If this isn't the strangest summer here in Southern California ...

[caption id="attachment_600" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Surf City"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Surfs-Up-001.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-600" title="Surf's Up 001" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Surfs-Up-001-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>[/caption]

I went to Surf City today without my board, figuring I would get back to the beach and get a little bit familiar with the ocean again before going back with my board the first part of next week.

It has been really hot here the last two or three days after what I'm told was a very mild summer up till now. We don't use air conditioning, and it still seems too warm to sleep really well until 3 or 4 a.m. Yesterday we went out to Empire Lakes to play golf and it must have been 100 degrees.

So today I figured I would go down and do my walking at Huntington Beach. Just before I left, Nicole suggested I might as well take my swimsuit. I agreed, and when I got there, I changed into my suit and went onto the beach.

When I went into the water, I got a nasty shock.

It was cold.

Damned cold.

If the water is this cold in the middle of August -- and it was pretty cold two weeks ago in La Jolla too -- I have a feeling I really am going to have to invest in a wet suit before I get serious about moving further along in my surfing.

Yes, it is a strange summer.