The Brooklyn Bridge & My Stupid Injury

Today was so busy.... I'm still catching up on assorted things from this week, and I was up early for 2 hours of errands.

And despite temps of 89 F, I wanted to get out and paint.

I also wanted to go somewhere new(ish), so I went down to the seaport and painted the Brooklyn Bridge.

I haven't been over here for a few years.

The park area along the East River isn't nearly as nice as the park on the Hudson... it's a bit seedy and some people live there, but it's ok in the daytime.

I wouldn't go there alone at night. 

(Hudson River Park is definitely safer and I have no worries there at nighttime.)

I really don't do well in this heat... it's difficult to focus and the bridge is a bit intense.

Maybe I'll come back and do this painting again in cooler weather.

The East River was being an asshole and kept spraying my palette and the painting.

Fuck you, East River!

8x10 Oil & The East River, 2 full hours on this one.

After painting I went over to the boathouse.

Because of time and also the nasty hot weather, I took the train instead of going for a nice walk.

The A/C platform at Fulton Street will always be Broadway Nassau to me!

*********

I have a VERY stupid injury, the extent of which I discovered while IN the Hudson River.

Yesterday morning I pulled an ab muscle...... getting out of bed. I felt it happen.

Holy shit I must be getting old.... is this the start of throwing out my back when I sneeze or something?

Well, fuck!

I'm in good shape, I'm strong for my size, my weight is great, how the F did I injure myself..... getting out of bed?

So anyhow, after being spit on by the East River, and the general nastiness of the heat, I went on the water and then IN the water. Which felt amazing!

I can self-rescue in a Prowler in about 6 seconds.

........I cannot self-rescue right now, oh my god it was so painful!

So, I had to swim back to the dock pulling my boat with me.

Thankfully I can swim, that doesn't bother my pulled muscle.

But I can't launch myself up.

My fabulous boathouse people threw the word "hernia" at me but that's very scary and also I truly don't think it's that.  Everything feels fine, it's just a few certain movements that really hurt. Plus I felt the muscle pull.

So, I'm going to rest for a week and next Friday I'll see about self-rescuing again.

I can still paddle just fine, but I will not go alone in the mornings this week... bummer.  

I won't do that if I can't self-rescue, that's dangerous.

It also means if there are trips I can't go until I can self-rescue again.