy & dangerous wild seal can be..i
shouting,insisting on more help... Funny thing is .I couldn't help
notice a slight orange tint to the plastic bag.... Everyone on the
beach just stood transfixed... not even lifting a hand to help..
nothing...!!! I kept reminding them of their responsibility to the
beach life etc... & how they didn't deserve to live here!! .
At last .... i could hear a distance siren, then commotion as the
police pulled into view.. , I could now see the Polish taxi driver
directing the LAPD in my direction... I remember thinking.. This is
going to work.... We'll save this seaL. The LAPD officers rushed
through my bewildered audience of pajama people to my aid..
I could now hear a series of Police radios screeching as they received
messages from other police heading to assist.. immediately the Police
began setting up large halogen battery powered lighting....
& BANG!!! The whole beach illuminated!! .. A full flood lights white
light!!
& Wooow..... Something wasn't right?? the bag appeared orange.. the
Seal wasn't moving at all.... IT WASN"T EVEN A SEAL!!!! ... I was in
total shock, as now with the whole scene illuminated & totally
surreal ...i could see that it's wasn't a Seal in plastic bag...
No... No.. It was a orange shipping BOUY ..A massive shipping buoy
that had blown in with the storm... although a sea size & shape..No
not a living seal.. just a old rust steel & plastic buoy!!! i nearly
died of shock... So shocked that i could get it of the sea..!!
I just wanted to disappear into thin air... but Apple seemed even
happier that the light had exposed the fake seal....I could see the
poor taxi driver getting interviewed/ interrogated..& now the police
wanted to interview me.... So i made a quick exit into the ocean.....
half way dow the beach in pure darkness suddenly Apple re joined me
for our run home.. eek true story from my life on venice beach...
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