Fratellis

Love this band.

Here's a lesser known song...




Per usual... hold on.

My Chemical Romance: Teenagers

NOT KID SAFE LYRICS.



Heard this for the first time a few days ago.  Made me laugh like crazy.

I'm probably way behind the curve here.

Support the Ocean of Hope

Sarcoma Alliance-Classic 2012 from Soul Surf Media on Vimeo.

Please support the Ocean of Hope.

My goal is now to hit $2,000.

Donations Page.

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Thank you.

Surf Related: HMB

Surf Related:  (defn) Of, or relating to, surfing.

-All surfing photos courtesy of Curt Myers & Eric Nelson of Powerlines Productions, Inc.  Go to their website and browse around.  Super cool guys.  Find them at:  www.mavz.com.

-All crappy iphone pics by yours truly.

HMB Roadtrip.

First Weekend in February, Super Bowl weekend.  

Buoys are hitting good numbers.
Let's go north...

Loading up w/ MB & MB in SB.
3 guys, 2 surfing the spot, with a total of 8 boards.
We were loaded and ready.

Heading north past beautiful Nipomo.
Someone told me there's an Olive Garden here.
I wouldn't know.  Ask Pepper.

Suddenly we hit major traffic delays.
Cops were everywhere, going every which way.
Then we got to this scene.
Traffic delays explained.
Alternative caption given that it was Super Bowl weekend:
Touchdown!

Approaching HMB, CA. 

We park and walk.
But not here.
Do not enter.

Sussing it out from the backside.
Long period with long lulls.  The wind was howling.
It was freezing cold.  Bitterly bitterly cold.
Discussion of whether or not to go ensues.
MB the younger and I decide to paddle out for a "warm up."
It was good.
Surprisingly good.

Dropping into wave #1.  Chops ahead.

Wave #2.
Air dropping over a step... into the bowl... and then another step.
When Curt first showed me this photo, I was in the water.
All I could see on his little camera screen was a gumby with jazz hands.
But Curt seemed stoked on the shot, so I figured I'd check closely when I got home.
Upon seeing the full version, I was stoked.

Landing it and going forward.
Made the wave & was stoked beyond belief.
Success on day one -- three hour session.
Surfed a total of four waves, the third being a left.
Lesson learned, too:  Don't go left unless you have to.

Home sweet home.
1 room, 2 beds, 3 guys.
Cozy.

Loaded up for day two.

Two guns & one SUP for MB the elder.

He was watching from the channel.

It was a beautiful sunny day.
It was more crowded on day two,
but I enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones.

Lots of fun on day two.
That's Frank stuck at the top left.
He was on a longboard!  The only one out.
Psycho madman.
This was a bomb I nabbed from behind the peak.
Should I have pulled in??

Pull in?  Are you kidding?!
Glad I made it!
(Okay... this was another bomb from day 2.)

MB's super clean and stylish bottom turn.
This kid rips and has style for days.
The future is his.

MB the elder after day 2's session.
We're loaded for the return home.

Loaded for the drive home.  Let's get some fuel first.

Fueling station for the trip home.
Left my water bottle there.
Given the entirety of this trip, one lost water bottle is pretty damn good.

Picture of a picture.
Inside the fueling station.
"If the wave breaks here, don't be there."  YIKES.
Wasselhoff, 2010. 

Driver's self portrait.
Just keeping myself amused on the long drive home.

MB the younger.
Dude charges.
Deserved sleep.
"I feel like a train hit me."

AFTERMATH:

The trip wasn't without a casualty.  MB snapped a leash and I almost snapped my board.  Whoa.

Buckled my 10'0" Catalina Classic BARK gun.
Bummed.
But stoked it didn't snap in the bowl.

Bummer.

Honored.

I did the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Marathon last August and was fortunate enough to have had a good race.  It went well and I was very happy with the outcome.  [Post link:  CLICK HERE.]

Nick B. took some amazing photographs during the race, one of which included this one (my favorite) that he captioned:  Spent.

To me, this picture exemplifies how everyone feels when their race is over.  Not just this race, but any race whether it be one hundred yards or one hundred miles.  It captured a moment that is not often told or shown, that moment of release when you've left everything you had out there and the race is over.

The other day, entirely out of the blue, a local artist whom I will refer to only as SS, sent me this:

I was/am/remain blown away, awed, and honored.  It's an iphone pic so not of the highest quality, but I just cannot express enough gratitude to this amazingly gifted artist for this.

As the title of this entry states:  Honored.

HanoHano last Sunday, 1/27.

Good times & a great race by Dan Van Dyke.

Tommy & I paddling along.
I was complimenting his thick, full beard.

Another of Tommy & me.

Jay & I, one-two stock boarders.
He got the beer.
Damn.

Paddling is the new ice hockey.
Rachel giving a disgusted look at Tommy, Jay & me.
And check out that beard of Tommy's - I told you it was a thick, full beard.

Lots of fun & good times seeing old friends.

The new board seemed to work well too, which is always a big plus.

Blast from the not-too-distant past.

M2O Conditions Report from Molokai—Friday, July 27, 2012 from Supfari on Vimeo.

This was 2012 just before the Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race.

My relay partner, Dan Van Dyke, giving the conditions report two days pre-race.

I had entirely forgotten about this.  I stumbled upon it the other day and it made me chuckle.  What you can't see in this video is fellow paddler Tom Hinds & me behind the camera, held by Kurt Hoy, making stupid faces at Dan.

He was a true professional.

Two days later, Dan and I teamed up to win our division of the race.

Good times.

I'm looking forward to 2013.