Day in the Sun

The early week forecasts for heat and sun this weekend actually held out, and so I took full advantage, making a road trip with some buddies up to Boiler Beach where I spent a lot of time with my cousins as a kid.

For the most part the area was unchanged; some renovations and new signs for the campgrounds on the way in, some redressed cottages along the beach road, the same nice wide, sandy beach mostly free of the pebbles you have to deal with along other stretches of Lake Huron. The sun was warm, and the wind coming across the lake served as nice relief and produced some mild waves coming in, although none of the storm spawned kind that we'd rush down to the beach for as kids when I stayed with my aunt and uncle a few blocks away.

But time does its little tiptoe, families break apart and you stop going to the beach, natural wave action and longshore drift all but silt in the old boiler namesake from an 1880's steamer that used to sit at least 50 yards out in the water, and smog hangs over the water to the point that you can't see the nuclear power plant a few kilometers up the shoreline, that for its own part serves to keep the smog down, instead creating longer term, although more containable issues. Infact, a couple farmers on the drive out to the beach seem to have recognized the same kind of changes, or at least recognized some economic benefit, and have installed wind turbines and solar panels on their lots.

I'm not trying to wax tree-hugger, but as I sit here roasting in my second story room sans air conditioning, with the added heat of a sunburn from poor sunblock coverage, I have to wonder if our day in the sun collectively is on its way out. With seemingly poor uptake of any kind of initiatives by governments, pointing the finger at the lack of definitive theories for global warming, in North America, I have to wonder what that beach is going to look like in another 10 years should it take me that long to return (which I highly doubt).

While I see some of the holes in the links between certain anthropogenic emissions and warming, and while I keep my mind open to natural cyclicity in global climate, its pretty clear that there is at least some human effect. Even if that effect is small, there should be more imposed on the social conscience to do something about it. My part for the day? Sitting here sweating my ass off....As opposed to driving an hour and a half each way to soak up some sun, sand and waves yesterday, or the 20 minutes each way I'll drive to work this week. Maybe I can use that as added justification to quit a month early?

And back in the short-term frame of mind, I'm going to have to remember to bring a barbecue and a girl the next time I hit the beach. One to assist me in cooking, and one to prevent me from cooking, because everyone knows its just wrong to get a non-blood related dude to rub lotion on your back.