summer`s early

Checked things before work and looked fun. Super low tide, got better as the tide came in . I can`t surf till my stitches are out so I `m just watching this week

NB-am HB-pm

I`m out of the water for awhile, for health reasons. Checked it anyway, Blackies shadowed swell early, Huntington winblown swell at 2pm.

Surfing bad?

I`ve recently finished reading a book titled "Molokai" that dealt with old Hawaii and leprosy. It was a good book and well researched. Surfing has been an integral part of Hawaiian culture for centuries, and petroglyphs of surfers are carved in stone.
When Capt. Cooke first sailed through the area in the late 1700`s he witnessed the locals surfing for the pure joy of it.Missionaries followed the traders into the islands in the 1820`s to bring Christ to the native Hawaiians. The Gospel message was well received by the islanders ,but the Calvinist Christians aslo brought a strict work ethic, modesty , and religious piety. Surfing was deemed to be a waste of time and the fact that it was done while scantily clad was a problem to the missionaries. Surfing fell into a decline as the locals tried to follow the new teachings.
So here I am in 2008 with a deep love for Jesus Christ and surfing both. What has happened over the last 180 years that I can surf without fear of offending the Lord or my church. I consider surfing to be a gift from God where I can enjoy his creation , riding swells generated by his wind blowing over his ocean to his beaches.
I believe the missionaries had only the best intentions for the Hawaiians, the Bible calls us to spread the Word to all nations. Perhaps surfing was just to much of a distraction and had to be stopped for the message to sink in.
I am grateful that I`ve been able to combine both God`s love and surfing in my life.

The Yardbirds-Shapes of things

I`m kind of stuck in the 60`s a bit, the music of my teens holds a special place in my heart. Check the Yardbirds with young Jimmy Page

Oahu 4 day

I`ve just returned from a too short trip to Honolulu, very little swell South shore but surfed Three`s about head-high and D-Head was ok too. Went to the north shore once as a family thing , no surf for me. The swell was good and a contest to watch at Pipeline. Shave Ice at Matsumoto and back to town for dinner , Waikiki sunset.

weekend walls

Clear and cold at Bolsa this AM, walled up and mostly unmakeable. By the time you got south of the HB pier it was pretty small. Didn`t go out today

Cream - Tales of Brave Ulysses

One of my favorite rock songs , great lyrics and imagery. I remember it being used in a surf movie long ago ( Forgotten Island of Santosha?) and it was the perfect soundtrack for fluid surfing in some exotic tropical waters. I was probably 17 and had snuck in the back door of the Surf theatre in old HB

lifted

I try to put up my own pics most days, but every now and then I`ll lift one off the web. This photo was taken by a local Rincon photog named Simba, and I couldn`t resist. The guy takes these great,fluid shots . I didn`t surf today as the weather was unsettled , rain one minute and cloudy offshore the next. Hoping for better tomorrow.

afternoon therapy

Frustrated all morning as I couldn`t get away to surf as planned, fortunately the winds held off and HB was surprisingly smooth this afternoon.

Lincoln`s Birthday

The west swell continued from the HB pier north, mostly walled around here. The shape was better but smaller on the south side.

cliffs 2-09

Not quite dawn patrol, the sun was just breaking the horizon. I paddled out at the Cliffs to surf for an hour or so. Got a few waves but 15-20 minutes between sets left lots of idle time.

Warmth....

I took a "mental health day" just to get some things done and have some work done on the company truck. I`d hoped to surf but there wasn`t much swell and the fat tide swamped what little there was.Still , it was nice to stand on the cliffs in the warm sun and watch the sea roll in.

clean but small

I couldn`t get out there today. I drove down to look but was called back to work before I could get in the water and away from the cell phone. Hoping for tomorrow........

I worked, I surfed, I voted.....

Storm`s passed

Local conditions were nothing like this picture but at least it wasn`t raining. H.B. was jumbled with a ripping side current but the short period swell at Blackies looked promising. By the time I broke from work the wind was on it but chances for surf tomorrow look good!

Blown

Rolled through the Blackies lot early, raining and windblown. I was surprised to see one guy out, and wondered "why?". But I know that surfing isn`t always just about the wave, maybe you just want peace and solitude, or some moments to think, some exercise.... does there have to be a reason at all?

Molly`s 18

My daughter Molly turned 18 yesterday and is now an adult. We went down to the pier for breakfast and then she was off to do her own thing. I still vividly remember her , one minute old ,as she turned her head to look at me for the first time.

All work and no play......

Had a serious weeks work to get done, and managed to handle it with jobs done on time and profitable . I almost got to surf yesterday but by the time I got my gear together the wind was on it. Today I only got a quick look at the river from PCH on my way to CDM. I`m hoping to join the weekend crowd tomorrow but the conditions may not be good.