Special J: surfing

Showing posts with label surfing. Show all posts

A Few July Days + Nights

Turns out I was right (times INFINITY!). Life is better with a van.

Hope Sweet Hope

57 consecutive days. Most days there were waves of some sort but everyday I saw, heard, smelled and touched the ocean.

It was wonderful, beautiful, at times painful, but mostly just wonderful. Making new friends and reuniting with others; volunteering at the local Surfrider Chapter; surfing all kinds of waves in warm water.

I arrived home to spring, to lilacs, to leftover swell, and to new waves from a surprise swell south of the border. The winter wettie is a training tool unto itself and I appreciate the strength it gives us rather than lamenting over lost agility. The long drives to the surf? Well, they feel longer than ever. The isolation of not being surrounded by surfers and close to the ocean? That is the part that hurts the most - but at least this year I was ready for it.

Today was my first day out of the water in 57 days and I am not complaining but I can already feel my gills drying out - that old familiar feeling. So what's next?

Pineapple Monday

Ophelia Everywhere

Love Letter #49

As we bid a fond farewell to summer, we quietly and collectively celebrate the beginning of something wonderful...

Analog Stoke

Beauty in mystery.

Irene 2011

Despite the usual hurricane lunacy, I went with the flow and had a bunch of good sessions. I even attended a black tie wedding in the midst of it all.

Forerunner Friday: Had such a fun warm, sunny longboard day. As magical as it gets. By the end of the day waves were good enough for the fish. I like being there to welcome the swell.

Saturday morning I paddled out into the unknown. (No pictures exist of these sessions due to fog.) Instead, please enjoy this lovely sunset/campfire image from the previous evening.

A note to friends and family: In the future, please refrain from planning weddings during hurricane season. Thanks + hugs! ~ j :)

I waited for the storm to pass on Sunday. A tree fell on my neighbors car and I nervously watched the trees bend and sway in the wind. Luckily that was the extent of the damage chez J. Some others were not so lucky.

Monday I was feeling frivolous and totally based my decision on water temps. That one more bikini-clad session on lil blue was so worth it. Later, I heard it was "freezing" up north... Got up there Tuesday morning and people were wearing gloves and booties already. Noooo! Not yet.

Stayed wicked late and cut my feet excessively doing so many rock dances. Ate all my snacks and shared with friends in the sun. Fun surf but the water quality was pretty bad - so bad that I can still feel it like battery acid on my tongue. I may have done a little damage.

By Tuesday, Irene had swallowed up Tropical Storm Jose and I was lucky to score tasty leftovers up north with glassy beachbreak gems and pondering points. Paddled out at a place I do not usually go. Progress comes in all forms.

Don't always know where I'm going, but it always works out.

Farewell to August and Irene. Give thanks.

Sharing the S.T.O.K.E.E.

"Surfing is the best thing ever!"

This website is a place where I regularly attempt to share my over abundance of surf love. This past weekend, however, I had a chance to share it for real with some awesome kids at the annual S.T.O.K.E.E event (Surfing to Offer Kids Environmental Education) put on by Surfrider, MA and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Held on the shores of Nahant, MA, just beyond the hazy fuzz and buzz of the Boston skyline, this is an event where kids–who do not get to the beach too often–get to have a turn at surfing. It doesn't matter if the wind is a little onshore, or if the waves are less than perfect. Today, all that matters is finding the energy in that one wave that has traveled all the way across the sea for you to ride. All you need is someone to guide you to that sweet spot and give you that little push.

At one point I heard one of the kids exclaim, "Surfing is the best thing ever!". In a sport that so often takes itself waaaaaay too seriously, it's nice to get back to where we all started once upon a time. In the months leading up to this event, I repeatedly heard some of the more seasoned Surfrider members saying that this is the best event of the year. They were right.

Photo Credit: Christian Kozowyk - www.Kozowyk.com

Big thanks to Surfrider, MA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Brickhouse, Christian Kozowyk and all of the volunteers, big brothers and little brothers that made this happen. I'm already looking forward to S.T.O.K.E.E. 2012!

Alternative Fuel

There are many places where getting to the surf can be a challenge. Parking lots (if there are any) are often restricted to residents, full, and/or costly. Some places even require you to take a tram from the parking lot to the beach. Simply put, it's not the way I like to roll. So, for a few years now, I have dreamed of combining my love of surfing with my love of cycling and the accessibility that traveling on two wheels provides. I bought a Carver surfrack over a year ago and finally installed it this month. This week marked our maiden voyage. The freedom was ridiculously satisfying. I look forward to exploring other surf spots via two wheels!

Refueling with a little thigh-to-waist-high glassoline.

Cleaning Up x 2

First with timing, luck and inexplicably fruitful surf adventures all week. Then, with some down and dirty beach sweeping.

On Saturday, August 13, 2011 Surfrider NH and over 40 volunteers picked up more than 280 lbs of debris from North Beach in the final of the Summer Beach Cleanup Series. There was even a surfboard raffle, generously donated by Cinnamon Rainbows. Thanks to Surfrider NH, Barefoot Wine, Ocean Minded, Cinnamon Rainbows and North Beach Bar & Grill for yet another great event!