Lost Boys & Co...
They have this thing in China they call the "Great Wall." Maybe you've heard of it.
Foggies this morning with 100 to 200yds visibility. Winds were calm and the sea surface was smooth. The air was a dampish 56.3° and the water was chilly at 53.6°, dropping from the winds on Saturday. High tide at 7:06am +4.4' and low tide will be at 1:24pm +0.3'. We have a SSW swell out of 202° at 3.3'. Danger Boy and the Professor scored a little 3' to 4' dropping Sapphire on the down side of the tide. The fog crept in and out all morning, but the wind managed to stay calm until the pm.
Of course everyone has heard of the "Great Wall." But we thought it might be interesting if the guide thought we hadn't heard of it. By the time we were through she thought we were from Mars...
May (our guide): So the part of the Great Wall we will be visiting is about an hour from Beijing...
The Professor raises his hand: Why do they call it the "Great Wall?"
May: Have you not heard of the "Great Wall?"
Professor: Hmm... There's a "Great Ball" of string in Purvis, Iowa... Heard of that!
M: This is the largest man-made structure on earth!
P: Bigger than the 405 - 105 interchange?
M: It is the only man-made structure visible from space!
P: You can see the 405 - 105 interchange when you fly in from the east coast!
M: The Great Wall stretches for over 3,000 miles.
P: The 405 goes from one end of California to the other! You might have heard of that! It's also known as the San Diego Freeway, although it stops some considerable distance from San Diego proper.
Harry from Twin Falls, Idaho: He's right! I lived in Mission Viejo for 25 years and the San Diego Freeway stops 18 miles from San Diego!
P: See! Although San Diego's harbor, Mission Bay and Coronado can be seen from space or at least Google Earth - that's gotta count.
M: The Great Wall was constructed to keep out the Mongol hordes and the invaders from the steppes.
P: Like Genghis and Kubla Kahn?
M: Genghis - YES! But Kubla, I don't think so much...
P: Then it was Don. You know "Genghis Kahn and his brother Don, could not keep on keepin' on." Bob Dylan, I think... So, is this wall pretty famous here in China?
M: It's famous all over the world!
P: You're sure?
M: It's one of the 7 wonders of the world!
P: Really! Like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes and Yankee Stadium.
Mike from Boston: You mean Fenway Park!
P: Yeah, okay... What's that over there?
M: That's it! That's part of the Great Wall!
P: Can we walk on it?
M: Absolutely!
P: Is there a gift shop?
M: Yes, near the entrance...
P: Do they sell hand balls?
M: I'm not sure...
P: Okay, sign up with me! The handball tournament starts at 10am on the south wall. It's a 2,000 yuan prize, winner take all and the losers will be banished to outer Mongolia!
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"When the surf breaks, we'll fix it..."
The Professor!!
The Professor!!
