Special J: inspiration

Over Colombus Day weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to travel with my good friend and fellow volunteer/activist, Andrew, to the Outer Banks in NC for the East Coast Surfrider Conference. We learned about how to get new members and keep existing ones; we learned about the Rise Above Plastics Campaign and Ocean Friendly Gardens; we learned how to make better use of social media; how to engage the younger generation; we met a bunch of really cool people; and yeah... we surfed!

Just off the jet and about to sample VA Beach surf... Andrew waxing up his new stick for the first time. The water was warm and we did not wear wetsuits. There were thousands of dolphins out there. Super unexpected!

Cruising through the tobacco fields of the south.

After a day of inspiring conference lectures we had fun exploring a bit and then surfing Jeanette's Pier until the sun went down.

Originally opened in 1939, Jeanette's was the first fishing pier in Nag's Head. In 2003 it was sold to the Aquarium and in September of the same year, incurred major damage from hurricane Isabel. It was rebuilt under the guidance of the Aquarium and reopened in 2009 as an "educational ocean pier".

Designed to be "Green & Clean". The most obvious of the many environmentally-friendly features of the rebuild are the wind turbines that generate stored power to light the pier at night.

Moonrise meets another sunrise through a vintage half-frame camera.

Morning pelicans in flight.

Nag's Head Sunrise Appreciation Club. One more before beginning the journey home.

We stopped in at Barrier Island Surf Shop along the way.

Over the Wright Memorial Bridge...

Back in VA Beach. On our way to get one more pre-flight session in when Andrew spotted this lil guy.

Please check out Surfrider.org. Consider becoming a member (or renewing a lapsed membership!). Find a campaign that interests you whether it is reducing your plastic footprint or making your garden more ocean-friendly. Help create strength in numbers. Know that there is a place for you and that you are needed in whatever capacity you have available. Hope to see you at the next chapter meeting!

Big, bold swell from Katia; spontaneous beach cleaning; a sustainability-centered surf festival; and gorgeous little longboard waves to rest, revive, ride and reflect upon.

Katia forerunners.

Irresistable post-surf debris removal. I was joined by local legend and smooth glider, Captain Carl. We filled a huge bag with plastic bottles and cans within a 15 minute timeframe. Did it again the next day.

Surf's up.

Way up.

A couple hundred miles north for Grain Surfboards Re-Evolution board demo. So many sustainable builders and boards, live music, two fantastic films and more. Grain knows how to throw an event! It was inspiring.