Just seeing the words “It’s Summer” as a headline makes my heart race. I LOVE summer: the months for children to free-range and get into a little trouble, the months for those lucky enough to work in education to worry about money but ENJOY the world around us, the thrum of the ocean pounding outside your door on vacation, the world a little more carefree than a week ago.
Lest you think about how much my privilege informs my memories, we were the poor kids who cleaned the bathrooms for the opportunity to hang out at the pool with our friends. And sometimes the fire hydrant supplied our neighborhood with some fun. Still, one whiff of summer, and I’m in heaven.
Green Flag: Kale-eating sharks. You're okay. Just watch your salad. Black Flag: Emo sharks. Who knows what mood they're in, but chances are they don't care. Red Flag: These sharks are after blood. Don't give them yours. White Flag: Surrender hope. You're dead.
Green: no sharks or only the kind that don't snack on people Black: You could see one if you looked hard enough, no worries, probably dead on the beach Red: Too foggy or rainy to see any shark but there might be one there chewing on another shark or something dead White: Stay home and bing watch something...'Jaws'?
There are only 11 species of sharks here but mostly we see; Spiny Dogfish, small and common everywhere, the SixGill Shark (18 feet long live deep 200-300 feet down) and the Brown Cat shark (It's not named after Her Grace) like most eat each other and other fish.
The Basking Shark can grow up to 40 or perhaps even 45 feet in length, but rarely see although it's the largest of them. They hang out at 300 to 400 feet down and eat plankton. They don't attack humans just scare them to death.
Then there is the rare Great White. The last time one did anything with humans was around 1989 (bumped someone surf board) off the coast. Rarely on is seen sightseeing and just passing through. Everyone stays out of the water for a day.
Now our Orcas (aka killer whales), they don't eat humans unless you look like a seal or a salmon. They a really very smart and gentle (but not to seals or salmon)
The Toothy Agentus Horribilis Lurking Shark can kill hopes and dreams but is known to be good to the woodland creatures of KaleLand and is mostly found off shore in NYC, in sand 'bars' or online.
Well, I live in high mountain desert of the Southwest US (about 6700 ft. elevation). I don't run across sharks much at all. Rattlesnakes, coyotes, mountain lions, and bears, sure thing. But no sharks, and no shark flags. I think if I were at the beach and I saw any kind of a flag with a shark on it, I'd just stay out of the water.
OK, I don't live on a beach but I think I got this. The punctuation symbols are clues:
Green - everything's great, but the shark is on vacation (just like you) Black - the shark is taking questions. Red - the shark wants to have fun! Play with it. Black - the shark is glum today. Give it a hug.
Hope everyone who celebrates Memorial Day (and really, everyone who doesn't) is getting to spend some time with family or other loved ones.
Such a rich history of flags and pennants, too bad they are falling by the wayside. Once upon a time maritime flags were a a language of its own, then came radio.
Living in Florida, we get more than our share of warnings. To me red always was what to watch out for. It has always meant active danger, different shapes meant different things but red always screamed "Danger, Will Robinson, danger."
Then came the verboten signal and now tin signs tell you where not to go. Everyone just looks it up on their phones, though.
Green has always meant "all clear"
Black has always lent itself to an unknown. For beach conditions it usually meant a visual unknown, fog or turbid water.
White usually means "beware" of what is pictured on the flag. Usually that is remarked in red.
I never really loved summer till I moved to the Pacific NW. (Hi Kate Higgins! Waving from Whidbey Island!) hardly any humidity, rarely a day above 75 degrees (excepting Portland- it gets hot there) no sharks on the beach here. Only sneaky soft places where you might sink in to your knees. I haven't heard of anyone getting stuck out there.
Hi, Kate Higgins and Panda in Chief! Waving at you from Camas, WA in the Portland metro area, where it does get plenty warm in the summertime.
CynthiaMc, congrats on the show! I am always a little envious of your theater doings. :) I did school/community/civic theater in Southern California from 5th grade to age 30, and at age 45 I miss it tremendously! I am hoping there will be at least a handful of eccentric old lady parts for me once my boys have flown the coop and I can be away from home in the evenings for weeks on end. :)
20 comments:
Here's the explanation of the Flag Warning System.
"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
Btw, I don't know what the shark warning signs mean at Query Shark.
Flags?
Haven't a clue but don't splash, thrash, float or denote that you are a victim. Sharks eat victims. So do agents with fins.
What are we warning the sharks of? Circling woodland creatures?
Don't swim with the seals.
And don't wear a black wet suit and swim with the seals.
Wow, where are those shark flags from?
Here's a hastily printed out sign that was used at a beach near me a couple of months ago:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfm0X-qFyEX/?taken-by=m.a.hudson
OT:
Just seeing the words “It’s Summer” as a headline makes my heart race. I LOVE summer: the months for children to free-range and get into a little trouble, the months for those lucky enough to work in education to worry about money but ENJOY the world around us, the thrum of the ocean pounding outside your door on vacation, the world a little more carefree than a week ago.
Lest you think about how much my privilege informs my memories, we were the poor kids who cleaned the bathrooms for the opportunity to hang out at the pool with our friends. And sometimes the fire hydrant supplied our neighborhood with some fun. Still, one whiff of summer, and I’m in heaven.
Gee, Sherry, rub it in. Winter officially starts here on Friday =(
Sorry, AJ, at least I didn’t post a picture of my current seaside location!
Green Flag: Kale-eating sharks. You're okay. Just watch your salad.
Black Flag: Emo sharks. Who knows what mood they're in, but chances are they don't care.
Red Flag: These sharks are after blood. Don't give them yours.
White Flag: Surrender hope. You're dead.
How did I do? ;)
Puget sound girl here:
Green: no sharks or only the kind that don't snack on people
Black: You could see one if you looked hard enough, no worries, probably dead on the beach
Red: Too foggy or rainy to see any shark but there might be one there chewing on another shark or something dead
White: Stay home and bing watch something...'Jaws'?
There are only 11 species of sharks here but mostly we see; Spiny Dogfish, small and common everywhere, the SixGill Shark (18 feet long live deep 200-300 feet down) and the Brown Cat shark (It's not named after Her Grace) like most eat each other and other fish.
The Basking Shark can grow up to 40 or perhaps even 45 feet in length, but rarely see although it's the largest of them. They hang out at 300 to 400 feet down and eat plankton. They don't attack humans just scare them to death.
Then there is the rare Great White. The last time one did anything with humans was around 1989 (bumped someone surf board) off the coast. Rarely on is seen sightseeing and just passing through. Everyone stays out of the water for a day.
Now our Orcas (aka killer whales), they don't eat humans unless you look like a seal or a salmon. They a really very smart and gentle (but not to seals or salmon)
The Toothy Agentus Horribilis Lurking Shark can kill hopes and dreams but is known to be good to the woodland creatures of KaleLand and is mostly found off shore in NYC, in sand 'bars' or online.
COLIN hahahahahah !
You do great chomp !
My cousin Mike and I used to pick up shark teeth and turn them into jewelry. Good times!
There is an app where you can track tagged great whites. I used it during shark week. There's one named Kathryn that likes our beaches.
Our show "For Love, Sir" sold out last night so we received the Patron's Pick award for our venue and have an extra show tonight! Wahoo!
Colin! I'm in stitches. I was going to try a go at captioning the flags, but I think you just dropped the mike on all of us. :)
Well, I live in high mountain desert of the Southwest US (about 6700 ft. elevation). I don't run across sharks much at all. Rattlesnakes, coyotes, mountain lions, and bears, sure thing. But no sharks, and no shark flags. I think if I were at the beach and I saw any kind of a flag with a shark on it, I'd just stay out of the water.
I saw a drone warning system for sharks. It emitted a loud beep to warn the woodland creatures in the water. Or maybe it was New York traffic.
OK, I don't live on a beach but I think I got this. The punctuation symbols are clues:
Green - everything's great, but the shark is on vacation (just like you)
Black - the shark is taking questions.
Red - the shark wants to have fun! Play with it.
Black - the shark is glum today. Give it a hug.
Hope everyone who celebrates Memorial Day (and really, everyone who doesn't) is getting to spend some time with family or other loved ones.
Such a rich history of flags and pennants, too bad they are falling by the wayside. Once upon a time maritime flags were a a language of its own, then came radio.
Living in Florida, we get more than our share of warnings. To me red always was what to watch out for. It has always meant active danger, different shapes meant different things but red always screamed "Danger, Will Robinson, danger."
Then came the verboten signal and now tin signs tell you where not to go. Everyone just looks it up on their phones, though.
Green has always meant "all clear"
Black has always lent itself to an unknown. For beach conditions it usually meant a visual unknown, fog or turbid water.
White usually means "beware" of what is pictured on the flag. Usually that is remarked in red.
Yes, I'm rambling but it is my 62nd, so too bad.
I never really loved summer till I moved to the Pacific NW. (Hi Kate Higgins! Waving from Whidbey Island!) hardly any humidity, rarely a day above 75 degrees (excepting Portland- it gets hot there) no sharks on the beach here. Only sneaky soft places where you might sink in to your knees. I haven't heard of anyone getting stuck out there.
Hi, Kate Higgins and Panda in Chief! Waving at you from Camas, WA in the Portland metro area, where it does get plenty warm in the summertime.
CynthiaMc, congrats on the show! I am always a little envious of your theater doings. :) I did school/community/civic theater in Southern California from 5th grade to age 30, and at age 45 I miss it tremendously! I am hoping there will be at least a handful of eccentric old lady parts for me once my boys have flown the coop and I can be away from home in the evenings for weeks on end. :)
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