FIRST- I did go surfing recently, as in, possibly, today, a Saturday, and, before you ask; yes, it was crowded. It’s a Saturday! There was a search for view parking, and no handicapped spots out in the wilds; I had to invoke Costco rules, along with a Costco smile, when I snagged a front row spot. Yes, I squeezed up snuggly close to some dude’s SUV, allowing almost enough room for another, similar sized rig to share the thrill of looking out, directly, at an overcrowded lineup. Weekend Warriors and never-seem-to-work thirty-somethings, some of them couples, on dates. Wow!
And then there were the older folks, some of them there, perhaps, to coach younger rippers-to-be. I was particularly interested in the guy with the straps over his wetsuit, there to hold his camera. Go pro, man! I did see him in the lineup. Hopefully he got some good shots.
It wasn’t like I didn’t have some of the “know before you go” stuff going on. Not Surfline, which may have predicted head high bommmbs (didn’t happen), but friend of a friend stuff (allowed if the report is mostly a negative), but I was almost there when I got the news.
NOW, I got to go spend time surfing because TRISH is, finally, getting better. Better is relative, but part off what I take for truth is that she now realizes how close she was to (I hesitate to type this, and I’ve been equally hesitant to admit it) dying. SO, Yay! and Fuck Cancer!
I should note that, out of the water for several months, my irst concern was that I would suck. I didn’t rip; didn’t suck; so, success! I did have two ugly attempts at getting back to shore. Normal. 3.5 for the landing. 3.75l fromn the Canadian judge.
POST SURF REVIEW- I spoke with several friends about my adventure (and every session is), and the argument of crowds ruining sessions came up. The counter is surfers retelling tales of surfing quality waves alone, or with a few friends. Yeah; hang onto those. I do. OH, I did ask a woman parked near me if she got enough waves. She held up one finger. No, different finger. “Hope it was a good one.” “Wave off the day!” “Yay!”
CHINA ISSUE- WORDPRESS keeps track, and I get a lot of hits, too many, from China. I can’t help but imagine that their Commie AI wants to decipher my writing style, possibly to duplicate it to infiltrate America, and then world surf literature. Joke’s on them. I could explain, but, meanwhile, I’m not unhappy to get semi-successful numbers.
Yes, I’m totally exaggerating, though I did have a guy in the lineup tell me he reads realsurfers. “Oh, you’re the one. Thanks.”
MEANWHILE, enjoy whatever surf adventure you’re on. If some old cruster gets a parking spot or a wave you wanted, well, part of your story. Costco rules apply.
JIM ALLRED iis helping me put together a book of my work, “Love Songs for Cynics.” I have to come up with artwork (I have lots). I’ll keep you, and China, updated.
“SWAMIS,” my novel, is… still… almost… totally… done.
erwin@realsurfers.net realsurfersdotnet on Instagram
NOTE- I almost posted a photo that showed a part of the coastline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Lovely sunset, no waves, but, still, if it fell into the wrong hands…
