Heat, Humidity and Summer Crowds

I am not a big fan of these three. Heat. Humidity. Crowds.
I never have been. Heat is one thing, but when you add the humidity? Oh boy...I get agitated. And when you pour in the large crowds? I get more agitated. Don't I look agitated? This was taken on the 4th at North Beach. Ugh...it was hot and humid.

I know I'm not alone. I'm sure there are many who feel the same. And being a surfer, lots of surf destinations are geared towards tropical locales, that have the heat and humidity. But hopefully no crowds.

I'd rather go on a surf trip where there's cool temps rather than uncomfortable tropical temps. But one thing's for certain, I want to avoid the crowds no matter where I surf. 

And speaking of crowds, this year's 4th had huge crowds.

There's got to be stats on how many people are killed and injured each year because of errant Firework mishaps. My buddy Tony said there are thousands. Maybe there are. I do know, that walking towards the main beach on the 4th was like walking into a free fire zone. A "free fire zone" is a military term for, you can shoot at anything, and anyone, within that particular grid.

It was a "Free Fire" zone entering Boars Head Thursday night.

I swear I've been in safer firefights. The local use of bottle rockets, and other missiles, firing across the street at low levels was cause for concern. I know that if I had young children with me, I would of been very uptight. As it was, it was incredible to think that we allow average people, with little or no knowledge of explosives, buy this stuff and turn a blind eye (no pun intended) away from them, as they fire these rockets into the crowds. 

We left our house watching the turmoil in Egypt, with angry crowds and celebrating crowds mixed together fire all kinds of explosives into the air. I thought "how crazy" it all seemed. And then we went to the fireworks here, and laughed at the parallels.

OK, so no one got killed or injured here in Hampton. But it was still a bit unnerving to navigate through the constant cheap fireworks going off around me. But hey, we're Americans celebrating our Independence from Great Britain. We need to blow stuff up. That's what we do. Loud and proud Americans!

Truth be told. I've always loved the 4th of July.

This is Tony walking back after the main Fireworks display. 
Which by the way, was very nice and entertaining. Though it was on the short side. And what happened to the trailer boom? After the Grand Finale? You always send up one last signature boom. That is standard 4th of July Fireworks. We all waited and then realized...no final boom. That's it. Go home. Oh well.

So I got an email from a good friend in California last week.

He says that our mutual friend Sam George and his celebrity wife Nia Peeples were in this "Celebrity Wife Swap" reality TV show at 8PM Sunday. Now, I am not a big fan of any of the REALITY TV shows, except the original COPS show. This insane influx of reality TV stuff of the last 5 years or so, is just that. Insane.

And not for nothing people, but my take on celebrities is this:
We are all the same. We all eat, drink, sleep, and take a dump in the morning. We all put our clothes on the same way. We go out and kick ass, and we get our asses kicked. We are all the same. No amount of money, or fame, is going to make any difference, when the final bell tolls. I'm sorry. But it's true. 

We will all be judged by what we did here on this earth. Did you stop and help someone along the way? Did you put a smile on someone's face? Did you sacrifice a part of your life, to make a difference in someone else's? 

However, having said all that. I will be tuned into tonight's show because Sam is a great guy. He's an incredible ambassador to the sport and lifestyle of surfing. And...he's STILL an incredible surfer. I met him in 1979 and he was the best surfer I had ever seen at that time. There are pics of him surfing last week in Central California on the blog this week, and it is clear that he 
can still his ass off. And I'm not the least bit surprised.

And I am sure that Nia Peeples is good people too. (Did I just write that pun?) Oh yes I did. Being married to Sam has merit.

So tune in tonight to CELEBRITY WIFE SWAP at 8PM. 

I had to do a double take last week when I heard the words "Granite Mountain" firefighters killed in fire. My heart skipped a beat thinking this was a New Hampshire team. Though I was relieved I was still in shock. As were all Arizonans, and our entire nation are still in mourning after the tragic loss of 19 firefighters who died battling the Yarnell Hill Fire in Central Arizona Sunday night June 30th, 2013. 

These brave men were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, and their deaths remind us of the grave danger firefighters face every day to protect our towns, neighborhoods and families. As we enter this holiday week, I hope you will take a moment to remember the Granite Mountain Hotshots who gave their lives fighting to protect ours. 

May they all rest in peace, and may God comfort their loved ones during this time of mourning and grief.


Now for Some Of My Weekly Global Observances:

The world is still unstable. Look no further than what is happening in Egypt. Ousted Muslim Brotherhood President Morsi by the military has left many in total chaos. Like these guys. This is what is known as an angry mob. It is rampant throughout Cairo. The world is watching.