Born To Lose

Cloud Surfin'...

2012-01-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

So, my Kindergartener and I have some business to 'tend to. We have exactly forty-three minutes before we are to meet at Hula Pie Heaven for a family dinner celebrating Gramps' sixty-first. "Do you want to go surf?" "Sure Dad, but the waves look kinda big." They were. A nice January Juice was running with solid quadruple-overhead sets for a five-year-old. "I know where we can go and not have to worry about the paddleout..."

Race one coastal stoplight to the next. SUV's with bleached and bronzed yoga-moms at every glance. Plumeria stickers, surf racks, and dollar signs are not as compelling as one might think. You can keep North County.

But then we are there. Wetsuit change to the beat of the jitterbug. Chilly wind deadens against neoprene. Fins in hand, mat under my arm, boy's paw in the other. "Let's have an adventure." He says. He is on my back. I am laying on a pillow of air on the cold sea. We kick out with just over twenty minutes before we must leave. Smiles in the lineup. "What, you've never seen a matsurfer with a five-year-old on their back?"

Three quick waves down the line and a scramble back up topside. Quick change and heater on full-blast. "You ready for some of that Hula Pie, Kid?" "Yes."

Some adventure.

Sometimes things come right...

2012-01-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

Half-past noon on a pleasant afternoon. The phone buzzes. "Ugh. Don't they know the baby is napping?" I, leaving my back garden, stomp into the house and grab the phone, hoping to gift my babe just a few minutes more rest.

"Hi Andy, It's me, Skip. You're board is done. Just need to finalize glassing." "Clear. Clear will be great."

It turns out that my phenomenal wife has ten years of anniversary love to share in the form of a gift, a 10' gift- Fish Simmons to slide my way.

It's funny, even though this last year was the busiest of my life it still felt whole, weighty, substantial, satisfying. Thanks to Amy, to Skip, to the Giver of Life and may 2012 roll forward with a groundswell of beauty, peace, and understanding.

Ink stains...

2011-05-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Here's to the pen. Words regarding Bird Huffman in Revolt magazine's May issue. Thanks to Aaron Goulding for the invitation to scribble.

Not sure if you noticed but...

2011-05-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Lis, Civil Rights.

Lis. Cell-phones do not take good pictures of bagged beauties.

Cher Pendarvis, surf-matriarch of San Diego Proper, researched, penned, and produced a fantastic piece about my favorite shaper of all time, Steve Lis, for my favorite publication, TSJ. She participated in the very organic and experimental timeframe when Mr. Lis and his cohort were at the heights of their collective and individual creativity. Please read it and fancy the phrasing and photographs. Imagine a moment or two along those sandy shores, next to those sublime reefs, during those dynamic years.

Thanks Cher!

Title here...

2011-05-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

G, Three years old. This is what it is about.

A conspiracy raises against me. My immune system pulls levers and alarms sound. Hoses expel founts of steam. Small men in white bio-contamination suits roam my cells. Sickness strikes. And always at the most inopportune times.

In all of April, four surfs. I just can't seem to find the rhythm to stretch the rubber and wax the water wings. Two beautiful kids, plus twenty three more at work takes a bit of energy, leaving me with weekends- yes, I'm that guy now. But, of course, I cannot resist and must coach GG's football(soccer), basketball, and tee ball teams. I love it. It's all great. But, fish gawta swim.

Three days ago the child of a world-famous longboarder told me his dad was picking him up to take him surfing. "I might even get to go out to the big waves all by myself." The swell was a macking 9 inches. "I think we might go to (The Drive Thru). I like it there. I can play Bobba Fett in the sand."

Thank you, kid. Deep breaths and simple smiles. Simplify those dangerous must-do days with a view of sand, silver sea, and horizon line. Thank you, Kid's Dad, for not being too self-important to grab the time and soak a surf with your son.

Water's warming up. My family will see you at the beach. We'll be the ones wearing the smiles.

As an aside, if you ever have the chance of ordering a clear, 5'7, classic templated fish with big fiberglass keels from Steve Lis you should go for it. It is a really fun ride.

Mind and Motion...

2011-04-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

"To Dare is to Do"

Stevie Lis called me to ask about the glass job on a new board order, just shaped, to be sent to Diamond for a glass up. "Just surprise me. I like classic, but surprise me." Last time I ended up with a tapered stringer and double pinlines coupled with a nice eyes-of-my-wife blue bottom. Thanks. Yes the board surfs well too.

My last board, 5'7 and keeled for comfort was glassed clear, to match my black wetsuit. It gets tubed at the right reef down yonder- when I'm not blowing late drops and swimming, swimming, swimming.

My tenth anniversary with my wife is approaching. She wants to get me something special. A board perhaps? Nope. What I need is time to do something with the boards I have.

To have is to hold onto the moment and protect it from the creeping change. To have is to worry, to consider, to secure. No, I don't need more. I need to do more.

Brad Barrett (I think) filled some pages in TSJ with recovered moments from decades past. Painted pages with characters, moments, music. Inspiration to do and to do and to do. Then there were pages with tropical purgatory with dichotomous perfection and peril. Inspiration to do and warning to only do it well. Then there is my son, charging to kick and run and catch and play. Inspiration to do and to do my best.

Through these prismatic lenses I recognize that I am most richly blessed with my days of doing. My time is not always my own, but it is invariably bulging with the bounty of a purposeful life. Yes, I want to surf more and travel more and let the outdoors light sit on my still body. But while I am purposed to do, I will do well.

A trail well-worn...

2011-03-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

A trail at the start usually leads to good surf memories. For instance, I walked down to Triton's Doorstep a month ago and got my wetsuit blown halfway down my torso by a Canyon Set. Ah, memories.

A week off of work, but always other work to do. Still, a short stay just a stroke away from The Trestle had me mat-packing. Wetsuit, fins and a mat are incredibly functional travel companions.

Monday through Thursday would be Theme Park Purgatory- much pleasure some passive pain. But oh the grins on my kids' faces. Sliding was prescribed.

Monday was probably negative twenty degrees centigrade on the beach at Uppers. I changed into my wetsuit bare-arsed as the shorebirds, more demure than I, looked on. Puff-puff and I'm immersed. I knew I'd only have an hour of warmth in my pocket so waves were my prey. Not a soul to share with. Double overhead (on the mat) and zipping along the cobbles. Beautiful, thrilling, novel, sensational.

This was my theme park ride. These were my roller coasters. This, my happiest place on earth.

Last dip...

2011-01-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

What is Pendoflex? from Cher Pendarvis on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving morning. After a week off of work I've yet to surf. My beloved is laid low with sickness now lessening. We are headed to the beach to celebrate Thanksgiving with a few neighbors. Soccer for the kids, smalltalk for the adults. But what for me?

Of course I throw a wetsuit in the car (short-sleeve-full is the Swiss Army knife of neoprene). Of course I mention a "If I can slide out for an hour it would be great, but I didn't even bring a board so we'll see." My understanding better half grins. She knows. She gets it.

Pull up to The Drive-Through and spot clean shoulder high lines, good winds. Even better, I spot Rshred with Dlightful and their little wahine. Boards are stacked high on their car.

After settling and mingling and nervous glances towards the waves I slide over to glean a borrowed board. "Sure, what do you want to take out?" "What've you got?" Selection is good. I take out a 6' three-finned swallow tail Pendoflex. I love the tripped out flex profile of Pendo's boards. They're unique and hard to categorize. Time to surf.

In one hour I get many fun little fancy ones. Mostly rights, I feel out the three fins and start to use the vertical alignment knob. Smack, smack, whack. First thruster in a while feels fresh and easy. Thanks Rshred!

Returning the board I spot The owner of PB surf shop. He spots me and lets me know that the board is a shop demo. RAD. Double dip for me!

Due to some health issues, this was the last time that I surfed. I'm just about ready to go again and cannot, cannot wait.

Mammals surf...

2010-11-14T14:51:00.001-08:00

N.Z.

Tools of the trad(ition)...

2010-11-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Me: Professional Flotsamist

Suburban soul...

2010-11-04T16:51:00.001-07:00

Epik Aker making a mark.

Age eats at us. We gain responsibilities and graft decisions onto decisions, layering our lives with unfortunate complexities. Where to live?

I spent many years with an ocean view from a house on Mission Blvd. I was so very lucky. My parents, neither surfers, Didn't know that they were my addiction's enablers. I feasted. Years passed. Degrees earned. Jobs taken. Wife married. Kids born. Reality is that the coastal chaos doesn't suit me well. I need waves, but I need a bit of space. I work with an ocean view. I live with a view of a canyon and my two young kids at play. It's a good life, this surfing life, and no matter how easterly I drift, the current always pulls me back to the shore.

Small Me-steries...

2010-10-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite publications, The Surfer's Path, has just released a small feature that I wrote and helped organize about the recent movement towards the "small moments" in surfing as they are represented on film. I like it. I hope you do as well. I wrote this story a long time ago and it took a long time to get to print. I think it came out quite well. Some great artists were involved. Cher, Jack, Erika, Liz, Rudy, Keith, Simon, Morgan and my forgotten mists all deserve a look.

Me, I'm wiped clean. One surf in the last month. Got a few little barrels during the last week's near-epic conditions. Thankful. I've been weighed down with the joys and responsibilities of breathing day to day. I'm looking forward to a bit of sleep and serenity.

Hope you are well.

Best,

Andrew

Print rag...

2010-09-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

New feature I wrote about waterman Scott Chandler is available now in Revolt Magazine, both in print and online.

I'm not much for standup paddle boards and their riders. I'm not interested in the big wave and tow in scene. But this guy is the real deal and has earned all the respect I can muster.

Chandler caught a 170 lb. mako shark off of a surfboard. World record? Yes. The shark weighed more than me. Yikes.

This will never be cool...

2010-08-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

But will always be fun!

I had fun at the Mat meet this last weekend. We had good surf and a large crew of pool toy enthusiasts in attendance. I am reminded by watching others and looking at myself in the picture above that mat surfing does not look good. It sure feels good!

Oh, by the way, last winter, on one of the bigger days at Swampi's, Kassia Meador, who is a rather beguiling water nymph, hooted at me while I was slotted, not quite barrelled, on my surfmat, making me feel a little tingly all over, and supporting my delusion that mat surfing may someday make me very popular and attractive, despite my obvious shortcomings.

Eclectic Proof...

2010-08-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

I just penned a piece about the invigorating age of surf creativity that has blossomed in the last ten years. Find it here at Drift surfing.

velocity/trajectory...

2010-08-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Image from Driftsurfing.com. Artist unknown

Sometimes when I am running (jogging) on the trail around the lake I stand far to the right so I am next to a wall of bushes and trees. I extend my right arm and let my hand just touch, just barely touch, the branches and leaves. I lean my body back a bit and slouch my shoulders. I kind of tuck my head down. Before I know it, I am in a nice little pocket of green, spying an easy exit, moving quickly through the perfect line.

Seems like you carry this dis ease everywhere. When not surfing, you're searching.

1976 steve lis fish. Immaculate. $2900. tell your friends, virtual and otherwise.

Wandering memories...

2010-07-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite lefts. Warm, brown water and long, semi-hollow walls; such a good fish wave. Bobo is stylin' in this clip.

Print is (not) dead...

2010-07-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

A piece of writing that orbits close to my heart has found its way to your local newsstand. Pick up a copy of the most recent The Surfers Path. Read my scribbles. Have a cathartic moment or two.

How amazing is that b/w portrait shot by Cher?

Wonder down under...

2010-07-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Mark and Daniel Thomson are interesting surfers. They both are making surfboards and Mark just started selling surfmats. Oh, and you might want to pick up the new Surfer's Path. It has a profile about Daniel that iss perhaps the finest piece of surf-journalism of all time. For sure.

Muck'n about...

2010-06-29T17:19:00.001-07:00

When I'm not making "interesting" choices while surfing...

I'm making charming little baby girls!

From Pen to Press...

2010-06-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

The Surfer's Path, a publication I have long appreciated for it's international appeal, has seen fit to publish a profile I wrote about Aussie surfer-shaper Daniel Thomson. Please read it in the current issue and comment with exuberant praise!

Chemistry Set...

2010-06-03T16:51:00.001-07:00

Ding repair:
Teach yourself to do it.

Teach your son to do it.

He can be better than you.

Detritus...

2010-05-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Post-millennial Grommets breathe new life. Pic: BA-->

Awake. Produce. Repeat.

Each day finds an odd haze hanging over it. The weight of expectation, exertion, evaluation becomes a rote path. One moment is left behind as the next is anticipated. So rarely is a moment let to ring until its simple song is spent. Episodes pile up like driftwood, memories of living things worn smooth and innocuous by powers greater-than. Flotsam reaches the shore. Sea-scraps accumulate.

Then someone walking along the beach picks up the discarded and forgotten bits. Fashioned by an inspired mind, the memories and moments take on new life and meaning. The visionary act of reinvention and re-invigoration breathes new life.

Scale for personal use. Apply as necessary. Work, play, family, expression, success, all need a bit of re-invigoration when the time i'swell.

Feeling the kneed...

2010-04-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

1977, Huffman, Rex. The Banzai Pipeline. Oahu, Hawai'i. Photo: Jeff Divine.

Flat, short, wide, keeled and kneeled.

In the middle of a satisfying session it happens. You've been enjoying some speed runs, turns, and stylish this'n'thats. You're feeling good about your surfing. You're in rhythm, you've got a flow. You even start to feel a couple of sets of eyes watching you. All is right with in the salty sea.

Then it happens. The peak down the beach gets bombed by a beaut. Overhead and hollow. Only that mysto-kneelo is down there, where only he tends to lurk. He's too deep. He'll pass it up. He'll never make the late drop. Oh, well, maybe he's going to try it. Oh, wow, he made the drop. Oh, damn. He's deepish. Oh, yeah. He's going to make it. Perhaps he's on to something.

Knees if you please.

Half-stance for a chance.

Cripple-style for a while.

Half-man is the plan.

Turns high-g for li'l ol' me.

Find each little barrel a true kneelo-style feral.

I'll pass on the fins, though. I like to standup on those kneesleds too.

Speak, Memory...

2010-04-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Image Heist from Ryan Field Photography (Kllr Px)

1995. The Jewel,CA.

My daily fun was headfirst, with an eye for an almond-exit. Lounge, VJourneys, GoodLuck Reef, and Retirement Heaven were my favorite haunts. Sea grass on the knees and finless tunnel hunting was the norm.

Low tide Little Left, adjacent to Hydrodynamic Innovator Reef. I'm done with my fun but see a nice right over yonder. I kick my boogie over to the racy little reef and meet a nice barrel as a welcome gift. Then the fun really begins.

I paddle back out and am greeted by two JewelBox Locals. Apparently I am at a place I shouldn't be. Apparently this spot is Kalifornia Kapu. I inquire a bit and am taught about the eponymous reef's history. In a none-so-friendly manner I am asked to leave. I believe the exact words were, "You're going to get a surfboard up your..."

Of course I stayed for one more wave. Of course I did.

I'm so thankful to my boogie years. The time spent in the heart of the beasts taught me a love for the ocean more intimate than breathing. As soon as you stand on your feet there is a separation, a loss.

I'm 90% standup today, but I enjoy the other 10% immensely.

Funnin'...

2010-03-16T21:25:00.001-07:00

DDunfee

CSutton

RBurch

To make myself clear. There are no rules about how you can surf, just as there are no rules as to how you can paint. There are only techniques, tools, canvases all for the purpose that you choose.

Enjoy!

Photos via BA---->

The change due...

2010-03-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Derek Hynd from aramis17 on Vimeo.

From Andrew Kidman's Litmus. Derek Hynd=an original.

We've reached the plateau, now the pinnacle awaits. Broken are the molds that mandated clear, three-finned, rocker-wafers. Matriculated memories are the leftovers of the counter culture rumblings and psychedelia of the down rail Hynson missions. Simmons' machines and the wooden wonders of ancient Hawai'i have come into focus. Greenough, Duke, Blake, Downing, Alter, Quigg, Kivlin, Anderson- there is now a timeline to trace, a story to be told that is divergent in its interpretations. Some would say progress is in the air, spinning and grinning with youthful exuberance. Others would place progress under the feet of those who pay homage to the past in their careful, poised surfing. I say yes. The wannabeards and be-stickered both have a stake in the now. The technicrati and the stylized dramatists play a role. The giggling wompers and the scowling swell wranglers all eat at the same table. Be self-aware but not self-conscious. Be joyful and respectful. Be a watcher and an emulator but also an original.

We are in the age of surf sincerity. Nobody who matters cares what you look like. How does it feel? Are you ecstatic? Are you freed? How does it make you feel?

Inspecting inspiration...

2010-03-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hynd, Litmus, 5'8" Frye keel fish, Visual interpretation from Litmus screenshot via Jack Brull at Saltstainedeyes.

The Litmus Fish really liked the spear takeoff, no paddle takeoff, fast paddle takeoff...it was all about controlled speed entries. That 5'8" liked the wave the bigger it got. I learnt another side of surfing on that old friend ala glide etc. That's not to say there hadn't been other revelations on other boards. Particularly - the key of Campbell Brothers rail fins in accelerating layback snaps at JBay in the late 80's...not unlike the feeling of Al Merrick's 6'4" bump tail of around 1987. Put the right board in the right wave and any surfer feels touches of magic.

-Derek Hynd, 2/2010

Two nice sessions on a 5'8" Frye Fish brought me a lot of pleasure this weekend. I looked back over some recent correspondence and came across the above quote. I think Derek hit the nail on the head- a traditional fish will teach you about "glide". The single-minded purity of a true keel is so enjoyable. The original recipe: short, flat, wide, double foiled big-base keels. I think I'll take the '76 5'6 Lis Keel out for a bit of crucial keeling.

Mr. Hynd, thanks for your inspiration.

Can you find me...

2010-03-02T20:47:00.001-08:00

Yes, I'm the one submerged.

I profess to desire balance. I've been underwater with responsibilities a bit too heavily. Time for some pre-dawn equilibrium-enabling sessions.

Off to bed.

Share and share alike...

2010-02-27T20:46:00.001-08:00

September, 2009, via JKP

I, the beneficiary of the generosity and encouragement of many friends and acquaintances, sometimes feel compelled to give and share simply for giving's sake. (Not always, so don't get greedy.)

Above are photos of a man at work in a manner that essentially every one of his contemporaries has forsaken. Though heady names exist on the labels of boards and clothing, the only label that bears the weight of decades of continuous work building and riding surfboards is the wings. No ghosts, no machines, no bull.

His trip has been on my mind and at my fingertips lately. Appreciation is warranted.
Thanks.

Valyou...

2010-02-21T15:37:00.001-08:00

Lis fish, Select Surf Shop, Roots!

I received these images and a request for a determination of value. I responded by asking what was meant by "value". I could see myself valuing this beauty through a high line or two. Smirk. Grin.

Lines Converge...

2010-02-11T22:48:00.000-08:00

A personally inspiring interview I held with Manuel C. Caro has just reached the interwebs. Please enjoy it on Drift Surfing Magazine.

The Pendulum Swings...

2010-02-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

LCrow, putting some resin on a surfboard by CChristenson for MHealy. Pic via MMiller.

Remember Edgar Allen Poe? The Pit and the...?
A meticulous metaphor crafted to incite horror. And it did. And it does.

I was chatting at the beach with Sin Diego fixture and single fin maestro LCrow. "It's been a good winter, eh?" "Yep, but I've just been dragging a bit. You know, just have to get motivated to get out there." I shrug and skip to the sand's edge, grinning a Cheshire's large. LCrow becomes a spectator. Days pass, as they do, and I see LCrow at The Drive Through for an early morning dip. Meager lines bob and warble along the sandbar. I eye my boards, beauties each, and kind of mumble to myself about cold and stiff and stinky wetsuit and time's a-tickin'. LCrow looks over at me, "Let's get out there." In minutes we are in the lineup. The cold seeps through my stinky wetsuit as time clicks along. But I am smiling. Not mumbling, smiling. The pendulum swings.

Each day a pass of the pendulum, razor sharp, comes closer. Each day we swing like the pendulum. We breathe life into the tiniest moments, then fritter away the grandest. We enfold our thoughts in minutia, then are able to draw intelligent visions upon the future. We dictate and then contradict. We are in constant danger of the pendulum's death blow. We are the pendulum.

The surfing life gives a weight to the pendulum's swing. We have a central gravity that draws us center. Regardless of the wild gyrations surrounding our unsalty-selves we always come to a rest at center. Thank God for the center.

I/We...

2010-02-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

Solitude sent me searching at my out of the way spots. High tide and decent swell mixed with a rambling shuffle of the feet. Two days, many waves, tired, satiated but not satisfied. The only surfer I surfed with was an invitee. Crowds are a manifestation of expectations too high or explorations too limited.

Above, Larmo etches petroglyphic echoes. Since the inception he'e nalu has been filtered by a collective and singular duality of thought. I am me on a wave at this moment. I am a member of us who are on waves at many moments. Sometimes I need to get lost in the former in order to put the latter in perspective.

Suggested reading as an alternative to surf media described in video above : Footsteps as Flotsam; Granuped, Janus

Let it be...

2010-01-02T18:42:00.001-08:00

Enjoying my new Lis. Many more of these little pocket rides this year...I hope. Oh, and maybe I can learn to bend my knees. Pic via BA

I love resolutions but hate New Year's Eve.

1. Create more/Consume less. A holdover from last year. I was pretty successful with this goal. This goal is empowering in its overarching breadth. In every moment to ask what can be created rather than consumed is a perspective altering behavior. Think broadly on this one, not simply book>TV.

2. Be present. I feel the pull of competing concerns almost constantly. Particularly troubling are the ubiquitous screens which offer a two dimensional mirage of a three dimensional world. I am here and with those around me. I am in this ocean, on this wave, on these feet, in this turn, in this tube, in this water.

3. Develop a sense of complete health- Physical and beyond. This resolution grows from a couple of conversations with interesting peripheral characters in my life partnered with the exhortation (and warning) offered through the story of Dorian Paskowitz and his family.

And, of course, Surf More!

Best wishes to all for Two Thousand and Ten.

Awaken early...

2009-12-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

Sur...

2009-12-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

Beautiful, resonant photos of California Sur.

Eyes like children stretch out to spin
a whirl in an open green place.
Gravity draws strong and they tumble
down and then down, suddenly.
Open and green again
they whirl like children.

-Padante Namimbu Bakura

Via Stevie Lis...

2009-12-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

Beachbreak fishy. Pulled in tail, curvy outline, and higher aspect ratio Geppies. I'm looking forward to getting to know this one.

Humbled/tumbled...

2009-12-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Kendog- one of the other mat-maestros I watch with a students' eye.

Nine days, no work. Nine days, time for surfing. My wife, sick with a little growing grom in her tummy, had the grace to allow me to feed my addiction. Alarm buzzes at 5:30. Out the door I go, boards packed, visions of cylindrical sublimity in my mind.

Each session was a lesson. Got donuts on an early barrel on Sunday and ended up with a nice shimmery patch in my vision, courtesy of a partially separated retina. Frontside cutbacks felt a bit stiff. Maybe that's because I don't know how to bend my knees. I'll have to work on that.

My last session I met with T. Inflate. He is my mat-riding hero. He is stylish and understated with a real stoke for the ocean. We hit a fantastic wave early and caught some head high bombers on the mats. I must say, I was quite rusty (first mat session in a couple months) but had a ball on the magic towel. My first wave, my fin got blown off. A few waves later, I am on a bucking bronco contorting under me as I try to control the mat. Then I remember- you don't control or steer the mat- you feel the mat and let it do it's frictionless glide uninhibited by your feeble mortal attempts at control. You see, the mat is a divine living entity. It will not be mastered. You must convince it that you care for it, then it will allow you to enjoy its company for a session or two. Once bravado and ego emerge, it will turn on you and humble you, usually in front of your friends on a perfect wave.

I'm working on holding a high line on the steepest of faces in order to use the unbelievable speed of the mat to its full extent. I found myself just behind the section on many of the steep runners I encountered. So easy to enjoy, so hard to master...

New Lis due this week!

My favorite surf shop, reinvented...

2009-11-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

Pacific Beach Surf Shop is proud to announce the opening of the Action Sports Environmental Coalition GREENROOM within the shop. The shop undergoing a remodel that will include an organic and sustainable clothing section, a stage to host LIVE music, film and speaking events and a new surfboard gallery to showcase San Diego's best and most creative shapers.

PB surfshop's Grand Reopening PARTY!!!!
Pacific Beach Surf Shop has embraced the environmental and sustainable movement by highlighting such brands as eVocal, Ando & Friends, Livity, Hippy Tree, IPath and more! All these brands use only Organic cottons or hemp and are part of a growing trend of young socially conscious companies that promote surf art and a life style with an eye on the environment. As San Diego's oldest surf shop it only seems right that P.B. Surf Shop would be the 1st surf shop to embrace the green movement in the area.

Party Start's November 21st 2009
6:00pm - 11:00pm

This party will be the start of a new experience for you at the shop as we move forward as our goal to be the
"community surf shop" that will bring a wide range of events to the surf and beach community. For more information on the event please call us at (858)373-1138.

Our Address is:

4150 Mission Blvd. #161 San Diego Ca 92109

Live Music & Art Exhibit
Live Music by: Human Lab , and other surprise guests...

Live Art by: Jesse Miller, Theo Hetherington & other eVocal artists....

Quote...

2009-11-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

DT a surfer who shapes. He won "board of the show" or some such award at Sacred Craft. Photo Marsek

"You can only become a Jedi when you can craft your own light saber."
-RK as quoted by Daniel Thomson. We had a chuckle about this line, but how true it is...

I spent some time talking with Daniel "Tomo" Thomson at his short-term surfdorm residence in deepest, darkest North County San Diego. His is a fantastically hydra-headed story. Part Greenough neophyte, part fish-renaissance inspiration, part shredding bro/brah, part visionary shaper of the moment. Undeniably, he is a surfer. The most refreshing piece of our conversation was his view of himself not as a shaper but as a fully involved surfer. He just loves surfing so much that he wants to understand and explore all it's facets. He shapes because he surfs. He shapes because it gives him entrance into realms of new capabilities.

I have a friend who is an average surfer, much like myself. He got the bug to shape his own fishy and set to work in my "shaping bay" (bwahaha). The boards he made are not the prettiest, but they're his. Note to all: shape your own board, at least once. It will at least give you an appreciation for the undeniable skill of the shapers who put boards under our feet. Maybe, just maybe, it will fulfill the part of you that Tomo speaks about, the part that is in search of a complete involvement with surfing in its nebulous, beautiful forms.

Peter Pan-ic...

2009-10-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

GG (April, 2006), someday you'll think these same thoughts:

Today, a glorious Sin Diego fall day, I walked up Cowles Mountain (hill) with my three-year-old son. I didn't surf and haven't surfed in the last week, despite the swell. My wife is pregnant and quite ill. I've been on daddy and domestic duty. Delightful and delightful.

Sometime about half way through our walk I surveyed east San Diego and the near suburb of La Mesa, I saw the lake that I run around, pushing a stroller or laboring through predawn miles so I don't miss out on family or surf time later in the day/week. I saw the highways, everywhere highways, that I travel daily for sixty miles. I saw the little canyon that leads to my house from the lake. I saw the hazy western horizon and knew the sea, and decent surf, lay beyond, me missing it. I reflected on my current life. 31 years old, 8 years building a beautiful family with my wife, 9 years in a career I love. I do things I like all the time. I surf, I get outdoors, I create.

Then came the panic. In the midst of my comfortable, rewarding, suburban, middle-class, generally very happy life came a moment of Peter Panic. Is there enough time in this life to do all the things I dream? Do I have the courage to step off the well worn path at opportune times in order to expand my vision? What sacrifices must be made to stretch beyond the routine, regardless of how comfortable that routine may be, in order to encounter new and enriching experiences? How much time do I have on this earth? How is that time best spent?

My Father is a man of exceeding spiritual faith. I find this endearing and vexing. I wish the easy answers of faith came to me without drag-out battles of the mind that leave me with only meager satisfaction. Then I might be able to answer those most weighty of questions.

For now, in this moment, I will rest in the beauty of my life and try to follow the wise, petulant advise of Peter Pan, "Think of a wonderful thing, it's the same as having wings!" Then I can fly. But to where? And for to what end?

in correspondence...

2009-10-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

I was into kneeboarding then and this was the last stand-up board I made for myself. It's inspired by what Bunker Spreckles was riding at the time. The thickest point was the tail over the fin. Hard sharp rails all the way around. Shaped-in foot well. I remember riding it at the big jetty, but I think it's one I threw away in the end.

Hi Andy,

It's Sunday morning here in Henderson, Nevada, and I'm hanging out,
drinking coffee and catching up on some reading I wanted to do. I
finally read your interview with Josh Hall.

Really a wonderful, thoughtful piece. The "why" you are exploring
("The emergence of young hand shapers around the world begs the
question, “why?” ") is really a profound question, not easily
explained, and speaks of something in the soul of a small minority of
human beings. This "something" manifests in small segments of almost
all of man's endeavors, such as (just to name a few I've been
involved in) building surfboards and boats and airplanes, making
pictures (photography, drawing, painting), books (hand-made and
manufactured). This "something" is the need--NEED--to make stuff with
our hands according to some inner vision. Only a small minority of
people have this need, so there are only a few people making hand-
shaped surfboards, wooden boats, ultralight aircraft, art
photography, personal drawings and paintings, hand-made books and
books manufactured with the finest materials, typography and design.

This need, of course, has always existed, (why else would our
prehistoric ancestors make cooking vessels beautiful when a simple
functional clay pot would do just as well, and could be produced
faster and cheaper.) There are not many people who appreciate, and
will pay more for, these hand-made treasures. So those who NEED to
make these objects have always had difficulty supporting themselves
by selling these things.

So why make 'em? These artists and craftsmen just have to. In the
interview, Josh touches on all this stuff, except his NEED to make
hand-shaped surfboards. I bet he really doesn't have a choice. He
didn't decide between shaping by hand or with the aid of computers
and machines. He had to decide between shaping his way or going into
some other line of work.

All this thinking has sent me back to 1969 in Ocean Beach. Hey, I
think there's a story to tell before all of us who were there are
gone. That period is the beginning of the "backyard" shortboard
designer/builder phenomena and the end of the surfboard factory
domination. It was a time when anyone could, and did, shape a
surfboard, glass it and go out and ride it.

Don't have much money? Fine, make your surfboards yourself. Never
shaped a board before? No problem. Rent or borrow some tools. Don't
have a garage? So, hang some sheets up in your backyard and start
shaving on your blank (and there's always the kitchen to use for
glassing--not a room that gets much use anyway). Don't know how to
get started? Easy, cut your old longboard in half or drive up to
Mitch's Surf Shop in La Jolla and Mitch would sell you everything you
needed for very little money (did Mitch ever go home?). Want to go
into business doing this? Don't need no stinkin' business license,
surf shop or factory; just find an unused garage to rent and promote
your boards word-of-mouth out in the water.

The cool thing then was, we were at the beginning of the shortboard
era, and we were all just groping and feeling our way into it. There
was no past to refer to, only the future to discover. In San Diego,
an inexperienced shaper was totally accepted. There was so much
experimentation going on with board design, it didn't matter if you
didn't know what you were doing, and who could tell from the finished
board anyway? What mattered was that a shaped board was pleasing to
the eye--looked hydrodynamic--and was something new. If the board
sort of worked, you could go on from there with your next board. If
it didn't work, just throw it away. Great times, they were!

Cher and I have pictures and Super 8 footage of all this (I'm going
to copy her this e-mail). She has some of these old photos posted on
Facebook.

I enjoy reading your blog. Keep it up.

Tom

On wings...

2009-10-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Above: Andrew Kidman via F&F

September a whirl. Tasks, smiles, files of information all leading to summative success. The small faces pass by. Hundreds now. The small interactions, thousands, pass by. Yet as they pass they leave a trace of themselves. Wisps of personality; struggle and joyful accomplishment. I do not suffer from "alienation of labor."

However, I've surfed about ten times in the last two months.

Thankfully images of waves and boards, smiling surfers and the pendulum of the tides stay traced on my psyche. Tomorrow, the waves. Tomorrow, not a respite from work, but a companion piece to my working life.

Hear ye...

2009-10-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

I scribbled a little piece for Drift Surfing Magazine. Check it here.

Ofishially...

2009-09-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

A little clarification was shared via Sin Diego surf matriarch and artist divine, Cher Pendarvis. Educate the educator...

Hey Andrew, hope that you are enjoying a nice weekend! I enjoyed your post about the Larmo stories and the fish on Born to Lose.

Actually RK first rode Mikko's fish in 2003, and got stoked and inspired by the fun little board! The fish resurgence started earlier (as confirmed by Hanky Warner) when his friend Derek Hynd came to San Diego (1995-1996) and visited with Skip and Hanky when they had Harry's Surf Shop in PB. As Hanky remembers, Derek was looking through Skip's quiver and discovered a small old keel fin fish that Skip had in a bag, and asked what it was. Derek was stoked to have a fish, so Skip shaped him one. The next year, Derek came back and asked for Skip to shape him another one, with a slightly narrower tail. Derek ended up taking it to J-Bay and rode it there. Tom Curren rode Derek's fishes as well, at J-Bay, and inspired folks with his amazing surfing. Some of their rides were filmed by Andrew Kidman and can be seen in his movie, Litmus.

Aside from this story, some of us never stopped riding fish, and have kept them in our quiver since the early fish days. FYI: the fish is my favorite design of all time! I'm stoked that Hanky helped clarify some of the dates as to when Derek first saw Skip's fish. We look forward to talking with you, soon!

Aloha, Cher

Is there a more consequential modern surf film than Litmus? Not to me.

Fall fishing...

2009-09-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Above, a new creation in a classic mold by a new creator in a classic mold. Josh Oldenburg shape. GTall photos
JoshOnewblog

The face of surfing and shaping evolves through the generations. Name them. Each area contains a history lesson unto itself which at one point was the spear's point plunging forward in the name of progression. Remarkably similar, how the spiral of design and performance strikes the same chords throughout time. We all, young and old, seek the simple and nuanced thrill of wide open surfable mind-fields. We all, skilled and novice, revel in the unknown moments that await us after that first thrill. He'e Nalu. Time moves, people glow and fade away, waves pass ever onward.

Contradauction...

2009-09-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Art of Shaping entry from Steve Lis. I haev such a soft spot for classic Sin Diego fish. Photo: Cher Pendarvis

I tolerated the vapid ASR drones bumping their be-stickered freebie bags into each other as I walked to Billabong's Art of Shaping event. Something to look forward to. A cool idea. A potential for acknowledging the core of what makes surfing special- authenticity, originality, craftsmanship, regionalism, characters of all types.

I arrived late, checked a few boards then sat next to EpicAker and watched the festivities. The highlights were the remarkable boards at hand. The woodwork by Mitzven, R., Christenson, Toby- jawdropping. The handiwork by Hanky, Bahne, Pendo, Lis, Larmo, Peter St. Pierre, Sam Cody- phenomenal. The crowned king, an unbelievable glue up with matching fin from The Genius, went for lots o'cash to R.

Some nice words and actions were made from the podium to honor craftsmen in the trade. Some guys now have their boards stocked in some shops. An ad about supporting your local shaper/glasser is going to come out in Surfing Mag.

Problem- every moneyed entity involved- publications, shops, even the event sponsor and presenter- swell their bottom line with vacuous product sold at the expense of the real craftsmen. The popouts and overseas market destroyers will still outnumber Hank Warner boards at local Megaxtreme Store 1,2, and 3. What would happen if suddenly the real craftsmen were asked to make all the entry level boards for a fair price in place of all the popouts? Would Megaxtreme go out of business? No, they'd just sell boards of higher quality and support the men and women who make our surfboards great.

Billabong, thanks for gathering great boards, shapers, and enthusiasts together for a nice event to raise money. Perhaps The Art of Shaping will begin a reawakening among consumers, media, manufacturers, and retailers that reproducible flotsam is out and craftsmanship, functionality, and uniqueness is what makes surfing special and what is ultimately the most valuable basis on which to market our beloved diversion.

I used to be a sales rep in "action sports". It's much better being a participant/critic in surfing.

Commerce...

2009-09-08T21:12:00.001-07:00

In case you are interested in an unbelievable board.

1976 Steve Lis Fish Surfboard, A+ condition.

Cycles...

2009-09-06T16:57:00.001-07:00

I'm not a collector, I'm a surfer.

In the last week I've sold a lot of boards. I reached a point where my boards were ruling me rather than serving me. When you start dreaming about boards rather than waves you have an illness. Sold a 6'9 frye, 6' frye, 10'2 frye, 6'8 lis, 6'4 tony staples.

I'm trying to refine my quiver. Above is a keeper. 5'8".

Still available: 1976 Lis fish in amazing condition. Roper said it was 9 out of 10 in terms of historic value. Pricey (3k).

Refer to original...

2009-09-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

Photo pilfered from G&S

I spent part of this morning speaking with Larmo. He was kind enough to shed some light on a few topics in San Diego surfing and board design history. He's fifty now and grew up surfing the same zone I did. He reflected on his early shaping and glassing jobs, his continued excitement about surfing and design, and some seminal moments in San Diego surfing history. Some gems:

-Skip, literally without a home, shaping behind Select Surf in P.B., surfing continuously while his contemporaries had long since quit shaping and surfing.

-Larry, driving Skip and Donna north to a legends contest at Surfrider Beach where Skip displays his never-fading prowess and reasserts himself as a premier shaper and surfer in Southern California, emerging from his "dark days".

-RK, surfing a local pseudo-point on a Slater-Slipper type shortboard during decent swell (late nineties?), breaks a fin and trades with MFleming, who is riding a 5'5 fishy. RK rips and rediscovers the classic design. At home after the surf, RK records his thoughts on paper, soon thereafter KG fishies are shredded up and down baja and, for better or worse, the fish resurgence moves past the ranks of the truly tuned-in and Litmus-inspired and is brought to the attention of the greater surfing populace.

-Clark foam plugs designed by Rawson, now reside above a shaping room in coastal San Diego.

-There will now be 12' blanks available designed by Larmo and Skip. Glide.

I recommend you read this article on Drift.

In other worlds...

2009-08-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Photo: Web Foundling

There are small cracks in sidewalks
Seeds fall in and reach
Around other seeds in search
Of what will inspire germination.
The feet above scatter busy days
Above the heads of small flowers
Now questioning
What will inspire germination

- Padante Namimbu Bakura

Summer draws it's curtains with a fine show of sun and swell. My adored wife and son fly away to visit the in-laws. I begin my work year in two days.

Tonight, I drop off my two beloveds at Lindy Field and they flap off into the sunset. I jag the car to the coast. A beautiful sunset and glassy, waist high waves greet me. "Hmmm, I guess thirty minutes of surf is better than anything else I might do." Mat, fins, down the cliff, into salty reflecting pond. I spin and slide a wave and then another. The sun slips away. One surfer paddles in and then another. At last it is just me, alone, in the dark.

Surfing by sensation is a treat. Although I began to feel like bait after about a half-hour, I did enjoy some solitude and that rare feeling of being inspired for all the right reasons. No one could see me. No one knew I was there below the cliff on which they stood. It was me and ocean in our own slow dance, no one else on the dance floor to impress.

A beautiful counterpoint to life in general.

Fragile moments...

2009-08-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

At one North County break a surfer called Skip a kook and told him, "When I tell you to kick out, you kick out!". The worst part, nobody clued the offending surfer in. (photo BA)

The final fling before I'm back to the 7-3:30. Three morning sessions in a row lead me to North County locations that I seldom frequent. These are waves that people talk about with a smile but never in serious tones. Inconsequential waves of summer south swell fun. The fishies and mat had a minor feast.

But really, every time I visit North County San Diego I am profoundly aware that the quality of the waves are not matched by the general quality of the surfers. Two of the sessions I surfed this week ranked in my list of top three kookiest lineups ever (you mean you don't keep a list?). I've encountered more SUP misbehavior, more lineup lunacy, and more bizarre surfing in North County than I imagined possible. North County surfers of quality, will you please do more to keep your lineups and surfers accountable. Thanks.

You have to understand, I surf a Drive Through break about fifty percent of my sessions. I deal with kooky lineups all the time. But North County, you've got to get your act together. I'll be checking in on your progress during the school year. Thanks.

Nice waves, handle with care.

I've been stung four times by bees as I've walked the beach this summer. Karma?
I broke the box and fin out of my favorite JHall fishy for the second time this year while pulling into little beachy barrels this morning. Karma?
Shuffle your feet, ASmith. Shuffle your feet.

Yes, I'll name the spots. Poops, Crowdiff, and Qualcomm Reef/Beachy.

Mas Despacio, por favor...

2009-08-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

Jim Phillips' work. You can bet this took a minute or two. Photo via Web Foundling

"clean up the deck and get rid of anything that is wrong, skin the bottom to thickness, thin and rocker nose and tail, add vee's and or concaves. If the shape is NOT a full template stocker, draw out nose and tail and middle dimensions and template, cut out with power saw or hand saw, true up the planshape. Now true up the bottom, making sure the 2 sides are even and symetrical, give the bottom a light sand to get rid of any planer chatter, go back and look the deck over. Flip blank, cut bottom bands, fair in bottom bands with additional planer fine cuts, check for accuracy if you have NOT stabbed yourself in the eye with a pencil first. Flip blank over, band deck rails, fine bands to finish up, check for accuracy again, Sand flats out to rails top and bottom, sand over edges to end of final planer cuts top and bottom, tune up rails for the rough screening. Fine sand top and bottom flats, finish sand rails, give it a final drag of fine screen.

It damn near took me 40 minutes to type it all in proper sequence.

It takes as long as it takes to do it right, not a minute sooner.

A job worth doing is worth doing right No one has time to do it right, but has time to do it over The faster I go the behinder I get Would you buy a board from me if I took a little over a half hour ? Fast is not the same as good More is not better"

-Jim "The Genius" Phillips

Last night I sat on the beach with my son. My wife was out surfing. GG is jumping over holes, a little spiderman. "Daddy, how did spiderman get his powers?" Amermaid comes in, I grab the board to go out for a splash. "Daddy, I want to surf with you." Stop. Warm feeling toes to nose. "Okay, come on." Three years old, 34 pounds, on the deck of a 9'o. I walk him out, past the shorebreak and motorboat him over the oncoming microsurf. He does little push ups to get over the waves- a longboarder in the making? For minutes we are just floating on the outside. Then, moments later we are sliding towards the beach together. A first to equal to any monumental kid first; first step, word, haircut, bath. Anything.

Today, on the boogie, we try for a few from aways out. GG slides towards the shore and has that wonderful wipeout on the sand. He is shaken. We get on the horse again and take another, just to show fear that we are not mastered. Then, fun without expectation. "No more boogie waves right now, okay?" Sure GG. Take it slow. Enjoy your ride. No hurry towards some fictional finish line. "Maybe tomorrow we can surf again, Daddy?" Sure GG, as long as you're enjoying yourself.

How passe'...

2009-08-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

I used to have a 5'6 Larmo keel from KG. It was one of the best small wave boards I've ever ridden. Corpo-politico tomfoolery kind of made KG a joke. But back in the day (what? 200? is back in the day?) KG had Larmo and RK repping from a seriously knowledgeable fishhead perspective. I still love this shticky- tacky video and song. It makes me want to paddle around on Kauai and in Baja. Reality is that I'm too poor to travel to the Garden Isle and too unwilling to scare my wife by traveling in California Sur at the present moment.

Speaking of things fishy- Lis resurrection board is eminent.

Architectural Psyche...

2009-08-09T21:15:00.001-07:00

Photo: web foundling

Archetypes are made, stone by stone, image by image.

Waves were junk at The Drive Through. Grabbed my fins, hung my key around my neck and ran a minute or fifteen to Triton's Doorstep. Bodysurf session ensues. A few caverns explored. Sinus flood and tired legs my reward. All around are clones.

Twenty seven 6'2 thrusters, a few fishies, and me. The Logos are important. The wetsuits are important (Matuse is the new SD uniform by the way). The scowls are important. People can make almost anything into a competition. A beautiful, simple, sublime activity mangled by human insecurities and corresponding narcissism. Don't they know that I stopped going to Church to escape the pollution of the perfect by The Body Politic? I'm a member of The Church of the Open Sky. Look up and see the glide of the gull, gaze down and see me, sliding along on my belly, arm outstretched in an embrace to hold the whole of the sea close to me.

On the way back to The Drive Through a few of us are chatting. "I would love to live there." Yes. An elevator down to separate me from The Rest. A circle of windows giving me reign over a kingdom that I serve. The tide and wind would be my clock. The swell would be my church bell. Ring, sweet sea, ring.

Local kine history lesson...

2009-08-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

Found at Sway's. Courtesy BB. Skip was sliding The Drive Through this a.m.

Comflex reasoning...

2009-08-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Pendo most likely via Cher.

The new TSJ arrives. I love that white envelope. Inside are the usual suspects. I line them up and analyze each one thoroughly. Melanesia looks unbelievable. Alter's story gives me nostalgia for the days from before I was born. I sensed the stoke in the womb.

I come across an article about flex. Pendo is a contributing voice. He's one of my favorite Sin Diego surf characters. The 'stache is just so enamored of surfing and surfcraft it makes me giggle. I don't think I'll soon forget doing figure eights on a wave with our surfmats, bouncing off each other and grinning like my son on the bumpercars at Belmont. It's no surprise he's into the mat. He understands about variable flex. He and Stanley Pleskunas are a couple of minds on the hunt. His mind is always flexing. Take a wander over to his new site created by RR of 70%.

A bit of a surfing hiatus this last week while I enjoyed time with my family by the poolside on vacation. GG can now swim about eight feet underwater pretty comfortably. Tomorrow a bit of snorkeling and a GLIDE session. life is hard.

All rules apply...

2009-07-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

- JEwing pic of a real poster Somewhere, USA-

So many sessions with compromises. So many mediocre swells. So many slalom runs through crowded shoulders. So many glares and stares because of backpaddling and lack of etiquette. Today, a day with definite swell, I needed a more satisfying experience. Where to go...

I headed to Opposite Viejo's. Here is a wave with fine form. A birthplace of innovation, a bastion of civility- sometimes maintained through incivility. Waves were sleek and running down the reef in beautiful syncopation. The low tide was helping to open some almond-eyed barrel sections. There were no leashes in the lineup even though the waves were head high and fast. If you didn't make the barrel or fell on a turn, you swam. Good surfers were taking turns in a semi-orderly fashion. I, an interloper by any measure, was graced with many fine waves. I shared a couple of mat waves with Pflex and Tmat. Fish and fin originators were enjoying their earned status in the lineup.

I am grateful that there are still a very few spots like this one- spots where a healthy dose of proud localism and common sense surf etiquette combine in ways that create order and opportunity in the lineup.

Tomorrow, a weekend with swell, I'm off to a less frequented locale, or perhaps just The Drive Through...

The spaces in between...

2009-07-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Another earnest snap via Grant Newby

Been traveling. Toasts made, hotels, and hospitality. In times of travel past, a geothermal angst bubbles up. When the salty sea? When a return to freedom and simple, joyful immersion? This time I choose a different path.

"Where's that trail to Del Sur Beachy? It's pretty easy, right?" A call comes from a friend, still at home, still on track for a little surf session. I am in landlocked Microsoft mini-city. My teeth grit. "Yeah, it's easy but keep your eyes peeled for snakes. I saw a few there a while ago. Have a nice session."

The trail is a beautiful piece of coastal scrub framed by a brittle bridge with blue beauty deep beyond. It can be a bit steep, with narrow lanes between barbed plants and the aforementioned underfoot serpents. I always walk it happily. And it's not even because it leads me to surf or offers a change from the concrete footbed of daily life. The reason why it is a special path is because a few hundred yards away a nice, manicured, completely denaturalized cement trail leads to the southern end of the same stretch of coast. I like the scrub trail partly because it is not the paved trail.

So it goes with my landlocked travels. I am on the scrub trail. I will enjoy the nuance and rigor of this trail and return to the coast a little more slowly, but with a perspective of patience and appreciation.

A stoke quartet...

2009-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Teach a man to fish... (photo via Grant Newby)

Eight hours up the coast to the refuge by the sea. The islands were blocking any swell from lighting up Barbara's Corner. Further up the coast a bit of bounce was showing. My family reunion could not have been held in a prettier picture. It is so blessedly enlightening to move from arid and vapid southern California to the forest- fronted reefs of Alta. My sweet son slept. I crept, down to the shore to slide some on my belly. A surf mat travels well in a car five full and packed to the gills with road trip fodder. The water is clear, alive. A slight chill in July? Thankfully, yes.

********
A day or two before my trip north I receive this email from down under:

"Mate ,

great piece of writing on your blog today. Thanks for that , you captured it all there. Here are some fish mongers for you."

He also sends a picture, found above, worthy of a screen background on any soul-sucking interweb wipeout machine.

********
A day or two before receiving Mr. Newby's noble email I chat with an artistan surfer of recent acclaim for a project-in-process. We chat about mystery isles in undisclosed oceans, African instruments, and the reasons for the omission of a striking DVD extra from the original film. He is obviously a surfer talking to another surfer, not a minor celebrity talking to a minor fan."Here's my number, give me a call when you can..."

********
A day or two before the chat my son is in sixty seven degree water. "Let's Boogie!" he shouts. I lay him on top of the shin high whitewater. He slides towards shore, hands gripping the boogie, face shining a new confidence. A few waves later he goes through the rinse cycle. He comes up gasping...."I liked that wipeout!"

Let's boogie!

A chorus of approval...

2009-06-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Josh Hall, slider/creator of many crafts.

The beautiful present, as framed by Thomas Campbell, places us surfers in a mad mansion of a million rooms, all populated by subgroups of enthusiasts. And we, the lucky, get to inhabit the most dynamic room of all- the green room. And what a fascinating diaspora of characters fill our room. Middle of summer booty wearers rub shoulders with smug sliders with surf knots on their weathered feet. Hi-pro bro/brahs give the surfer's shake to profoundly experienced feral tube hunters. Small wave fishmongers look at each other eye to eye and grin, both knowing a pleasure unique to our sub culture. In the evolution of surfing we are immersed in a period of much experimentation and open minded joy inspired simply by the act of sliding a wave in a pleasing manner. We need to celebrate this moment.

This morning there were logs, fish, shorties, alaias, mats(me), boogies, SUPs, and bodysurfers in the water at my local. Hoot for the kook. Hoot for the ripper. Hoot for the grom. Help them to understand the etiquette of the lineup with patience and understanding. Embrace the joy of the present and give thanks for being a part of our strange, wonderful tribe.

Above, Josh Hall, San Diego shaper, points the way. Sin Diego has always had something of a "ride anything" mentality. We've always had our niche slide tribes. Now the functionality of that mindset is manifesting among a new generation. Encouraging.

Small steps forward....

2009-06-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

Fate sometimes seems to shrug her shoulders, cover her eyes, and flip a coin.

A few years ago a triad of reasons led me to spend more time surfing in one spot than I had in the past preferred. I needed easy access, consistent waves, and a place where my family could spend time at the beach. A nice spring swell had me sliding Civil Rights and the decision was made. In time, I learned the spot(s) and met some outstanding surfers amid the chaos of a very busy break in the very busy city I call home. Unexpectedly, my "have-to" spot has become one of my favorite places to surf and be a surfer. Yes, the surf schools, softboards, and SoCal 'Tude Dudes dirty the water a bit, but what I've found is a pretty rootsy gathering of surf stoked generations coexisting happily(?) amid the waves. Among those of the younger generation is Josh Oldenburg.

Fade the peak and go right. Cross step, cross step. Hang. Throw ten toes. Back to the tail. Kick out to kneepaddle.

Such was my introduction to young surfer/shaper Joshua Oldenburg. Friendly, reflective, motivated, and intelligent make a good recipe when cooking up a fledgling shaping career. But nothing beats out skill. By his own admission he's always been good with his hands. The proof is in the pudding. Granted, he's a true grom in shaping terms, but it is evident that he cares about surfboards and has the desire to create remarkable surfcraft. "I love all things related to surfboards." Josh says. It shows. He crafts a variety of equipment, all a vision of his own surfing life. You'll find sleek singles, aircraft carrier noseriders, and pod racers coming out of his workshop. Interestingly, all glasswork is by his own hand. "It allows me to keep completely engrossed in the building process." Josh reflects.

His stomping grounds and its accomplished surfers have shaped his vision of surfing. Watching Kevin Connelly, his primary surfing and shaping influence, has been the inspiration for his full-involvement noseriding style and the fountainhead for his log design. "My largest influence comes from Kevin Connelley. His ability to ride any type of board well is amazing. On a log Kevin never leaves the tip that style of nose riding has definitely transferred heavily into my shape design." His work with Roy Sanchez and Mike "Matzo "Mataratzo have informed his glasswork. Conversations with local shapers such as Terry Goldsmith and Don Laughlin have provided necessary guardrails on the highway of his shaping trip. The coalescing force of so many divergent but experienced board builders has empowered Joshua to flatten his learning curve a bit.

It is not surprising that a break where Rusty, Bob Mitsven, Richard Kenvin, and Josh Hall might be sharing the lineup on any given day would produce young shapers and surfers of note. Joshua Oldenburg understands that he is fortunate to have been witness to great surfing and shaping during his young surfing life and also understands that he is at the beginning of a long, beautiful life of board building. "Just like anyone else who has attempted to shape could tell you, those first couple boards are rough, but I stuck with it and now my shapes are resembling surfboards. I really build because I love most things related to surfing."

That love of surfing and surfboards has led him to this point. With all the force of influence coming to bear on his able hands he is beginning to create really nice boards. Mind you, there is room to grow, but this is something Joshua understands and takes seriously. "My shapes are constantly evolving, progressing and expanding. I have been fortunate enough to surround myself with phenomenal surfers who are willing to ride my creations and give me constructive feedback. Richard Kaminski, Peter Nguyen, Garrett Highhouse, and Tristan Sullaway (young rippers) have been really supportive of my shapes and with their help I have been able to make them boards that work. I am really looking forward to developing a brand name and business out of my shapes...At the end of the day I see myself building surfboards for as long as I can."

Shorepound jump, belly to a paddle. Spin, dig hard. Pop up and set the rail. view......

This morning I spent an hour and a half in hollow closeouts with one friend. A set came. We pulled in, smiled at the view, and were digested by the sandy, sweet sea. Conversation drifted towards the prismatic visions of life offered to us by our personal history as surfers. We were thankful to be surfers and thankful to surfing for helping to broaden our experience. I look into the future with optimism, past the polluting smog of crowds, Billavolcom, and narrow minds, confident that places like mine with people like those who surf and sip coffee there will inspire people like Josh Oldenburg to surf and create.

All photos Garrett Highhouse, who I believe also helped with Josh's logo and website (which iz the biz).

Busted a fin box on my favorite board, 5'8 Josh Hall mini fish simmons in the shorey this morning. Damn you closeout barrells! No, I didn't mean that. Really.

Meanderings...

2009-05-02T15:08:00.001-07:00

As of late I've been meandering about the watery world on boards of increased scale. I've been riding a lot of this:

Christian Beamish, 10' or so.

because of this:

Josh Hall, big fish simmons

and this:

Skip Frye

Leary had it right...

2009-04-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

As strange as the man was, he had it right. Pseudo-shaman Timothy Leary, prophet at the center of the now decades old LSD centrifuge, once said that surfers were perhaps the most "evolved" of all people groups. We give up accumulation for the sake of "the dance". We forsake cultural self-evaluation and the consequent neuroticism for "the dance". The stage becomes more important than the audience. The improvisational act becomes more relished than the expectation of a scripted life. "The dance", the pure moments experienced while riding on a wave of energy moving through liquid beneath your body, is a consuming presence in the surfer's thoughts.

As it is for a wave it is for a life. The moments spent creating compel us onward. The emergence of a new paradigm is a moving target, but worth pursuing. Doodle becomes sketch becomes painting becomes triptych becomes installation becomes interaction between idea and the viewer. One wave becomes scribble becomes board dimensions becomes draft shape becomes a realized board design strand. Creative acts build upon their own younger brothers' foundational steps. Just as that first wave transforms into that life-long memory of a wave. Just as one board design becomes an access point to another design.

Above, Manuel C. Caro shares a snapshot in the evolution of his surfing and shaping dance. He is a man who relishes the creative act for the full engagement that is required of it and the rewards it brings in like kind. The only description of riding a hull that has ever intrigued me beyond, "that's a cool trip." I was fortunate enough to handle a fine little stubby, fruit of Mr. Caro's hands, and can honestly say that I'm ready to give the shape a go. The dance goes on.

Gener(aliz)ations...

2009-04-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

Terry Martin has literally spent as much time holding a Skil 100 in his hands as Griffin has spent breathing. And yet, there is a kinship.

A web of experience links us dynamically. There is the shared excitement of the night-before-the-dawn, the early bird's delight, The moment of real fear when you are a ghost of your dream surfer, peering over the edge of your local break at just-out-of-comfort-zone size. We see it in each others' eyes, glassed over from a glass half-full outlook on life born of a transcendental pursuit. The pedestrian act of the surf check is our weekly parade through the stations of the cross. Our collective memory revolves around saints who you might meet on State Street or on the hills of Oregon. Accessible, assessable.

But really, it is a selfish enterprise. We want to share the love of the experience, but not the wave. A grand argument between theologians has long surrounded the question of the true nature of the human spirit. Are we generous and good? Are we selfish and bad? Yes.

And in the picture above Griffin is listening. And Terry is telling. And so goes the stoke of one surfer to another. Shaper of yesterday and now to shaper of tomorrow. Here is the difference. Here is how surfing and surfboards are different. Mass produced commodities of the pre-pubescent mega consumer be damned. Bring forth the young and the willing to listen, learn, surf, and shape. Griffin, when you shape your 100th look me up. I've got an order for you.

Photo Marsek

Celestine Aquifer...

2009-04-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

On a hill above the southwind beachbreak live a pantheon of surfers. All more adept than me. Or you.

My son and friends walk through a hallway. Windows show syncopated fin flicks, tail slides, and speed runs on either side of the corridor. GG traces a winding line through the hall, gazing through each shrine's window. He observes, questions, places himself amid the scope and scale of the ocean's varied inhabitants.

We lay for a moment on the floor. In front of us and above us is a pane of glass. On one side concrete, petro chemicals, the necessity of land preservation (my son says "Thanks, Mr. President.") On the other is a column of water, stacked with an array of creatures each of their own dignity, wholeness. Our eyes scan the portal. We imagine ourselves as creatures of the sea.

Outside the building I look down at surfers playing in the happy swells. I scan from Cave Cove to Triton Pier. A thousand times I've surfed those waves in my mind's eye as I stood watching them. A thousand times I've slipped the surface that binds me and entered the water below. Today I don't dream of surfing the waves. Today I imagine that I am below the waves, immersed completely in the salty, holy water.

Happy Birthday GG. It was a happy day for me, too.

Anythink beyond three...

2009-03-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Nice location to spread out in the water and on the beach. Can you spot my mat?

Mirandon innovation.

When I was thirteen I could barely put a nail into a 2x4. Mini-Simmons from Windan' Grom Griffin.

Michael Miller is a talented craftsman and as sincere as Sunday (bringin' it back!).

JHall fish with killer artwork.Lovelace's extremely functional fishy being examined by yours truly. Yes, keels are for reals.

The first Fish Frye I've attended since Toby brought stew. I enjoyed it, though the focus has shifted as interests do, away from the San Diego Centric Fishy scene (I had two Fryes and a Lis on the beach to be ridden and only one taker!). Lots of bladey hulls, Campbell Mindful Machines, twin bars of soap, and quad destroyers were on the beach. I tried out my bad toe on a Pendo (Thanks Steve!) but I sucked (don't run down the rocks at bahia burrito reef) . Went to the mat and had a ball- as always. The highlights were talking to and meeting some names and faces, seeing some boards and fins, being in the sun and at the beach. I'll go again next year with a good toe.

All photos borrowed from the internets. Thanks.

Off the rack wings...

2009-03-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

There are Skip Frye boards on the racks at Pacific Beach Surf Shop right now: 2:45 p.m. Saturday the 2nd day of spring, 2009. The Double-eagle is calling you. The Fish-Simmons is swimming towards you. The Noserider is picking itself as yours. The Magic is uttering incantations in your general direction. There are mulitple stringers and custom tail-blocks involved. This is rare. Standard finder's fee applies: two shakas and a smoothie.

I am not affiliated with P.B. Surf Shop. I simply like their take on surfing and I like their owner.

"Here at PB Surf Shop we pride ourselves in stocking surfboards of only the highest quality by local shapers. All surfboards are hand shaped, hand glassed, and hand picked personally by our staff here at PB Surf Shop."

If you don't care for a Frye they also carry Larmo boards, JHalls, Kconnelly noseriders and lots of other local craftsmen's shapes.

Periscopic...

2009-03-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

16mm from Thinkmat. He made the waterhousing and makes his own surfmats, too. There are all kinds of rats in this watery maze.

Filter through...

2009-03-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Even with the finest surf films I find myself weary of certain sections or riders. I suppose this echoes my surfing interests. The Present was chock full of surfing I loved, liked, and some I'd have just assumed not watch. Highlights for me were the immaculate water shots of Indonesian barrels (courtesy of Mike Stewart I believe), the unbelievable vibe of the "first ascent" on the African oasis, and the comedy skit. I could've left half of the alai'a stuff on the cutting room floor. It's cool but just not my cup.

Above is a little teaser I unearthed at Sway's. Steve Cleveland of Another State of Mind looks to have something fun in the works.

Can you guess what surfing might not be my favorite? You got it, the try-hard superman air on a 9' board- blah!

FIlter through...

To be a surfer...

2009-03-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

In the present it is okay to be this guy^

The present moment is a gift.

For the 25th of December I received a worthy surf film. The echoes of stoked surfers' hoots reverberated from the southern hemisphere to my living room. The sea waves were ridden by those worthy of being called surfers as opposed to people who happen to surf. A story of brutal grief transformed through the meditative, restoring life of wave riding. The old soul of the filmmaker mixes with the youthful physicality of his subject. Striking. Beautiful. Honest.

Last night I slipped away to receive a gift. I parked just east of a classic, summertime, low-tide, barreling reef. The film began and I was in a classic, all season, vision of surfing perfection-immersed. Visions of lined up logging waves, fishy-heaven point waves were served. Kegs of machined Indonesian how-deep-can-she get waves, anyman's weekend waves were served. All of them feasts. Boards and non-boards of all types ridden with an evident hand of skill and the bluff of ease were inspirational. From the artist comes art.

To be a surfer in the present moment is a gift. We are more free than ever. We are more able to eschew the branding of surfing and embrace the true community of surfing. More capable of being humbled by unfamiliar surfcraft. We are closer to the purity of sand in the shorts, sun on the back, "did you see that?" days. Rules are for competitions, uniforms for institutions. Believe me- we, us surfers, do not need rules and uniforms. We need the sheer joy of surfing found in the present moment.

Past/Present...

2009-03-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

I don't wear tight pants or have a beard. I have never gone by the name "Skeezy" or "Catfish"(Epic!;). I was playing in punk and hardcore bands when "emo" was just a term for a kind of music. I'm a schoolteacher with a receding hairline and a family. I like surfboards and surfing. I will be seeing this film, Thomas Campbell's The Present, on Sunday night at 7 p.m. in La Jolla. I'll be the stoked surfer with the beautiful wife and killer grom. I'll consider a surf movie night a gift.

p.s. I'd like to share some old recordings of my bands on this blog. Any help for ways to embed?

Legitimize it...

2009-02-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

My friend is a cheater. He is tall, athletic, an excellent paddler, a phenomenal natural surfer, and he insists on riding 9' longboards like they are shortboards. Yes, he occasionally nosetouches, but mostly just pumps, jives, floats, and bashes. When I used to be a diehard sponger he would give me a bit of a hard time because it was "easier" to ride prone than standing. Now he justifies his cheating. "Surfing is about catching waves and having fun." Simple. True.

Is riding a fish, log, mat, kneelo, glider, funnyboard, toothpick, or boogie cheating? Is surfing most valid when it is done in a more difficult manner? Who is qualified to judge which is the most difficult of wave riding arts? Surely someone who is accomplished in all disciplines. Is that you? It's not me.

I've been burned and snaked a fair share of times for bouncing about on a Neumatic. I've had rocks thrown at me for riding a boogie at good barreling waves. I assume the fact that prone riding is viewed as an easier surfing art justified the perpetrators' malicious acts.

The wood ancients are all the rage partly because they're difficult to surf. The MSurfica/Hynd cult is partly validated by the perception of difficulty.Why isn't the West Oahu ripper pictured above (Danny Kim) a modern hero? He is doing what few others can do and doing it well.

And those A.P.E.S are the biz. If you have a pair send them to me. I prefer the green.

Mini-simsation...

2009-02-12T20:07:00.001-08:00

RK con soapbar and suds

Civil Rights

"Hi!" line

Finless diversion

I spent some time at parking lot reef this last weekend. I saw some good surfing, mostly by people who were not me. I spied RK on his little Simmons board. People tend to buzz on this board idea. Even reputable surfboard craftsmen whisper to me about the board as RK walks down the beach. Though I'm not particularly interested in surfing the specific design, I do find the story of this strain of surfcraft pretty compelling. Are we witness to the advent of a distinct line of surfing design? With Kenvin et. al. are we seeing a moment of punctuated evolution in creativity? Certainly there has been enough mysto-rootsism publicity to move a small hoard of experienced and experimental surfers onto these li'l sims. The silver cloud of the long awaited (now mythical?) surf film Hydrodynamica parades around the rim of this strand of surfing life- creating a shadowed enthusiasm. Regardless, I am interested to see what comes next.

One simple question: If this is a surfcraft lineage in the making, why would a surfer buy one of these little soap bars from anyone other than the originator? I've seen others making the design, but if I can get one from the braintrust, why wouldn't I?

All photos courtesy Gtall, thanks.

A thousand...

2009-02-06T17:10:00.001-08:00

Azure Vista birthplace of many joyful moments.
All pics via Joe Ewing

A duo..

2009-01-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

Notable. After a few sessions with more accomplished MatMen, namely Kendog and TRedondo, I'm gaining a bit more confidence on the towel. Saturday last, Jtweet and I enjoy some prone beauties. Long lefts in glassy conditions. Lesson one: too much air, no good. I played with inflation a bit to come back to the same conclusion. I like it about 90 degrees. There's a magic point of diminishing returns that a sensible mat rider cannot pass for fear of losing the flattened-out low-friction flutter of the mat. Lesson two: Don't leave your squid lid on top of the car and drive away. It's been a cold, flat winter. Now it will be just that much colder. And I am undeniably wimpy when it comes to cold.

Notable. The wind shifts on Sunday. "Dude, everywhere is, like, victory at sea". Nope. find a little sheltered beachbreak to enjoy with Mcheats. just the two of us and fast peaks disappearing onto the sand. Stoked. When I surf really fast waves with a really good surfer I am reminded that I am an average surfer with an above average level of surf stoke. It's a good life, this surfing life.

To touch time...

2009-01-27T21:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, a stick on leash plug. Bizarre.

Let her fly...

Leash like a noose.

A prodigal returns. Northern Cal B. Arevee calls to show me a board. PB, my original surfing fountainhead birthed this yellow bud in the mid seventies. Bird says so. It is mine for the fair price of... But I ride my collection. This one would be done in months. Death by dings. Some wall will be well hung. Rather, to see and feel and be able to appreciate a piece of someone's surfing journey through a surfboard of defined lineage is a pleasure. My solemn wish: it rides once again before being sent to the surfboard taxidermist.

Pardon the leash. It would've been rude to ask to remove it. Besides, perhaps it means that the board will be ridden again.

Di-caught-omy...

2009-01-21T19:48:00.001-08:00

Surfers' weekend. No swell showed on Saturday. Only marginal waves. Ridiculous crowds. Beautiful conditions. Got a few lined up sliders.

Sunday it begins. I drive from priceless pier to holiness haven. Lots of spots with some waves. Lots of lulls between waves. Lots of people complaining about the lots of people. A little county knowledge leads to many beautiful waves with a more manageable crowd. The longest lefts I've surfed in years. 100 yards if they were an inch. About head high, perfect glass.

Monday it continues. No looking around, just surfing. Same spot, same result. I dared an hour p.m. session at Civil Rights. A few beautiful waves come through. I catch six. I am dropped in on three times. Twice by don't-know-betters, once by "ASmith is too deep" guy. I wasn't too deep.

I am not complaining. I scored.

Yet...

I had two really grunmply moments. A SUP guy paddles out and wobbles in the impact zome losing his boat towards me and others repeatedly. I snap a little and embarassingly refer to him as "bobblehead" and "Kooky". "ASmith is too deep guy" gets a tirade about looking behind him and so on. Embarassing.

Don't be me. Don't become angry crowd surfer guy. I probably rode twenty waves of high quality over two days and countless more average waves. All of this in beautiful Socal conditions. Yet I found a way to be episodically grumpy. This is my penance, my public flaggelation. I apologize.

I give thanks.

Surf is where you find it...

2009-01-08T15:59:00.001-08:00

snowmobile surf mission on Lake Superior.

Re-solutions...

2009-01-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

Resolutions work for me. I make them about goals for personal growth. I make them about the mundane and the really quite important. They work. Last year I made a few with good results.
I can now touch my toes. I give a wave away every session. I listen more thoughtfully. I always double check my car doors when leaving a board inside during a session. Alas, with my wife going back to work, I was unable to surf more.

With little fanfare. Here are this years' batch of resolutions.

1. Create more, consume less. Purposefully broad in scope and hopefully in application. I taught someone to surf on January first. I officially created more stoke and, I suppose, a more crowded lineup. Sorry.
2. Surf more. I'm two for two so far in 2009!
3. Give thanks. Thanks.

"You're #11 on the list." Mrs. Lis, regarding a certain beachbreak fishy I'm anticipating.

A little gem for you...

2009-01-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Lis shaping. Ching in outer island paradise waxing historical. Rasta shredding a fishy. Crucial.
Video found via some world wide web spelunking.

Speaking of Mr. Threinen...

2008-12-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

I just received an email with this note and a cool sketch attached. First illustration of a mat wave ever?
"Here's a sketch of a sectiony wave being ridden by Don Redondo on his modern mat. It's hard to capture the surf mat's unique wave riding characteristics. That ability to glide over flat or slow parts of the wave is one possibility for graphic images. For some time I've been thinking of a drawing with a mat tracking across the flat top of a thick wave at full speed. And here it is."
-Tom

I've been quite ill. No surf.

Don Redondon't surf...

2008-12-20T08:49:00.001-08:00

Tom sliding around the section.

Don Redondo

Pencil. Amazing. Check it, neo-hipster dudes. Artistic chops are it.

He rides a surfmat. Tom Threinen is a classic surf artist and a rad mat surfer. I met him at last spring's matmeet and we traded Neu for 4gflyer for a few waves. I personally love the story that Drew Kampion has going accompanying Tom's great artwork in "The Adventures of Don Redondo", found in The Surfer's path. Check Tom's site and get the backstory. Then enjoy it for yourself.

Tom, we'll meet up again soon!

Gtall reports in...

2008-12-20T08:47:00.001-08:00

Don't worry. There is hope for the stoke impaired. I received this email from good guy and stoke-seeker, Gtall.

"Andy,
Gtall here, checking in with the stoke renewal professor. So I saw
the tide was stretching out to around 7 foot on Thursday so i decided
to hit (crowned navy nugget). 4 hour session in glassy surf with me and two old
men out. I went through the quiver(log, fish, new 7 foot something
single fin) and had a blast. Also, the last two times Sslide and I have
surfed we have had our surfboard session and then set the boards on
the beach and bodysurfed until we got legitimate barrels, once at
(Crowdiff's northern neighbor) and the other at (crowned navy nugget). Stoke is back but so is the bad
weather. Hope to see you in the water soon.

P.S. While looking around in the garage today I found my dad's old
Churchill fins. I dont know if they are body surfing fins but they
fit, all I need now is a surfmat."

Well done, student!

This resonates...

2008-12-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

Seaworthy Promo from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo.

The kids are going to be alright...

2008-12-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

The latest in the very positive progression of Cobi Emery, the grom with whom I helped develop a little summer learning project about a solution to ocean pollution. Now he's been on Fuel TV, in Surfing Magazine's green issue, in the papers, and on the web. It's humbling to think small contributions on my end helped to make a big difference in this kid's life- and maybe the health of our beaches. One foot in front of the other...

Link to a recent podcast on the Surfrider blog.
Link to his official pick up three website.

A (true) fish story...

2008-12-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

Kneeboard womb and the home of my fishy benefactor...Thanks John, wherever you are!

A fun, messy sneak-it-in -before-the-weather-hits session this morning leads to a tedious sneak-it-in-before-Christmas-hits shopping session. I visit JB's new tea shop in South Park. Very nice. I stopped by imported unfair trade supermart. I end up at a bookstore. "Hmmm, Surfer Mag." You know, the one that once featured journalism, editorials, and coherent thought for an eclectic surfer readership. I proceed to thumb through a multiple page "article" about the evolution of the fish surfboard based on the ...Lost brand movie "5'5" x 19 15/12". (Fun movie by the way). It mentions some key movers and covers some basics. Great. It also features quotes by no one except Matt Biolas (sp) ...Lost's main loser. The only photos accompanying the article are frame grabs from the film. Question: since when did advertising dollars decide the content of Surfer Magazine? Oh, yeah, for a long time now. Blatant. Boring. Predictable. Garbage. It's as if Surfers are a bunch of sheep looking for someone to tell us how to spend our cash. Well, if you need someone to tell you where to spend your surf-related disposable income, just let me know. I'll point you in the direction of some seriously interesting surfers, shapers, craftspeople, and thinkers who deserve any press they get.

Anyways, Here's a true fish story- mine. I used to be a serious Bodyboarder while in High School. I'd frequent the above hollow left reef. Kneeboarder by the name of JFinn stopped by my Mission blvd. home and gave me a quad kneeboard. He said he'd like to see me on it, thought I might enjoy it. It was a Stu Kenson shape under the label "evening glass", nice foam inset deck, 5'4 x wide but nicely foiled. I enjoyed the board as a kneeboard, but really got hooked (ha) once I started to surf it standing up. That gift led to my ongoing infatuation with the smooth, speed-on-demand world of fish surfboards. I later gave the board to my buddy, Matt, who happens to be one of the more naturally gifted surfers I've known. You can't keep a board that is given to you....

Don't get ...Hooked,
get hooked.

Paradigm...

2008-12-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

For me, there is the board. A certain board that represents a lot of what I like in surfing. For me, surfing is a continuum of historical experience and innovation evolving through time to the present. This board represents this idea. For me, surfing is a sport of elegance and brilliance combined with pragmatism. It is a local phenomenon that thrives in a kind of regionalism that runs counter to the globalization fetishist's rallying cry- "more of the same because people are mostly the same." This board represents my thoughts. For me, surfing is a personal journey of challenge, enjoyment, and pure fun. This board resonates along those lines. 5'7" Steve Lis Fish. Geppy keels out of a lighter wood (birch?). In remarkably good condition for a board from 1976 (awaiting confirmation). Note the original leash hole drilled through the left keel. And yes, it will be surfed.

Here's a 5'8 that I simply loved....now gone to delam and dings.

The heroes you know...

2008-12-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

David Eggers, Loungin'

A conversation about political messiahs leads to a blurt. "We're all a little bit of hero."

Mid '90's I spent an hour or many at this left reef. Eggers was the first guy to inspire me from inside the tube. No matter how much perfect pipeline you see on celluloid, nothing prepares you for the high drama of heavy tube riding- witnessed or experienced first hand. TSJ had an article about Eggers a bit back. It gave a nice snap of the arc of experience that occurs in even the hero's platinum life. "We're all a little bit of hero."

Be thankful for the heroes you know or have known. Be thankful for proximity to inspiration. Be thankful for the opportunity to be someone else's hero.

Give Thanks...

2008-11-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

Transcontinental...

2008-11-18T17:49:00.001-08:00

Nautical niceness from the Netherlands. Thanks for the visual props, Eef.

Patch, you win Thread! Drop me a comment with your email and I'll get back to you!

Gtall's stoke renewal program...

2008-11-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

Four weeks to greater stoke.

Week one:
No boards allowed. Fins allowed. You must body surf each day. By the end of the week you must have completed a)A shorebreak enema b)An actual down the line open face ride with "correct" arm outstretched c) A "Hey guys, don't mind me, take what ever wave you want, I'm just getting wet."

Week Two:
Boogie and/or surfmat allowed. fins allowed. You must boogie/mat/bodysurf each day. By the end of the week you must have completed a) A bumper boogie party wave with at least two friends b)A shorebreak "eye spy" c) A ridiculously late drop into a closeout death barrel.

Week Three:
Pack at least three surfcraft in your car. Fins, boogie/mat, and some surfboard- minimum. In the water every day. By the end of the week you must have completed a) A session during which you rode every craft in your car b) A session during which you traded surfcrafts with someone in the lineup at least twice c) A session at least a half mile from a parking lot.

Week Four:
All surfcraft are allowed. Surf each day. By the end of the week you must have completed a) giving a really good wave to another surfer b) A leashless surf session (be safety minded) during which you intentionally lose your board periodically in order to bodysurf to the beach. c) A conversation with an older stoked surfer, about your dad's age, regarding the good old days.

By the end of this program you will feel your stoke revitalized, your radometer will be primed, and your shaka hand will be ready to throw out some sweet surfing love!

An understated grace...

2008-11-17T16:28:00.001-08:00

JRoots courtesy BA

The attainable grail. We all, like blind acrobats, pursue a thrill. We are unaware of the pinnacles possible and the depths of dis-grace. We all, like blind acrobats, twist and contort to fit and fetch a glance from shore. From my watery view I see the singular mind matched to the singular track. Trim.

One of my favorite surfers...understands.
(9' something Frye Braden model)

Sequence...

2008-10-30T16:30:00.001-07:00

I love when a film or sequence allows a good mind-surf. RK at Butch's courtesy of BA. Check that asymmetrical jive.

Rob Machado's front yard...

2008-10-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

It's a good wave, but honestly, can any wave handle twenty-three Standup Paddle Guys?

Rob's front yard was pretty fun at the ebbing tide this afternoon. I've probably only surfed this wave five times. It's always fun, but always crowded. I had a free Wednesday afternoon to slide and picked the right board for the occasion. The 6'9" Frye was enough foam to compete with the SUP capital of the world's resident population. Fun, slippery high line rides were enjoyed. I caught plenty of waist to chest high zippers. Longfish do that long radius cutback so nicely. Where is that video of RK at San Juanico?

About halfway through my session a guy who is doing a bit of a distance paddle comes by. Soul patch and surfer drawl: "Nice board." "Thanks." "You know, I have the only bonzer Skip ever made." "Cool." He paddles on. I catch some more waves. Guy, if you're reading this, send me a pic of that board!

You can't kill art, but you can raffle it away...

2008-10-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

Inspiration via Clayfin.

I liked Thread, by P.Trefz. I'm kind of tired of it. So leave me a comment on this post involving the phrase "getting rad" and I'll put your name into a raffle hat. In two weeks I'll pull a name. If I pull your name I'll send you the DVD. Fun!

If you live in Japan or Mozambique or Papua New Guinea we might have to talk about shipping. Pragmatism stinks.

Periodic Politics, part 4

2008-10-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Because I just received an email from a blog reader who wondered how the supply/demand economics policy of Obama might be evaluated. Not definitive, merely a snapshot of the thoughts of some people who know more than I do about economics.

From The Economist.

Our survey is not, by any means, a scientific poll of all economists. We e-mailed a questionnaire to 683 research associates, all we could track down, of the National Bureau of Economic Research, America’s premier association of applied academic economists, though the NBER itself played no role in the survey. A total of 142 responded, of whom 46% identified themselves as Democrats, 10% as Republicans and 44% as neither. This skewed party breakdown may reflect academia’s Democratic tilt, or possibly Democrats’ greater propensity to respond. Still, even if we exclude respondents with a party identification, Mr Obama retains a strong edge—though the McCain campaign should be buoyed by the fact that 530 economists have signed a statement endorsing his plans.

The detailed responses are bad news for Mr McCain (the full data are available here). Eighty per cent of respondents and no fewer than 71% of those who do not cleave to either main party say Mr Obama has a better grasp of economics. Even among Republicans Mr Obama has the edge: 46% versus 23% say Mr Obama has the better grasp of the subject. “I take McCain’s word on this one,” comments James Harrigan at the University of Virginia, a reference to Mr McCain’s infamous confession that he does not know as much about economics as he should. In fairness, Mr McCain’s lower grade may in part reflect greater candour about his weaknesses. Mr Obama’s more tightly managed image leaves fewer opportunities for such unvarnished introspection.

A candidate’s economic expertise may matter rather less if he surrounds himself with clever advisers. Unfortunately for Mr McCain, 81% of all respondents reckon Mr Obama is more likely to do that; among unaffiliated respondents, 71% say so. That is despite praise across party lines for the excellent Doug Holtz-Eakin, Mr McCain’s most prominent economic adviser and a former head of the Congressional Budget Office. “Although I have tended to vote Republican,” one reply says, “the Democrats have a deep pool of talented, moderate economists.”

Periodic politics, part 3

2008-10-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

From Babywit.

From Hugg.

Accurate? No. Humorous? Yes.

This site is pretty funny too.

I tend to base my votes on environmental issues, education issues, and equity issues. Though the current "e" word of the moment, "economic issues", is in the fore of many thoughts, I cannot ignore these three primary interests of mine. I also believe that careful, proactive engagement with these three issues will lead to more economic stability in the long term.

With these issues in mind, Born To Lose (remember, the title is ironic), officially endorses the Democratic ticket for the offices of President and Vice President. Other, less influential endorsers include The Sierra Club and The League of Conservation Voters.

Pieces of information the environmentally aware voter should know, taken from grist.org.
By no means do I think that all of the below will be accomplished. But I am allowed to have attainable hope for a (slightly) better environment to leave with my son.

Barack Obama...

Calls for cutting U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Would accomplish this through a cap-and-trade system that would auction off 100 percent of emissions permits, making polluters pay for the CO2 they emit.
Would channel revenue raised from auctioning emissions permits -- between $30 billion and $50 billion a year -- toward developing and deploying clean energy technology, creating "green jobs," and helping low-income Americans afford higher energy bills.
Calls for 25 percent of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025, and for 30 percent of the federal government's electricity to come from renewables by 2020.
Proposes investing $150 billion over 10 years in R&D for renewables, biofuels, efficiency, "clean coal," and other clean tech.
Calls for improving energy efficiency in the U.S. 50 percent by 2030.
Calls for 36 billion gallons of biofuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2022 and 60 billion gallons of biofuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2030.
Calls for all new buildings in the U.S. to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Calls for reducing U.S. oil consumption by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels a day, by 2030.
Introduced the Health Care for Hybrids Act, which would have the federal government help cover health-care costs for retired U.S. autoworkers in exchange for domestic auto companies investing at least 50 percent of the savings into production of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Supports raising fuel-economy standards for automobiles to 40 miles per gallon and light trucks to 32 mpg by 2020.
Supports a phaseout of incandescent light bulbs by 2014.
Cosponsor of the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act. After being badgered by MoveOn and other progressives over the issue, he "clarified" his position by saying he would support liquefied coal only if it emitted 20 percent less carbon over its lifecycle than conventional fuels.
Has been endorsed by Friends of the Earth Action, in part for his opposition to a summer "gas-tax holiday" that McCain and Clinton support. (FoE Action had previously endorsed John Edwards.)

Slick back yo' hair...

2008-10-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, the title of this post is a reference both to the preferred hairstyle of iconic surfer/shaper Mike Hynson who created above twinzer and a description of what would happen to rider's hair when this board was ridden by capable pilot. The twinzer is made for slippery speed. It occupies the place between keel and quad. I must say, if this board had been two or three inches shorter it would still be in my garage. I'm not a fan of boardworks pop out Hysons but I respect the man's design work. Now, if only I could take a red fin out for a ride...

Bad bit of surfing luck recently: three or four weeks ago, little barrel attempt at blacks, stick the jhallquad into the sand, break off the tail. JRoper hooks me up, thanks Joe, the next weekend is in dreaded Vegas, not my cup of tea, next weekend I surf 1 foot blacks, a collegiate surf contest takes up the only operating peak, educator stress relief on a Wednesday afternoon, first surf back on the JHallquad after surgery, I ding it on my own knee. Tomorrow, wake and surf and be grateful.