Pretty Pig

I've been playin' with the idea of picking up another Pig. Classic, not Feral. I know, I should probably surf something else - maybe a Mini Simmons or an Original Noserider - but there's something about the swine. Maybe it's them wide hips or that goddamn D-fin. I've talked about it before, Pig Fuckin' and whatnot. Anyhow, in looking for inspiration I stumbled upon this pretty lookin' Pig. Something straight outta the sixties. With a one-inch redwood stringer, tail block and a glass-bead wood fin. I do desire.

A-frame

Over the last few months, I've become increasingly obsessed with A-frames. An architectural aesthetic popular in postwar America, A-frames were easy and affordable to construct, required little to no maintenance and often came in kits - you know, like LEGO's. So to further my ever growing obsession, I ordered a copy of Chad Randl's aptly titled book, A-frame.

Published in 2004, the book "tells the story of the "triangle" house from prehistoric Japan to its lifestyle-changing heyday in the 1960s." An architectural historian working at the National Park Service, Randl has compiled more than 200 images and illustrations, along with an abundance of information on A-frames and their influence on modern architecture. There's even an appendix with a complete set of blueprints in case you want to build your own!

21 Helmets

Perhaps you're in Portland, or maybe you like motorcycles, or art. Well, if any of them things are up your alley, you should probably stop by the See See Motor Coffee Co. this Saturday for the second annual 21 Helmets show. There'll be some pretty interesting artists in attendance; Shinya Kimura, Drake McElroy, Aaron Draplin, Mathew Foster, Wes Lang and the dudes from Death Spray. Doors open at 5pm. And it's free as far as I can tell.

Memo from the Surf Desk: The Walrus

Lemme tell you a lil' tale about a man we call The Walrus. A salty scoundrel. Rotundus. Rude. He wears a wide, white mooostache and looks at you through small, black, beedie eyeballs. He surfs a SUP sometimes. You've probably seen him, surfed with him, been snaked by him, shot the shit with him in the parking lot, E: All of the above. He's there, and that's unfortunate. Because unlike a lot of other places, we put up with his bullshit. We let him bitch. Complaining when it's crowded. When you're suiting up and he's standing on the shore - "This would be fun for maybe four people." Then he starts counting: cars, kooks, boards and bystanders - "Six, seven, eight..." He'll choke it, the stoke, his fat fingers around its throat, and all you can do is stand quietly at his side and watch as it fights for it's final breath. The Walrus always wins. That heavy breathing sea sweeper. Bastard! But we musn't let him any longer. No more rides in the back of the bummer bus. No more bullshit excuses about crowds and kooks and senile stoke seniority. You can go to hell, Walrus!

Sincerely,

Duke Dangerpants

Heat #2

Some fantastic footage from the second heat of last year's Salinas Longboard Festival, featuring James Parry, Oliver Parker, Tyler Warren and Chris del Moro. (via Jan Latussek)

Some Surf Sunday

It was a weird weekend. Four days and you'd figure we would've found something. But not so much. A little here, not-a-whole-lotta there. Surfed the same spot three outta the four. It was that warm shower, I swear. Found a few Friday morning - waist high and windy. Saturday sorta sucked if I can remember correctly. Had a hell of a good time, though. Friends and food and beer and foosball and way too much whiskey with just a whisper of that sour stuff. Somehow we woke up early the next morning. Maybe it's because we snuck out around eight-thirty and fell asleep in Fargo. Sorry Sanchez ;) Good thing, too, cause we caught waves. Many of them. Most of the morning it was just Joe and I. We picked a peak near the pay shack and shared the stoke. Twinkled some toes and pitched a few pretty turns atop the pig. It was worth the wait. But it always is, isn't it?

Laisser Lucie Faire

What I've been listening to lately...

Ponzanelli & Calvani - Part Two

Here's the second half of Luca Merli's short film which highlights the rather unlikely relationship between Bing Surfboards owner and shaper, Matt Calvani, and Italian logger, Alessandro Ponzanelli.

Stoke Snacks

Karissa and I just spent the last four days with Fargo, searching for surf, playing foosball with a few local boys, eating big ass burgers at the Bushwhacker, watching Lincoln at the Lincoln Theater on Lincoln St., consuming copious cocktails and mining some stoke. It wasn't a bad way to spend an extended weekend. Here's a few photos following our Saturday session courtesy of our friend Derek Sparks.

Topo Designs - Holiday Collection

Our friends at Topo Designs recently released a handful of new things for the Holidays. Made in America, like all of their items, Topo's 2012 holiday collection features a few updated offerings, as well as some all new pieces, to include a fleece pullover, mountain jacket, camp blanket, five-panel ranger hat and an aluminium water bottle. Follow the link and take a look at what's available this winter.

The Faces of Friendsgiving

We spent Wednesday with a few friends. An evening of alcohol, overconsumption and excited conversation about everything from Tussy to the last four-pack at The Longhouse. Good times to go around. Forgoing the Thanksgiving tradition on Thursday, we decided to go surfing instead. Sitting inside the van, looking through the photos from our Friendsgiving, one theme was ever present; funny looking faces. Some strange looks from Shawn and Sanchez. The confused face of Caleb. Salty Steve and Timmy Two Nostrils. And so, without further ado, I give you 'The Faces of Friendsgiving.'Follow the link for a few of the photos.

Surf Scooter

To be honest, I'm not all that stoked on scooters. I leave'm for the ladies. Or them weirdos that ride Sarah Connor style Honda Elites in high-viz vests and half-shield helmets. I dig dirty dirt bikes and old school ironheads. Fast and loud. But every now and then something slow and svelte sneaks into my circle - like a vintage Vespa or a real low Ruckus. Or like this 1976 Honda C70 build by the dudes at Deus, which, as far as I'm concerned, is all kinds of awesome. It's powered by a Honda C100 engine and has 18" wheels front and rear, as well as custom suede seats and a suicide shifter on the side. It's a lil' surf scooter. And it's exactly what I'd want if I were living on the island. Follow the link for a few more photos.