Foals

What I've been listening to lately...

Early Offshore

Sunday was sorta exciting. Offshore winds when we woke up. And rain... lots of rain. Everything was wet, so there was really no reason to sit around our camp site. We paddled out around eleven following a few cups of coffee and way too much goddamn granola. The tide was out, but on its way in. The first few were fun, Karissa and I sliding by ourselves. Friends followed. Stoke harvested. With a four hour drive and a few stops in front of us, we packed up all of our camping crap and started back toward Seattle.

A late lunch at Granny's Cafe was followed by a phone call from my father: "The rear tire on my rig just blew. How far ahead are you guys?" Fuck. It could have been a lot worse, though. Luckily the steel belt stayed together, preventing a four foot fall and additional damage. We took the truck to a friends place in Poulsbo, filled Fargo with a few of my father's things and then (finally) sailed for Seattle. Just glad the old man is alright. Turns out his tires were ten years old! Maintenance. Shit is important.

Two Tribes (2)

Join us at The Piranha Shop on Friday, July 19th for Two Tribes (2), our second annual custom motorcycle and classic surfboard show. This year's event will benefit A Warm Current and will feature an assortment of old school sticks and custom built bikes. Additional info is available here.

Rince Cochon

Rince Cochon is a strong pale ale brewed by Brouwerij Roman in Oudenaarde, Belgium. It's light in color and mild in taste, with a refreshing finish and no hint of it's 8.5% ABV. Honestly, I bought the bottle because there was a pink pig on the label. That said, I was surprised to find that a pretty alright pale ale awaited me this weekend. And having consumed countless IPAs as of late, this light bodied Belgian was a welcome reprieve from the heavily hopped and hard to handle. Find it at Full Throttle Bottles.

Max Schaaf

The fifth annual Born Free Show will take place this weekend at the Oak Canyon Ranch in Silverado, CA. A few of my friends are riding their knuckles and shovels from Seattle to So-Cal. And like my buddy Blubaugh, this dude Max Schaaf from 4Q Conditioning in Oakland, CA, is the real fucking deal.

Compression Check

Surfing swine isn't for everyone. Forty pounds of pork sitting atop your skull, crushing your cranium, shortening your spine. Even the most savory soul isn't inclined. But there's something about the way they slide; trimming toward the top, turning from the tail... it's an acquired taste. One I've probably talked about too much. Anywhoo. Lemme tell you what happened this weekend. We hiked in again, to that secret spot we surfed last Sunday. The wind was working from the west, though. Onshore when we showed up. It took a few hours for us to decide whether we wanted to wander down there. Sixty-five and sunny had us sitting outside instead of surfing.

It was the boats and beginners that sent us somewhere else. Searching for solitude. But as far as I'm concerned, it was worth all the walking. Because we had it to ourselves - small waves that broke both directions. Peeling like a point. We surfed for four hours, finally calling it quits when the wind picked up. By the time we hiked back and headed out, the tide was starting to come in. With sunset scheduled for sometime around ten, we decided to surf a second time. The swell size was increasing and the wind went away. I paddled out alone. Karissa and a few friends followed. It was warm enough to go without gloves and there were whales in the water. We surfed until the sun settled behind the hills, and ate dinner in the dark. A damn fine day.

Harrison x Zye

Harrison Biden and Zye Norris sure know how to slide big sticks. Filmed and edited by Zach Walker.

Topo Designs Hip Pack

When Topo Designs unveiled their Hip Pack, I got all sorts of excited. I’ve never been a fan of the traditional fanny pack, but this thing was different. I saw photos of people wandering the world with the bag slung over their shoulder, and I imagined what my life might be like if I had one as well. I began to think of all the things this bag could do... hold my jacket so I didn’t have to, secure my belongings when I run out the door; rushing off to my next adventure. I was tired of losing my cell phone, keys or my favorite chapstick when I tossed my other bags on the floor of the van and this seemed like the solution.

Honestly I think my husband was tired of me making a mess, because when I sent him a link to Topo's teal and red Hip Pack, he immediately ordered me one! As soon as it arrived, I tested it’s ability to carry some of my stuff, the essentials first... my makeup bag, glasses, sunglasses, money clip, cell phone, keys, Moleskin, chapstick, Opinel picnic knife... and there was still room! So I added the book I’ve been trying to read, our waterproof camera, my extra pair of earrings (a girl can never have too many!), my flask (bourbon please!), and guess what? There was still room for more sutff! This bag is awesome!

I bring it to work and with me on the weekends, and have fallen in love with both its looks and utility. Hell, I've even started wearing it on my hip, not just slung over my shoulder! So if you’re looking for a bag that can carry all sorts of stuff, that is rough and tumble yet stylish and cute, pick up a Hip Pack!

Flexpig

Check out this fantastic bit of film featuring the COOPERFISH Flexpig. Now that's my sorta swine!

Recycled Wetsuit Sleeves

Our friends at Warm Current, "a non-profit that works with underserved communities through kids surfing programs and charitable donations of recycled wetsuits and surfboards," are selling some iPad sleeves made from an assortment of recycled suits. A wonderful way to protect your information superhighway consumption screen, all of the proceeds from the sale of these sleeves will go toward creating more kids camps. $20 can do a lot. So click here and support a pretty awesome project.

DOHO

An evening with Andy Nieblas, JJ Wessels, Nathan Adams and Tyler Warren. Shot by Sam Schafer.

Dewey Weber Surfboards

Dewey Weber has been in the surfboard business since 1960. A brand founded by its namesake, Dewey Weber Surfboards is currently located in San Clemente, California and is still family owned, with the day-to-day operations being run by Dewey's son, Shea. We stumbled into the shop on Friday afternoon on our way back to LA. Old school is how I would immediately describe the store. A menagerie of memorabilia from decades of surf contests and such cover the walls when you walk in. Old, single fin logs hang above your head, and there's two floral print bamboo couches in the middle of an adjacent room surrounded by surfboards. Shea was standing behind the counter wearing that classic California kit; bright red board shorts and a black t-shirt.

Like the Little Man on Wheels, Shea is a man of similar size. Stout, but shorter. Strong in the shoulders. His smile was wide and he greeted us with what seemed like endless enthusiasm. Albeit small, the shop is chock full of character. Trophies and framed photos of famous Weber Competition Team members sit on shelves above shirts and sweaters for sale. We talked about boards, namely the infamous Weber Performer, a surfboard that hasn't changed since the sixties. The colors are what'll really catch your eye. Green and red and yellow, with the famous Dewey Weber logo sitting front and center. Beautiful boards and an awesome shop. So if you're in San Clemente, be sure to stop by and see their shop. Follow the link for a few more photos.