Happy 4th of July

From our 2nd Firecracker!!!

This is from my SIL, Katie. Just a reminder while we are back in the States for the summer. That drowning is a silent killer. And why I don't take my eyes -- or ears off the kids or a second while they are swimming... at the pool or at the beach. Even at 8 and 10. And with our old house sitting up on the deck while they were one level below me was just too far away -- I wasn't comfortable... I know drowning can happen in seconds. Faster than even a parent can run.

Thanks Katie for reminding everyone...

article from http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

by Mario on May 19, 2010

in Boating Safety,Coast Guard,gCaptain

The new captain jumped from the cockpit, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the owners who were swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”

How did this captain know, from fifty feet away, what the father couldn’t recognize from just ten? Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television. If you spend time on or near the water (hint: that’s all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew knows what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, “Daddy,” she hadn’t made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasn’t surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.

The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D.,  is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water.  And it does not look like most people expect.  There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind.  To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this:  It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) – of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult.  In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC).  Drowning does not look like drowning – Dr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine, described the instinctive drowning response like this:

1. Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. Th e respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.
2. Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
3. Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
4. Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
5. From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

(Source: On Scene Magazine: Fall 2006)

This doesn’t mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble – they are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the instinctive drowning response, aquatic distress doesn’t last long – but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue.  They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc.
Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are n the water:

• Head low in the water, mouth at water level
• Head tilted back with mouth open
• Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
• Eyes closed
• Hair over forehead or eyes
• Not using legs – Vertical
• Hyperventilating or gasping
• Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
• Trying to roll over on the back
• Ladder climb, rarely out of the water.

So if a crew member falls overboard and every looks O.K. – don’t be too sure.  Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning.  They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck.  One  way to be sure?  Ask them: “Are you alright?” If they can answer at all – they probably are.  If they return  a blank stare – you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them.  And parents: children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.
___________
Mario’s Note:  Thanks to all of you who have posted and linked and Tweeted and shared this article.  As soon as I get home (July 7th) I’ll upload a short video along with a pool safety checklist.  Thanks again for all the support.
disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.

Read the article at gCaptain.com.

A Prairie Home Companion - Ravinia

From Ravinia - A Prairie Home Companion

Saturday we got to bring the kids back to Ravinia again. Its been 4 years since we left and maybe 5 since the Justin Roberts (kids) concert we took them to a LONG time ago. They don't remember it at all. And it hasn't changed much at all -- other than no smoking allowed, which I think is great.
Garrison Keillor has a radio show that is broadcast live and we got to be there for it! I am not sure how much of it the kids understood, but I thought it was great. If you want to hear what we got to listen to, here is the link:

http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2010/07/03/

The show opened with a 4th of July Open Song. It was an ode to those who dream the impossible dream. You can listen to it here... http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2010/07/03/scripts/open.shtml

The kids got to laze around on chairs and on the blanket while snacking away on picnic food and listening to the show. The weather was nice, if not a bit warm. Not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful way to spend a Saturday.

>

Day in the Windy City

Friday was a busy day. We got up early(ish) to head into Chicago for a big day of adventure.

Our day started with a stop at the American Girl Store -- where else? Emmalee has been planning this stop for the last 12 months. Meticulously thinking through the best ways to spend her hard earned and saved money. Pouring through the AG catalogs for ideas. Making lists. Discussing them with her 'girls' And Friday was the big day.

From July 2 - Chicago Trip

It all came down to this:

• Ear piercing for Katie with extra earrings
• A hair brush and sun hat for Katie
• A lounge/futon chair that folds out into a bed for Katie (that is small enough to pack into a suitcase!)

Gramma Sandi surprised her with a red bikini for Katie and a beautiful tap dancing outfit for her too. Mom got Emmalee an American Girl sun hat. Damage completed in approximately 1 hour.

From July 2 - Chicago Trip

Boys survived 4 minutes in the store before they were released to go out into the wilds of the city (Hershey's Chocolate Shop for s'mores and other chocolate goodies). They were good natured upon return - feigning interest in what Emmalee had bought and what she still wanted to get.

From July 2 - Chicago Trip

Then onto the good at FOOD LIFE at Water Tower Place. Where you can order anything you want in the food court and just swipe a card. You just pay at the end. Prices weren't too bad and there are at least 8 different food types to choose from. Makes it easy for groups to find different styles to suit all.

From July 2 - Chicago Trip

After lunch we headed over to the Museum of Science and Industry. They had a new weather exhibit that we were all interested in, as well as the OMNIMAX theater that we had gotten tickets for.
The kids were really interested in the weather exhibit. I would say we spent the majority of our time there. We did go see other things, but as you can see, quite a few of the photos were taken there...


We watched an OMNIMAX movie about the Tahitian Wave which was good and fit in with what the kids were learning about oceans and waves, so it ticked some boxes about education on the trip. Jim went to see the one about the Hubble Telescope, which he really liked.
Afterwards, we left when the museum closed. Dad took us on a scenic tour of the South Side of Chicago, thru 95th Street and Evergreen Park to avoid I94 and 4th of July weekend traffic. So what normally takes 10 minutes, took over an hour to drive. Instead of driving north, we drove South West. Jim still isn't sure what dad was doing.
But we ended up calling Sam and decided to meet him at UNO's in Schaumburg (eventually) for dinner. Had to get a deep dish pizza fix in for Jim before he leaves. Arrived there at 8pm (after leaving museum at 5.45pm. Kids were getting antcy and hungry. But UNO's didn't dissappoint.

From American Girl

Jim got his deep dish pie and was satisfied. He can go back to Sydney and survive another year without artery clogging 2 inch thick cheesey pizza!

From American Girl