Somewhere Suddenly

It'll arrive unexpectedly. Suddenly sometimes. Without warning. You're at the right place but the wrong time. Because you never really know where you'll find waves. Your guess is as good as mine. Swell size, angle, etc. Taking note of the tide, or what about the wind. I remember our earliest excursions, traveling from spot to spot, searching for that surprise. Something unexpected. We found it a few times, stumbled upon the swell, surfed for a few and then kept quiet. Other times we told; a few friends, my father. We learned our lesson, though. How to keep it Hush-Hush.

This weekend, however, we found the fickle. The right place at the right time. We could hear it from the front seat of Fargo, breaking over a shallow rock bottom. Small stones leading to a sandy shore, with tall trees flung this way and that. We watched it for awhile. It was us and an eagle. We'd been on the road and were eager for anything. Waist high? Maybe a bit bigger. Clean, but closing quickly. We surfed until sundown. Flying down the face, pulling in and out, trying not to stuff our sticks into the sand. How better to spend a Sunday than surfing somewhere, suddenly, with someone you love.

Gato Bask Journal

Robin Kegel and the curious cats at Gato Heroi surfing an assortment of sticks in the Basque Country.

The Joey Chair

Camp chairs come and go. Maybe you got one as a gift, or grabbed one at the General Store on your way outta town one weekend. Or perhaps someone forgot theirs at the beach and it ended up in the trunk of your car? Whatever way you come across one (or four), a comfortable chair is an essential for anyone that spends a lot of time surfing and camping on the coast. So when our friends at Travel Chair sent us their latest offering, a small, light, four-legged seat sack they're calling the Joey, I was stoked to see how much better - or worse - it would be than the Teddy chairs they sent us last summer.

Attending Church

The guys (and gals) from Nineplus, sliding some fun stuff at Church toward the end of September.

That Unexpected Offshore

As you may have noticed, Fall is my favorite. A season that can surprise, October offers unexpected offshore winds, sunny skies and cold evenings spent around a campfire. I really can't complain. We surfed for six hours on Saturday; waiting while the wind shifted from east to west and then back again. Oh, and did I mention that the waves were wonderful?! Waist high, with wind in your face and lots of long peeling lefts and slow running rights. That evening, Karissa cooked something simple (penne noodles, chicken sausage and red sauce) and we ate, and drank a bit of bourbon. I stayed up late talking to my friend Todd about Voodoo Acupuncture, while Karissa climbed into the van and fell asleep shortly after eight. Unfortunately, Sunday morning sorta sucked. A mess of white water and a shapeless swell had showed up. So with exhausted arms and an unwillingness to waste what little energy we had left on something shitty, we decided to eat a big breakfast and then hike into the woods to shoot a few photos. We stopped at some spots on our way outta town, but the waves weren't any better. So we decided to head inland in search of (better) surf. I'll save that story, though.

Hip Wigglers Invitational

Short bit of film highlighting this year's Hip Wigglers Invitational, held on the Bailiwick of Jersey.

Patagonia R3 Wetsuit Gloves

To be honest, I hate gloves. Cumbersome comes to mind. Disconnected. Uncomfortable. For years I refused. And when I did wear them, the only thing I wanted to do was shake my hands feverishly like some kind of inspired spirit fingers performance - trying desperately to free myself from them. Oh, and did I mention that getting them on was no easier than getting them off? A real pain those goddamn gloves were. But when you start surfing in the winter, or the fall for that matter, they become more important. Because unless you're some sort of Ice Man, like Arnold in that shitty Batman movie, your fingers are gonna freeze. So I caved and bought a pair, some 3mm gloves made by Matuse, or maybe they were made by O'neil. Anyhow. They kept my fingers from freezing. For awhile. Then everything went to shit. The seams split and I wore a hole right through the palm, and they eventually let so much water in that I may as well have not been wearing them.

Color Correct

Our friend Derek Sparks is an incredible artist. Different, no doubt, but his photographs are a form of art that few people are familiar with. He'll take what might otherwise be an ordinary image and expand upon it; exaggerating the color and condition, making the sea sparkle and the grey skies look good. It really is incredible. So anytime we see Derek standing on the shore, tripod set securely in the sand, his face buried into the back of his camera, we know something cool will come of it. With that being said, follow the link and take a look at some of the images Derek snapped last Saturday.

State Of The Art

What I've been listening to lately...

Peanut Butter Piggies

We spent the evening with Alex Swanson and his lovely fiancée, Erica Burtrum. A classic Southern California surfer, Alex's enthusiasm for the ocean is apparent, although his interests go well beyond what one might expect. Working as an EMT in the Costa Mesa area of California, Alex has seen both sides of the show. He surfs, but understands that life is short and you shouldn't spend all of your time on any one activity. A real down-to-earth kinda cat. And Erica is awesome. Stoked we were able to spend some time together in Seatown. Click here and take a look at Alex's blog, Ten Piggies Over.

V33Dster

Daveed Arganda letting it all hang out, somewhere in So-Cal. Brought to you by Bird Man Media.

The Surf Café Cookbook

The Surf Café Cookbook was developed by Jane and Myles Lamberth, proprietors of Shells Café, which is located in Strandhill on the west coast of Ireland. It was the internet that introduced me to both their cafe and cookbook. Or perhaps I saw it on another surf blog? Or as a related item on Amazon? However I came across it, I'm sure glad I did. Because the book "focuses on locally-produced food that’s unpretentious and tasty. It’s food for sharing with friends and family, around the kitchen table or on a beach blanket thrown on the sand." It features interesting how-to information, a brief history of the Irish surf culture, essential items for anyone eating and drinking along the west coast of their country, as well as an assortment of recipes that are easy to make and damn delicious. And while I'm not much of a cook (I can heat a mean can of beans!), I figure the wife would like what's inside. Click here to learn more about the book.