SLAPPY AND THE STINKERS

So who are they and what are they doing? Not a clue. But when I found this picture, it made me think of the Cardboard Regatta that SIU used to have every Spring. I once had a student teacher who lived for the chance to try to make it across Campus Lake in a vessel made entirely of nothing more than cardboard. Oh, some made it across. Once a graduating class or so, but most collapsed from poor design or poor sailsmanship.

And of course, I was reminded of my Dead Sea experience last week. The Dead Sea, so called because in are no living organisms. It used to be called the Salt Sea in ancient times because of the overabundance of salt. In fact once you get past a few rocks on the bottom, the rest is pure salt, not sand. If you have a cut or even a small abrasion, the Sea is kind enough to let you know how intense it is.

Because of time constraints we were forced into the water just around 7:00 am. Even in the desert of Israel and at the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea was cold with the sun just making a lowly appearance. Two people were there along with two lifeguards in their Baywatch stand. Why, I'll never know. It is so salient that even a suicide victim could not drown him/herself because he/she would be bobbing back up. But the other two were New Englanders who simply floated and laughed at the 4 of us in the water for the first time: Caroline, Courtney, Dr. Alpers from ASU, and the biggest chicken in the group--me. It wasn't that I was so scared as that I was so cold. In addition, when I'm in the water I like to have some control.

The Dead Sea had other ideas. "Just fall back," Courtney advised. As I did my feet rose immediately and I went into the float. "Pretty neat," I thought till I tried to right myself and do it again. I couldn't do it. Laughter from the New England couple who though it funny in the first place when I was so cold. It was like a spa to them. After relaxing more and not fighting it, I could erect myself again. I'm sure to the displeasure of the New England sadists. I pictured them there all morning laughing their heads off at the poor souls who hit the Sea and reacted in a strange way. They even laughed when Dr. Alpers talked about how oily the water was as she poured some on her arm.

I wonder if they were paid employees like the lifeguards. They were no more necessary than the guards. Just window dressing. Kinda like all the partygoers at the Cardboard Regatta back in the Midwest. Just there to watch you fail and laugh at you. Oh well. It was still a blast. Especially watching Courtney enjoy it so much doing log rolls over and over again. She could have stayed there all day. That's because nobody was laughing at her. Had she gone to SIU, she wouldn't have cared that her boat sunk, in fact, she'd probably help it along. You'd think she was from New England.