Scary things

Grey skies, fog, a cold and dying swell... ugh, who wants this?

I drive to the beach early, ready to take the last of Fall's relative warmth. A front is coming, with rain and cold.  But, the fog makes it seem so dreary... and the swell looks confused.  So I wait.

When I return an hour later, the fog is still there, but by the time I decide to just go, something cool happens.  The sun comes out.  Just for about fifteen minutes.  I got one good one and then the sky turned an ominous charcoal grey and the wind whipped up from the north and that, as they say, was that.  I went in and called it a day.

Life on the East Coast.

Oh boy.

Back to Domination

Went out in the full suit for the first time this winter... and decided to give the old Dominator a try.

Woo hoo!  I think that one is going on my next surf adventure.  The waves were only fair shape, shoulder high, but the buoys were 6 ft. at 10 Seconds, high tide at 9am, so off to Mary St. I went.

Caught about three that reminded me how great this board is, so forgiving and stable and fast.  Grey skies, grey water, SSW winds, 65 degree water. A pelican surfed beside me, and I was happy to be alive.

Life is so funny

I have been reading through my old surf trip journals the past few weeks. All those surf trips seem so long ago. But, when I realized just how many I have been on, and all the memories I had the sense to write down, I was amazed. All those things might have been forever forgotten.

There were so many surprises there!  So many times, in my need for validation, I wrote down comments that guys would make about my surfing - and it was such a gift for the now. I was wistful, as I read them, thinking those days are gone. No one says I am surfing good much anymore, now that I am a senior surfer - and why would I ever expect anyone to, except given the fact that I am this old and can still do a cutback. Back then, it was always, "pretty good, for a girl."  Now, it's more like 'pretty good for being elderly.'

But, yesterday there came an unexpected gem. I was surfing at Summer Haven with Bob in little gutless waves. It was one of those days ... the last warmth of the summer ocean is slowly fading away ... spring suits, and grey skies.  I was just out there, having fun with Bob on the tater, when this guy paddled up to me smiling.  He said, "You would have loved the conversation we were having up on the beach about you!"  Oh yeah, I asked, what was that?  He said he had said to his friend, "Look at that kid out there, skipping school!" Then his friend had said, "I think that might be a girl,"  To which he replied, "No way!  No girl surfs like that!"  Ha ha ha, how I laughed.

Thanks for making my day. Even if it was tinged with that same old 'for a girl' qualifier.

It all comes down to this...

Who loves you?