Classic

He had rolled up the cliff walk with style all leather jacket and uggs, then stretched out his leg on the rail as he watched the surfers, commenting every now and then about the quality of the evening's surf. Then he touched on why he was no longer able to get out in the water, the neck injury that was too dangerous to surf with. All told I was finding out a lot more about this guy than I thought I ought to know including the 26 surgeries he'd undergone, I didn't want to ask. Despite the toll time had taken on his body, his mind was beyond sharp as he discussed the SUP in the water and how it would be a better fit than kayaks.

I asked him if he used to surf Steamers and his answer was a solid "I used to CHARGE Middles!". When anyone in his eighties has that kind of response, you know he's for real. He followed up with a somewhat resigned, but definitely disgusted "I was relegated to Cowells until I stopped surfing at eighty!" He was surfing here when I was four. His first surf here was in 1960 and it was a quieter place back then, turned out he was local doctor. Damn I thought this guy must be somebody!

We introduced ourselves Nance and I and he said "I'm Doc, my daughter has a wetsuit company you may have heard of, Hotline and I make earplugs for surfers." Between surf sessions and while checking The Lane we had met Doc of "Pro-plugs" fame, a sweet guy who was doing his own surf check well past his prime surfing days. We left a little before sunset as he stayed watching, still surf stoked after all these years.

Happy New Year to you all, get some surf in ya!

Surf report.

No wind really, sunny but cool. Surf head high plus out of the north west. Surfed a couple of reef set ups, north of town out of the crowds. Friendly and low key all around. Checked out surf city and on the late afternoon low tide a couple of nuggets rolled through the kook school. one little ripper held court in the corner, a grommet shredder which are like fleas on a dog around here.

Surf picking up tomorrow.

Surf trip!!

Laters.

Quiet lines

Frosting on the cake

Oh yeah stranded and isolated. All 3 highways closed, no emergency lines. Now if the surf would cooperate this would be paradise!

Hawk-eye

This hawk wasn't stoked that I came too close to the feast it was perched on and walked me off it two days in a row...... "Move along folks, nothing to see here!" in it's best cop on the beat kind of way.

She's a good sized red tail and I kept on moving as she flew from tree to tree. I think it's a she as the females tend to be bigger than the males. Up close and in the wild those talons and beak give one pause when they approach, they're impressive and hawks have raw power that's very apparent. I once had the urge to aid an injured hawk down near Pistol River but thought better of it and just waited for the bird to recover, which it did and it was those same two tools that kept me in check.

Peaks in snow

Not my cup of tea, when the air drops to 22F and the windchill drops it into single digits I much prefer coffee! Taken from comfort of the truck. Clouds look lovely though.

Dawn's shadow.

A log in the dark as you make your way, becomes a jarring reminder at first light. Crabbers sit just a mile or so out, overhead lights blazing like mad candles in the middle of the sea. A beautiful morning, light offshores, filling tide making for regular lines, no one around. The sun pushes away shadows from crevices, and an eagle sits high, watching for an hour. It's mate calls and flies in over the peak, and they both sit unmoving in the spruce. Clear water the bottom appearing through some sweet head high reelers, small talk with a couple of regs who paddled out. Before work quiet session.

The wind stays light and two hours go by, back on the sand, not more than a hundred yards down the beach is the body of a sea-lion missing it's head and a big chunk of it's chest, before first light that was the log. A couple miles away lies another in the same condition, it's been a busy season. I wonder no more why it skeeves me to surf alone, I am reminded.

Annual Ejection Day

52 years ago I was making plans to move out. From a quiet but somewhat dark space into a very bright and noisy place filled with others. It was a voluntary move but not without it's own loud protestations and pain filled moments. I'm sure it's a lot like moving a piece of furniture through a narrow doorway, there's bound to be a hurt finger or two.

Ejected from the Mother-ship so to speak but right onto another, floating in space. What luck! For the better part of 46 of those years, I like a few people on this earth have simulated that first ride over and over again on the surface of the sea. It's a rare thing to have been so fortunate.

Sometimes I think life in the 20th century for many has not been easy, if you lived without having personally gone to war, or fled from war, always had food on your table, money in your pocket and a roof over your head you have lived well. Add to that governments that were voted in by the people(whether or not you agreed with them....) then fortune has been kind to you. If you have traveled to foreign destinations merely to indulge yourself in your interests you have been fortunate. Many others have been less so in almost all those areas.

Some 6.7 billion people on earth right now and more to come. Enjoy your stay.