Power to the Peaceful.. No new fees!

Enough Said.

The people have spoken... And someone was listening for a change. Word is in that the Santa Barbara Parks Commission is recommending "No" new fees to be imposed at County Parks. Awesome. Some thought it was a done deal, including Santa Barbara City Council Member, Frank Hotchkiss. "It's nice not to have to pay, I agree, but an old custom that may have to pass." Thanks for the support Frank. I myself was starting to worry about it a bit yesterday, but thanks to the hundreds of people who poured their heart and souls into testimonies that could leave you in tears. And the hundreds, or thousands more, who wrote letters directly to the Board of Supervisors. Wow, are we actually seeing democracy at work? It was standing room only at last Thursdays meeting as single moms, hard core surfers, lawyer types, the rich, the poor, and everyone in between all came together in force to oppose any and all fees at our beaches. Even more showed up today via remote testimony to the last meeting held up in Santa Maria. It's unanimous. Everyone from the Rincon to Guadalupe Dunes agrees. No Fees to go to the Beach!  Suzanne Perkins, a premier realtor from Santa Barbara, and member of Parks Commission Board since 1992 had this to say. "This is democracy at work." See, what did I tell you, it's democracy at work. She probably said more but, I'm sorry to say, and I feel a little guilty about it, I skipped this mornings meeting to surf. Umm. Bob was there too.

I'm also sorry to say... It wasn't good surf either. Still it was enough to get out there and make a few more test turns on my new 6'5" Jumbo Shrimp by master craftsman, John Perry. Yesterday was good, well contestable at least. That was my rational as I got off at Bates and headed south, instead heading north to SB for the meeting.  Had I known they were making a decision today I would have gone for sure. Sorry. But back to the Jumbo Shrimp. Todays surf wasn't what I had in mind when I threw out a few ideas to John after riding the 5'11" Shrimp earlier in the summer. "A little wider, a little thicker, it's a long wave, some fat sections, and oh yeah... I want to put in a single fin box so I can see what the hell Cheyne Horan was thinking when he finished in second place four consecutive times on the pro tour. Umm. Just in case better put in  a FCS Quad configuration too."

Following his own path to 2nd Place.

Yes I'm talking about the StarFin, WingedKeel, the Americas Cup, and Ben Lexan. Okay.. Well if you can do air reverses in your sleep, then you probably don't have the slightest idea of what I'm talking about, but ever since I got a look at JP's Lazor Zap inspired Shrimp, I knew I was going to need a StarFin. It started in May, at LC's annual garage sale. Rincon was looking pretty good from two miles away, but I was stuck here selling stuff I bought at last year at LC's annual garage sale, and talking fins with avid finster RB from Mussel Shoals. He had three StarFins in his collection, not with him, and not really wanting to part with any of them. I settled on a Cobb-o-Fin which reminded me a lot of a Dolphin named Peace, Fin Id #25 out of the Dolphins of the Rincon Catolog. I went out that afternoon and after two big roundhouse cutbacks on one wave, a couple of my best ever, I was satisfied with my purchase. But still the StarFin was intriguing to say the least. Cheyne still sells them direct from Australia though the shipping was a bit high. I finally found one for a fair price with free shipping way, way, way, way north of here, and it's been sitting idle on my desk up till yesterday. How's it work. Hmm. The jury is still out but the early indicators are promising, and Indicator will likely need to start working again before the jury comes in. The surf had a little push yesterday but still was only in the waist/belly high range. The 6'5" felt huge under my feet after riding the 5'11" all summer and I would have never taken it out except for the fact it was brand new. In fact it was burning a hole in the back of the van. There was some surf, not enough, but good enough for me, and you know how easily those VW vans burst into flames. I had no choice. The 6'5" caught waves effortlessly which is exactly what I was looking for. I have very high wave quotas to fill. Still for conditions like this, I've already begun to throw around some ideas of a thicker, wider, quite possibly with a single fin box, FCS Quad, 5'11" Shrimp. Yes, I'd like to get that on the barb-ie as soon as possible mate. For the first couple hours I surfed the Jumbo Shrimp as a quad to get a good baseline for comparison, and I was about to call it a day when everyone got out of the water. The waves while small were still pretty fun, and the high tide was helping with the kelp factor, so I went in and set up the StarFin. By the way, the StarFin is no match for the kelp, you think a big single fin is bad, this thing stops you dead in your track.

Nope It's not backwards.

This fin sat on my desk waiting patiently, as was John, till I had enough money to pay for the 6'5".  It was a few weeks, maybe three, plenty of time to think about it. So I had a certain perceptions. Actually they were dreams, perhaps visions of how it was going to ride. And.. So far..  Right in the pocket of the wave the dream comes true. It feels like I'm on a track, not a bad track, my own track. Kinda of like your own constantly evolving Hot Wheel Track. It also seems to have some drive right on take off which I have been missing ever since I left my beloved Andreini Hulls at home. That initial drive might be coming from the slight V in the nose John put in, the fin, the extra thickness, or a combination of the three, I don't know, but I know I'll be taking off deeper than any of the other shortboards I've been on lately. I'm stoked! I haven't had a chance to get out on the open face much, since there really hasn't been any, and I felt a few quirks here and there. I don't know if it was the fin, the thickness, the width, or the crappy waves, but either way I'm stoked on the ridiculous amount of fin options on this new board. Quad, Single, Thruster, Five, ThreeDom, Winged Keel, it's all there. Time will tell. I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready for this summer and it's damn SE Swells to be over. Now... Back to the parking.

Standing Room Only!

It's not over. This is politics in America. One meeting isn't enough, two meetings isn't enough, three, sorry not enough.  Next this Fee Proposal goes before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.  It will be up to them to decide go against the overwhelming disapproval of the people, or to accept the Parks Commission reccomendation of "No Fees" and put this case to bed. Politics. A steady intake of proposals, expensive studies on how to make more money from their constituents, and a shitload of meetings. As many as possible it seems, all the while crossing their fingers that the public might not show up to voice their opposition. Well I feel a little better about the system today, how about you?  My new Facebook Friend Supervisor Salud Carbajal, and Supervisor Janet Wolf have both indicated they will vote against the fee proposal, so we only need one more. I'd say we're looking pretty good but I wouldn't put it in the refrigerator yet. The eggs are not cooling and the jello is definitely not jigglin' See you again in October.

No Parking Ever Again!

Normally I might have been apathitic to the whole thing. I mean, I can ride my bike to Rincon anyway, and I wouldn't mind if they did put in a bike rack or two. But after seeing how easy it was for them to just simply get rid of 212 well used parking spaces along the highway here in La Conchita. Yep. Gone for good, along with the easy access to over two miles of sloping beach. Right here, right now, just happened in the blink of an eye, I don't even think anyone knew about it. How did that happen? Maybe no one showed up to the meetings. So I felt compelled to get involved this time, even if it was just showing up and holding a yellow protest sign. So thank you Tony for that first Facebook post that caught my attention, and thank your wife for printing up those yellow signs, and thanks especially for turning me on to those aforementioned Lazor Zap inspired Shrimps. And wow everyone else, mostly people I've never even met, David, Anne, Tyler, Ben Lexan, and the social media in general that made this easier maybe? Really way too many names to mention, but everyone really stepped up and got this thing done. If you haven't done so yet write the Board of Supervisors today. I don't care where you live. Free access to the beach, and wilderness, you already paid for it, it's a god given right. You can't just put up a fence, a sign,  a meter, and turn us into customers. Fuck that. Look, I voted for Nadar, but Ronald Reagan has some really good quotes, check it out...

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like at Rincon where we could park for free" 

Sorry Frank, the people have spoken. New customs for the next generation.

Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors Email Addresses

SupervisorCarbajal@sbcbos1.org
jwolf@sbcbos2.org
dfarr@countyofsb.org
jgray@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
steve.lavagnino@countyofsb.org

May Day... The Big Five-O.. Help..

CalTrans is coming to town

So June starts much the same as May left off. Small mostly unsurfable waves lapping the shores of La Conchita Town. June gloom has a arrived right on schedule after an unusually sunny May. Sun, clouds, fog, rain, whatever,  I don't care. My eyes are straining to see waves at the spot just two miles north of here. They play tricks on me most every morning this time of year till finally... I break down and drive over for a closer look. It was worth a closer look on Wednesday. Yesterday umm..  Well my eyes got the better of me.  Did you say drive? What about the the ebike bike Don? Well.. Two reasons really. Reason number one. CalTrans has made a mess of things directly in front of town making for an even more dangerous trip north to Rincon. Reason number two. With the left turn lane permanently shut down, at least a portion of your trip back to involves a harrowing ride against traffic. Granted, it is probably not going matter whether you get hit head on,  or taken out at 65mph from behind, it's probably your amplitude and landing skills that are going to save you. Reason number three. My hip has been killing me. Okay make it three reasons then, and everyone needs to quit texting while they drive. You are insane! I have a lot to say about CalTrans, texting while driving, and the Association of Surfing Professionals, however I'm still waiting on Claudia from CalTrans to get back to me. Suffice to say, I am not amused.

Post One Star Session... Victory at Sea

Despite the dangers of biking on the freeway I was without the Syncro for a week or so earlier in the month... Yep again, don't ask..  So I had no choice but to get on the bike and peddle my ass into town for beer, wine, and a couple of days of mediocre surf. As mentioned in a prior blog, even with electric assist I have to peddle some sections, and that is just no good for this freaking hip.  So if you broke your hip twelve years ago, just turned fifty, and it feels like your body is absolutely falling apart, but you can't give it a rest, I have one word for you. Compression.   I'm  keeping it all together now with a pair CW-X Compression Shorts, and they work! Two thumbs up! Back to the surf. There hasn't been any. In fact since I began logging surf sessions in September, I have never seen anything as bad as this May. Yes, I am well aware I'm living in the shadow of the Channel Islands but it has been particularly bad for at least three weeks north and south of here. The beginning of May started off promising with 5 days of at least average, to above average surf, including one standout afternoon of Four Star surf the weekend of La Conchita's annual garage sale, and then arrgg..

5'11" Shrimp by John Perry

May 8th.. One Star, Two Star,  One Star, Two Star, One Star, Two Star, One Star, One Star, Two Star, right up till yesterday... One Star.. That's only 15 days total for May, and most of them in the pretty dam terrible or worse category. Throw in a couple of dry runs and I can tell you, a psychiatric break is not far off in my future. For those of you not familiar with my star rating system. One Star is Terrible. Two Star is pretty damn terrible, and it has to be fucking horrible for me to not paddle out. Three stars is average, not to mention pretty damn good at my home break where 150+ yard rides are the norm. Don't get me wrong, I would rather be in the water than out, but it's starting to wear on me. I did secretly score some chest high surf a couple of days ago.  2.5 Stars... Chest high, bumpy,  but some zippy sections and an oppurtunity to cut loose on the 5'11" Lazor Zap inspired Shrimp by master shaper John Perry. But my eyes got the better of me yesterday as I groveled in slow inconsistent waist high peelers. Seriously I really should took the Sup out yesterday, and Kalie, bring me my Yater Spoon!!! Nope, one star, and two star days are not going to cut it much longer.

 Mark Twain stayed here... Grass Valley

Luckily there have been a few distractions this month, like a fun little road trip with my good friend Kim up to Chico to see her son graduate. Santa Cruz... no waves there either. Then on up and over to Grass Valley before hitting Chico, home of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Definitely one of my "Go To" beers so I was a little bummed they were booked solid for lunch with everyone in town for graduation. Luckily it's on tap everywhere. The good stuff too, with names I've never heard of before, like "Writers Block" or my choice for the after graduation celebration, the "Best Bitter" Which the brewer describes as an English-style pale ale that tends to be far more malty than its American counterparts. I can say this. Taste a bit like a good IPA but with less alcohol volume. I didn't know that when I ordered it, so I had three.


Unfortunately I couldn't get through May without turning 50. Yep the big five-o. Time to reflect perhaps.. Maybe not.  The good, the bad, the ugly, I have seen it all. Yep, two divorces, currently single, basically unemployed, kids out of the house, two dogs, lots of old injuries rearing their ugly heads, and now this mid-life board crisis. I have been making the transition back to short boards lately. Not your traditional potato chip fashioned thrusters, but not big floaty fish either, think Cheyne Horan. And don't think I won't go out and buy a StarFin even though this very same thinking may have cost Cheyne the World Championship many times over. Still the transition, it's been a lot of fun, it'a been a lot of work, and every time I kick out,  I'm thinking...  I'm too old for this shit. The amount of energy expended ripping the hell out of one of those aforementioned one hundred and fifty yard waves, vs the cruising, sweeping turns, and casual trim stylings of the Vaquero has been an eye opener for sure. Still I've been on the hulls for 8 years now, probably longer, so perhaps it's time for a change before I really am... Too old for this shit. Plenty of time to cruise and trim later and I do have that unobstructed view of the Santa Barbara Channel which is.. well pretty good.

The Motel 6 in Lodi.. Not as good as it looks.

LC on Ten Dollars a Week - Two hundred forty-three dollars, and eighty-one cents later...

Good news for the one percent

It's Thursday, December 15, 2011, and I still have about five days to go. I have spent $243.81 since my last confession. Add that to the $77.73 from the first four days, and you'll see I ran out of money and fell into the red about $71.54 ago. Prescriptions, expensive dog food, emergency shower repairs for your daughter, it all adds up. Not to mention the beer and wine. The good news is I managed a 7 day surfing streak for free. Fifteen hours worth. Sure it included paddling the sup from LC to the north and back one day, and yesterday was nothing to write home about but.. I don't know? Can you write about glassy perfectly shaped waist high lefts with no one out? I just did. Well.. It is certainly no reason to stay out of the water especially after being dry three days straight earlier in the week.

Obviously not the same day

The rest of the days were average. (average waves, not spending) But an average wave at that spot just north of here is still pretty dang good. And average waves this winter, are starting to look better than ever. One day I paddled out into head high sets with just a friend and a sup guy out. Normally that sup kook would have pissed me off but something special was happening here. It didn't last long, but the best part of that session was paddling back out after we'd caught the first few waves of the set, and watching 3 or 4 more roll though unridden. Sweet. Won't forget about that for a while. I remember being very nervous sitting out there wondering what was going to go wrong. Instant crowd? More sups? Get hit in the head with my board again? Southwind? Yep, fucking southwind! Seriously, I would have gladly taken another sup... It only lasted for about 40 minutes before the wind turned south but I stayed out another hour knowing that the southwind looks offshore from LC...

99 cents worth of xmas lights

Anyway... I made about  $100 in dog sitting money, so over-budget yes, but still not completely broke, though I had to turn down a chance to see "X" tonight. I guess that is the cost of freedom. Financial freedom. I did manage an excellent surf and birthday lunch with a couple friends (not my birthday, Kims) Saw a movie about the haole royalty of Hawaii, drank plenty of good beer and cheap red wine, food made slowly, saw both daughters, got a free student edition of Photoshop, a handmade coffee mug, and took a trip to the 99 cent store, where I made the mistake buying only 99 cents worth of xmas lights instead of the $1.98 I needed. Also if you live around here you might have noticed, it's been pretty dang cold prompting me to go out and by two pair of polar fleece sweats for a mere $4.31 for the Carpinteria Thrift Store, along with at least one bundle of wood from the bag-less Albertsons.  Only one pair of the sweats worked out so if anyone needs a sweet pair of medium Patagonia sweats hit me up. Two bucks.. Just kidding you can have them.

Blurry pelican sunset with dogs.. No Charge

A simple drive. self help books.. therapy... or something..

This one is just about some personal reflection. Skip it if you are looking for something funny or informative.. Like bricks, or Banana Growers. Otherwise bare with me while I just write down some stuff for no reason. The seasons are changing and the surf up here is starting to wind down. I missed some good wind swell while I was up in Mammoth over Easter and since I have been back. I had one pretty nice day at indicator, and another average day sitting inside a bit.. the rivermouth. 2 surfs in one week. maybe it was 3.. That is still about 4 short! This definitely is a problem. The surf feeds my soul..

Getting waves in the summer means driving. Now that I live in LC.. It is about 5 minutes closer to Oxnard or Ventura. That is about as far south as I like to go. And of course there is "the left" Not to mention some small usually crappy, waves in front of the house. Those can be a blast some times. Now that I live downstairs I can't see the surf in front of the house so I could be missing it right now! When I lived in Oxnard I would make the occasional trip to the Malibu area but.. otherwise I have a mental block which ends in Port Humneme. I love Jalama but it is a drive, gas is expensive, camp spots are hard to get, and face it, it's hit or miss there. Anyway pray for some continued west swell to bring me through spring and into summer. Please.

Really that's not why I am writing. It's been a little over two weeks since the huge fight with me wife that left us both hurt, and injured, and ready to finally give up. I've been going through a series of revelations ever since. Revelation 1 Wow.. I am really hurt by everything "I said" in the middle of the fight. The things she said were painful as well but what I said, was the most damaging to me. My wife is really sick of the fighting and ready to move on and maybe I should be too. But still there is something there. We both know. And that something is good, and fun, and playful. But really I want her to depend on me for anything. Something she has given up on..

Revelation 2 This occurred to me when I was en route to Mammoth with my my daughters. They had a horoscope book and Sara was flipping through reading excepts on relationships, and general personality traits. Now while I have always believed you can hear whatever you want in those things and fit them into your life there is always some truth to these things. There is no doubt that I am stubborn as a bull! That is just fucking great! What am I supposed to do with that gift? Most of the time this just a huge personality flaw. Anyway.. combine that with some Bipolar Disorder and I can act quite childish at times. So.. it may appear to the casual observer that I am in fact a jerk!


Take for example one of my trips to Mammoth this year.. I let every one know as we hit the road.. We will be stopping in Mohave.. and Bishop.. for gas. Maybe dinner in Bishop. "It would be better if you just grab some food at the AMPM" I just want to get there, have a glass of wine, and wind down from what is a long trip with 6 people and a dog in the Syncro. But.. the restless passengers are getting hungry way earlier than that. This is when that stupid bull starts to rise above. I end up with all this anger, and frustration, because things are not going according to my plan. Practically ready to throw a tantrum. I stop anyway in Lone Pine for some Pizza but, I am being such a jerk, to my wife, and all the kids, mine, hers, J's friend. Arrrggg.. Told them I didn't want a pizza and ordered a sandwich instead as my final desperate childish act. That will teach them..

Wtf.. I couldn't give up my dream plan to enjoy a nice dinner with my family??? Madness! I really just wanted to say. I am so happy everyone is here on this trip with me and I love you all. But I was too mad.. Too Stubborn. So who's to blame. The stars! Them for not adhering to the plan, or me for not being flexible and just happy to be there.. I can't see anyone to blame but myself. I am just glad my wife let that outburst go and we ended up having a great trip. Revelation 3 I make myself mad. I thought they were making me mad. Duh..

So I began reading the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz I have gotten through the first three, and number one is really the basis for the the other three so I will dwell on that for a moment. No wait! I will tell you the four agreements first.

1) Be impeccable with your word

2) Don't take anything personally

3) Don't make assumptions

4) Always do your best

"Be impeccable with your word" The definition of impeccable is: without sin, flawless, etc.. I thought I was being impeccable but, when I looked deeper I see I wasn't. I was throwing out so much poison in the form of words, carelessly, or intentionally, it didn't matter. Agreements were being made, by both parties. Accepted to be true. So now they are. I don't know how to fix this. Whats done is done but, I am sorry. Only today matters. People don't realize the power of their words or see the harm that can be caused with speaking carelessly, thoughtlessly or aggressively. I didn't. Man I speak so carelessly, and thoughtlessly, that I don't even remember what I said half the time. I can't even pinpoint when the conversation went from friendly banter to whatever it was that upset my wife, my kids, or my friends. Aggressively?? Look out! I am going to let that f- bomb fly and worse. Most of us are aware that screaming at someone may be upsetting to them, but subtle little digs at them, or gossip behind their backs, can hurt others more than we realize, and in hurting them, we hurt ourselves. It is those little digs that put a lot of poison into my relationship. Revelation 4 Words hurt more than I realized and I need to be a bit more thoughtful with what I want to say..

Anyway.. Just acknowledging these things has somehow brought a new lightness to my personality or being. I feel it. And it feels good. This is a good way to be. Nothing has really changed.