County Recurrent: Four Days In September...

Dateline: September 11 - 14, 2015...

Topanga North and Topanga Cove, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015...

OLS Dom Holden piloting TPN...

"The Dom Holden Foot Fan" (this little beauty can generate a nice breeze and is USB connectable!)

Tropical Storm Linda delivered some juicy shoulder high to overhead waves too...

Late morning at Topanga Cove!... Simply stunning!

*** Video Alert ! ***

LACoFD Helicopter Operations Fly By in the afternoon... the video...

... and two more shots of the surf brought to us by TS Linda...

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Santa Monica South, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, 0900 hrs - 1800 hrs...

Check out the morning swell along SMS!...

Below: "Legend!"... So I am walking down to the water to take a swim this morning on my workout around 9:30 a.m. at SMS Tower #20... I reach the water's edge and to my left, maybe two feet away a dude is riding a wave ALL THE WAY to the wet sand!... and I look at the guy and I can't believe my eyes!... and I say out to him, "Curt Ando!!!" Wow! Santa Monica City Beach Lifeguard Legend (and LACo OL), Rescue Boat deckhand to Tommy Zahn (hand picked by Zahn because of Ando's speed in the water!). When Eugene hired me yesterday morning for a 9 - 5 shift at SMS Tower #20, I knew I was in for a day of playing traffic policeman with the SURF - SWIM zone... but little did I know the wonderful surprise I was in for in seeing Curt slide up right next to me at the water's edge! What are the chances of that happening?!... esp. since he's been off the list for probably 20 years... Curt is living the dream and is happily retired after many years as a building contractor.

Free donuts courtesy of Patagonia Santa Monica... which had a tent set up at SMS Tower #20 where they had a display of hand made hand blades for body surfing...

On a workout out of SMS Tower #22 after 1130 hrs.... OL/UCLA Junior, Toby Contarsy, stops by and is obviously stoked to be working the beach this weekend!

... and then I mentioned the donuts and beverages at the nearby Patagonia tent...

Gotta love the heavy zinc oxide content of the courtesy sunscreen provided to our Dept. by the John Wayne Foundation. It works even though liberal application of same will have you looking perhaps like a ghost and you will need a scrub brush to get it off in the shower too!

Got this PRIMO shot in the early afternoon...

And after enforcing the SWIM-SURF border against a strong lateral current making it a day long ordeal... along came my relief at 1800 hrs... OL Chris Zangara...

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Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015...

Dropped by SMS in the afternoon for an off duty swim and run/walk along the soft and hard pack around 1700 hrs...

OLS Charlie Piccaro at SMS Tower #26...

"The Charlie Piccaro Foot Fan"... apparently, this is a (now not so) secret OLS accessory...

x-ref: Check out the interview (see link below) on NBC News from Oct. 3, 2014, when OLS Charlie Piccaro was then stationed at N. Pier in Manhattan Beach and dealing with a heat wave and rip currents...

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Lifeguards-on-Alert-as-Strong-Rip-Currents-Scorching-Heat-Hit-Southland-278066461.html

Below, "The Chris Newman Tower Bino. Tray"... custom built by LACo OL, Chris Newman (aka, Son of Newmie), check out this nifty pocket for binos, sunglasses, sandwiches, beverages and sunflower seeds) which can be installed during open hours at SMS Tower #26 and then can be tucked away safe in the tower at nite... 10-4.

OLS Charlie Piccaro and Capt. Brent Katzer at SMS Tower #26...

OL Elle Quane at SMS Tower #24...

Really low tide in the late afternoon...

Below, OL Elle Quane returning to shore after making a single rescue of a body boarder caught up in a rip current adjacent to SMS Tower #24...

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Monday, Sept. 14, 2015 at CSHQ...

Stopped by in the late morning to turn in my time card...

Below, Rookie OL, Jacob Smith, pressure hosing the buoy lines... somebody's gotta do it.... this time last year it was John Cullen who stepped up to earn some doe ray me while waiting for a tower shift. Well done we say to these young lifeguards who are ready, willing and able to participate and do what they can to contribute to our mission.

Below, Capt. Scott Grigsby tidying up his vehicle...

Below, L2R, in the background, OL Cooper Moeschler, OL Jacob Smith, and Capt. Scott Grigsby discusing one particular grimy and crustacean coated buoy line... Cooper was working with and showing Jacob how to pressure hose the buoy lines before their storage for the winter...