Rollin Down The River by beachzz
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Description
Rollin Down The River
A friend and I took a walk on my usual path along the river this afternoon. She always brings her dog, Snoopy, a big, brown pit bull who loves to play catch and swim. Today, however, things got a little crazy. She threw the ball WAAAYYYYY out in the river and he jumped in and started swimming after it. He missed, and it floated past him, but he didn't realize it. The river was moving pretty fast; he was quickly being swept downstream by the current. He couldn't hear us calling to him, since it was windy and blowing into our faces. He needed help, and fast.
Diane, my friend, didn't see it happening quite as soon as I did. I was shedding my shoes and shirt, throwing my phone, wallet and keys onto the sand, and telling her I was going after Snoopy. And that's just what I did--jumped in the river and started swimming.
It wasn't deep, but it was moving fast, and it took a several minutes to catch up to him. I grabbed his collar, and the two of us started to make our way to shore. He got out first, shook himself--and jumped right back in!! He made a beeline for the opposite shore, and all I could do was swim back toward him. I finally got enough of a foothold to stand up; the water was only about waist deep, but as I said, it was MOVING. Snoopy finally saw me, and swam right towards me. Once again, we made it toward shore, but I did NOT let go of him this time.
It took a good 20 minutes to walk back to Diane, who had no idea what had happened. We had ended up nearly a mile downstream, and she'd lost sight of us. Needless to say, she was beyond relieved.
As we talked about what had happened, it all seemed a bit unreal. I'm a good swimmer, and I never felt like I was in trouble or in danger. I know how to swim in a current, and I did everything just right. Very fortunately, it wasn't too cold, or too fast. A couple of weeks ago, it would have been a very different story.
All in all, a good day---for woman AND beast!!
6/20/10
Comments (9)
Exciting outing! I'm glad you're both OK. Very well done!
Wow glad you all made it alright and glad Snoopy was fine too..
Gosh, Marilyn! You are brave and strong, and I was on the edge of my seat reading this! Several folk here were drowned doing what you did last winter, although admittedly the water was very much colder. Although a very good swimmer, I think I should not dare to do it myself anymore as I have lost so much muscle, but they do say the dogs usually makes it back unaided.
man, you're a real trooper! First, those death-defying river-trips with your son & company, and now this! I don't know how you do it, you probably built Sears Tower too. (I still remember the day you traveled many miles to buy 9 million tons of rocks.) Amazing story, well written too, you always use an economy of words & get all the expression you want from them; and you had me on the edge of my seat too. And isn't that just like a dog to jump back-in after it's just been rescued! Snoopy must've known you had his back. (On his cell: "Hey, noooooooo problem: I got Marilyn here, dude!") Because if anyone rescued me from those waters, trust me, I'd be outa those waves in a New York minute. Great day for woman & beast, absolutely. (Besides it sounds better than "great day for Marilyn and Snoopy"---somehow the whole "snoopy" thing doesn't suggest a tale of terrifying courage & rescue...) (Not that I have anything against Snoopys! I'm sure he's a great dog!) (I don't wanna get mail here...) Love the way you wrote it, and btw, I love the image too. You always sneak these wild luminous shots into your writer's uploads. We never know where you got them, and they're always big bright eye candy. (They'll have to do a book: The Visuals of Marilyn's Writings: The Pictures That Time Forgot...) Great story.
a toast to the happy ending!!! Cheers!
Wow! I saw your site mail last night just as I was signing off, but I DID wonder what you'd been up to! LOL! I guess now I won't need to call you from work to hear the story. Man alive! All that swimming you do every day really paid off. I bet you barely broke a sweat! GREAT story!
Wow, Marilyn...what a tale after a tail :) Way to go...wonder what Diane was thinking after her dog and friend disappeared. This is so well written...the kind of writing that comes out of an emotionally charged and impressive event.
Gosh - glad you and the canine made it my friend! You were very brave!
The perils of Marilyn! Shucks, folks, it was all in a day's work! You are one brave and courageous soul, young lady, plus having the wherewithal to see it to the finish. Lastly, I think your friend, Diane, who couldn't grasp the situation, should quit throwing balls way out into the river unless she's equipped to deal with it. She was lucky having you at her side.