Field Report, Dolphins of the Rincon, July 4th, 2013

Quad Pod

It was back in April I think when I started hauling the DLSR down to the beach again. I got lucky and saw some fins the first day. Sadly... I didn't see any more fins until yesterday. Well, umm, that's not entirely true. There were a few occasions where I didn't have the Camera due to one of the following reasons. 1. Too windy (Auto focus loves those white caps) 2. Surf too big (Dolphins swim too far out and I'm in a too much of a hurry to get out there myself) 3. Picking up seaglass (Too much sand. Sand, seaglass, and camera lens, are not a great combo) 4. Too heavy!  (Seriously. It digs into my shoulder big time, while that iPhone slips nicely into my back pocket) A backpack would probably be more comfy, but with the Sling Styled Tamrac Velocity 9, I can have my camera out the pack and shooting in 6 seconds flat. And believe me thats the kind of speed you need when it comes to dolphin fin notch photography...

New Fins.. 090 & 091aka Micro

I do haul it that thing down there quite a bit, but the dolphins clearly knowing what I'm up too, just wait until later to come by. So I was stoked yesterday to actually have the camera, and simultaneously spot a small pod of four dolphins just a couple hundred yards north of me. Now, if the dolphins are just cruising, I would gage their speed somewhere near a brisk walk. That means, if they are a couple hundred yards ahead of you... You will need to get running. So I did. Like I said there were only four of them but I got two new legit ID shots, with the other two being no-notchers. (Having no-notches) Anyway job well done. Thank you.

Haven't see S'ha in a while but he showed up today.

So this morning at exactly 6:47am, with Riley and Wilson bouncing off the walls, the bed, and the couch, I pondered the idea of dolphins showing up two days in a row. "Not likely," I told Riley, but I grabbed the ball and chain and threw it over my shoulder anyway (Canon 50D EF 100-400mm L Lens) As soon as we emerged from the tunnel, there they were, straight out the back. Six seconds later I had my camera in hand and was shooting away at five frames per second. Seventeen frames later the battery died. Yes, as a matter of fact I have learned this lesson a few times, and I still don't have a back-up battery. These lessons never end do they? I do have extra memory cards at least. So a few weeks ago when I took what I thought was a ridiculous 700 pictures at Kelsy's wedding I was fairly satisfied, only to find out later that Sammi's photography team took over 3000 at her wedding. Yep.. The lessons never end. Dead battery. Just like the dead battery on my e-bike that conked out on the way back from Ventura yesterday. Dead battery. Just like that day La Conchita's Beach Break was solid eight foot and doing a very persuasive job of looking like Puerto Escondito, with only Bobby and Tarik in the line up. Dead battery. Bummer too because there were at least a dozen dolphins out there today, probably more. Fin 090 from yesterday was there, along with S'ha who I hadn't seen since Callie Bowdish got a shot of him/her of Sands back in January of 2012. Those were the only two I could make out. 17 photos does not tell the whole story. Dead battery. Lesson learned.

Happy Fourth!

Now, if I didn't spend my last forty bucks* on a fuel injector for the Syncro sitting idly in the nearby driveway, I'd probably buy an extra battery today. Why do I hang on to the that thing anyway? Oh yeah it's just the best vehicle every made, and Tom Hanks just paid $114K for one, so I'm told. Ok well.. That's the report from just south of Rincon today. Happy Fourth! Well.. Maybe not for my dogs.


 *does not include money previously allocated to semi-mainstream-hoppy-craft beers

LC on Ten Dollars a Day - Day One

Here’s the deal I had an unexpected Van repair in mid November running $300. That along with the cash put aside for the mortgage, bills, etc, left me only $250 till my next check on the 21st. Yep, my checks aren't that big, do the math. There was a time when my car payment alone was $600 a month, but not anymore. So anyway $250.. That’s a little over $10 a day, and maybe, I might pick up a little extra dog sitting money, still it’s not much. Wish I had bought a fishing license earlier in the year. Haha. Trust me, I’m not in the 1%. I am in the 10%, behind the other 89%, so I am usually pretty broke anyway. Not really a big deal, I don't even expect to have to go to Coinstar to cash my change in, but it's good to know I can. No worries, it's the life I've chosen, less money, more surf. Still three weeks will be an extra long stretch. Today.. I just need beer. That’s gonna run me more than $10 so not a great start. To be clear I am in the 1%, of the 10%, in back of the 89%, that only drinks decent beer, and not 40 ounce Malt Liquors or Coors Light.

Thanks to Riley and Wilson I scored some unexpected surf today, and it was pretty fun too. Sure the wind was going everywhere from light offshore, to glassy, to hard south, and every direction in between, but if you stayed out long enough you got some good ones for sure! Not bad considering the rest of so cal had 50mph winds. I guess no one expected it since I never saw more than 6 people in the water and it didn't cost a thing! Except a little gas (4 mile round trip) I should have combined my trip to town with the surf trip so as to save some gas, but I had business in town today and had to go back and get my wallet, check book, etc..(9 mile round trip)

By the time I returned there was a power outage going on, bummer, and that wasn’t restored till sometime after 6:00 (yeah, pretty close ruining my newly purchased food in the freezer) Luckily I keep a huge bag of ice in there and everything looks good. So yeah… No power.. No internet.. And even worse, no live coverage of the Van’s World Cup of Surfing from 8’to 12’ Sunset Beach. So I read the new Surfer cover to and thoroughly enjoyed it. $12 for a year of Surfer is hard to pass up isn’t it? Plus they throw in 12 issues of Surfing to boot, how do they do it? The power outage probably saves a couple bucks for next month so I am thinking.. Maybe they should have one everyday. Force people into reading or taking a nap!

I settled on a twelve pack of Red Hook ESB at $13.99 today for change of pace from my Firestone or Sierra Nevada routine, add some Snack Mix @ $1.00, and some red chili flakes for 79 cents found in the Mexican spice section in a little plastic bag. (That is a sweet deal compared to the bottled ones in the Spice section so you might want to make note if you like spicy seafood pasta as much as I do.) With CRV and tax that comes to $17.51

For dinner I went with a pasta dish cooked tonight cooked under the candlelight. Chicken Cappelini tossed in my own Mexi-Marinara sauce, and garnished with Avocado, Sour Cream and 4 types of cheese.. Wine.. A cheap ass cab from Fresh and Easy in Ventura.

No need to go on vacation with sunrises like this.

Time well spent.. or Kim's Sup part one.

So when I started this little Dolphins of the Rincon thing I figured it would be fun to actually know some of the dolphins that cruise by everyday while I was out surfing, or walking on the beach, or just sitting on the porch. So far I have cataloged about 75 fins.. Some of quality on the photos makes a second ID questionable but hey, even the worst one was identified by Mark up at Okeanis. Mark and Daniela have been a huge help by the way.

I don’t have anyone down south that I am sharing info with at this time. However based on the amount of fins spotted down here, which have also been spotted up in Monterey, I would say it’s a safe bet that some of these fins definitely make it in to Baja Norte. What does this all mean.. hmm... They are getting better waves than me lately. But not last Monday. Labor Day brought the first decent waves of the season to the Rincon and I was stoked! I heard a few people complaining.. Why... Hey it was pretty good! Quite a few that came through that day were really good. I surfed close to 6 hours and was happy to be back home. 6 Hours.. That should show you how desperate I have become.. Funny thing. Not one dolphin the entire time I was out. I am sure that at least two cruised through between sessions when I went home to take a nap…

Wake up!! Riley was ready to go. Do something. Anything.. Just hurry up. So we took a bike ride down to the pier to see how the waves were looking. Not epic... but there were a few guys out and I am sure they were stoked to be back home too. Two dolphins came through the Cliffhouse section, passed by the rocks all the way to the call box. Actually I don’t know if there is a callbox there but this was the best dolphin wave of the season. I could see both of them clearly building speed though the first section riding inside the wave like only they can do, past the rocks which are kind of sketchy for dolphins and people, then they both burst out simultaneously doing two perfect airs in a row, then two alternating airs before doing their flyaway twisting kick outs at the end.. One of them rode about 20 yards further before doing his flyaway twisting kick out getting pretty dang close to the freeway in my opinion. What did I get out of this little 20 second encounter? I think they were saying Don. There’s three hours of light left and this swell is dropping fast, so you better get on it. So I did. Moving along...

My friend Kim loaned me her SUP (Stand up Paddle Board) for a few days. I know. I hate these things as much as the next guy but, this one is kind of a cruiser, and while, you can catch waves on it. I’m not planning to catch any.. just cruise. blah.. blah.. Well you know. . Ok. hmm. Then.... Anytime in the water is time well spent. I know Kim got this one for paddling around on flat days hoping to get out there and hang out with the “Dolphins of the Goodland” Personally I have been secretly wanting one of these for the same reason for quite some time now.

Tuesday.. There was still some surf to be had but, I had this new toy so.. Yea.. Hopefully run into some friends.. Dolphins that is. First off it’s not as easy as it looks. There is the width of 30 inches and a ridiculous length of 11 feet to consider. Try getting that through the hobbit tunnel of La Conchita or into your car without being seen. This is a super nice Jimmy Lewis board but must have come out before they put those nifty little built in handles. Somehow I came up with an ingenious carrying system that even MacGyver would have been proud of. Using the leash and the paddle, I made it through the tunnel and to the beach. Easy Peasy. There was actually surf that day in LC but, luckily no one on the beach, and no one to notice me paddle out. The steep beach break waves looked kind of fun and like certain death on the sup. Anyway I am out here to cruise around and look for some dolphin’s right? Ha.. I didn’t see any dolphins so I cruised on down to the pier where I might be able to catch some waves…

There was a lone surfer out at the beach break just north of the pier so I stayed way offshore to insure he did not see my face. I had paddled this thing around once before on really smooth water but other than that, this is my first time on the sup. It’s weird paddling around with your stance straight ahead. Weird standing out in the middle of the ocean. Weird trying to get through the pier on such a huge craft with the current sucking in and out. Weird this tall paddle. Just weird. So I get by the pier and no one is out. Good. High tide and not really enough swell . Good. I was heading to where I saw the dolphins catch that wave the day before, and that is where I was heading the minute I left the house. Stop!!!

I know what you’re thinking… a thousand sunsets, dolphins, heart shape stones, magic sea glass, stupid love song covers, and now a SUP.. WTF.. That is why I started shooting portraits of raptors and have a small but powerful collection of skull shape rocks. It’s harder than it looks those SUPS. My first wave.. A knee high but treacherous take off over the previously mentioned rock section. Shifting to a surf stance was easier than I thought given how off balance I am on that thing the rest of the time. Dig the paddle in and glide. Fun! Second wave.. Might be chest high. It’s hard to get this thing turned around and going. Which side do I favor when I am catching a wave? I favored my right side and dug really hard to get in this one then.. tweak… snap.. crackle.. I pulled something and instantly forget about the trampoline injury that was bothering me but I did catch the wave. Fun! Fun! Ouch!! I should have headed back after that but no one was out, and I wanted to get a few more. It was really hard to catch anything without putting any pressure on my right side but I managed a few more. Fun ! Fun! Fun! Ouch.. I was planning to tell a different story but the preamble turned into a preramble so that is the end of Kim’s Sup part one.. Or.. Time well spent.

IT'S COMPLICATED

I doubt anyone noticed but, I had to change my relationship status from "married" to "it's complicated" this week. After not quite 4 months down here in La Conchita, Jenny, and Julia, moved out. Really after a just couple weeks down here they were already trying to figure how to get back to SB and the Valerio house. Problem is they gave up that house to her sister in law and the guest house is still being rented to UCSB Student, Rose.. Ironically they moved into the trailer. See previous post: FOR SALE - BY OWNER - RINCON SURF PARADISE 2 + 1 $119,000

Now I need to point out. While I have always had a love affair with La Conchita and once tried to talk with no success, Theresa, my first wife, and mother of my children, into a buying a house here. up on Vista del Rincon. (back row but.. that house is still here) That was right before the first big slide. I should say the first big slide reported on by the current mass media. Another deadly slide took place about a quarter mile north of here in 1909 killing 6 people. According to Shamin? Shaman? Shamin is a 35 year resident of La Conchita and has this to add to the 1909 slide. Another 75 Chinese railroad workers not mentioned were also killed in this slide. After losing his house in the 2005 Slide he set up camp on the beach right across the freeway from the 1909 slide. Nice place. Had a stage and everything. Unlike the 2005 slide the bodies were never removed and their spirits are heard from frequently down that way... I haven't quite figured out if Shamin, is actually Shaman, but talking to him sometimes I get the feeling he is "The Shaman" Either way he's a super nice guy and one of the many people who have made me feel quite at home here in the LC. Anyway.. The place has been sliding throughout time. They say these are the fastest growing coastal mountains in the World, United States, California, well I forget.




Back to the point I was trying make in that last paragraph. That is.. It was Jenny who became obsessed with moving to La Conchita over the summer. I have no idea what possessed her but she would not leave the idea alone. To the point we were looking at buying houses here in the late summer (I have to point out we were not even living together at the time) Always the voice of reason I tried to point out the obvious.

1. Some people think it's crazy to live in an area prone to mudslides. I say it's crazy to even get up in the morning. Cars accidents, Black Mold, H1N1, Fires, Floods, Snowstorms, I'll take my chances here. At least on the front row.

2. It's like an island here. The old gas station/store has been closed since the owner committed suicide a few years back, so you can't even go grab beer, ice cream, or a Rincon burger. You need to go to the town.. just north of here if you follow my blog. If you don't drive you are pretty much stuck. Not the greatest set up for my 14 year step daughter Julia. But you can ride your bike to town on the freeway, or walk to the cliffhouse for a delicious lunch. Note: Someone looks to be reopening the Gas Station so.. that will be sweet!

3. Drugs.. Fuck that. There are drugs everywhere. There is the fact that we are on an island, and if you don't surf, like taking long walks on uncrowded beaches, fish, and collect Rincon Creek bricks. There is not much to do. Drugs could be an option. Of course a lot of kids seem bored these days no matter where they live. I guess there was a big pot bust here last week.. But pot come on.

4.1 The Freeway: This is the big one! It poses all sorts of problems here. First and foremost is the left turns against oncoming traffic. Vehicles small, large, and huge, are hurtling themselves at 75 mph on one of the busiest freeways in the world. I saw my first accident about a week ago. No local residents were involved but a truck apparently did some fancy air maneuvers eventually landing on its side. I heard no one was seriously hurt. This would be a good time to point out that THIS IS NOT A TECHNICALLY A FREEWAY. Yes kids.. About a 1/2 mile before Mussel Shoals to the south. And just as you pass Rincon from the north. You are not on the freeway anymore. There is busy cross traffic at two intersections, bikes, pedestrians, and cars parked along the road.

4.2 On any given Saturday or Sunday during the summer with everyone, I mean everyone heading to Santa Barbara, you would have an easier time walking across the top of cars than actually making the left turn. All that said. it's a matter of timing. Learning to time the speed of oncoming cars and what's makeable, learning the best time to leave, not caring about the time you will lose by going continuing south to the Sea Cliff off ramp and turning around. Or heading north to the u-turn or Bates Rd if you need to go south. If you have been drinking.. take the long way home!!!

4.3 Then there's getting to the beach. That's easy you just have to be flexible. The tunnel is only about 4' tall..

4.4 Oh yeah. It's loud and runs nonstop.. Till about 2am. Of course.. I can see Rincon from bed and it's about 2 minutes away on this same freeway..



So.. This wasn't really working out for Jenny... or Julia.. and now they are gone. To be fair. It's not just La Conchita, we just can't seem to live together. Too much fighting. Too much fighting over the exact same thing over, and over, and over again. Money (she makes twice as much as me, nearly 3 times. We use to have a joint account. Now everything is separate. And I am paying for half of everything. Cool.. now we can fight over who ate whose last avocado, grapefruit, turkey, whatever. That is dysfunctional and just plain lame. They sell freakin' Avocados 10 for a dollar just down the street. That's not counting the locals discount. ha.. My grapefruits’ on the other hand were like a buck each! That's something to complain about. lol..

We haven't been on a nice trip together since last May and then she takes off to go see friends in Hawaii with Julia. No big deal. I don't have that kind of money. That's why I try to live someplace where I can vacation year round from the comfort of my own home. This place is like a paradise we could enjoy ourselves right here. Christ I can see the place we were married from my bedroom balcony. But still.. We really need to try and get away, sorry trips to Mammoth don't count! My love language is sharing quality time. And to be honest my love tank is bone dry. Shot full of holes and leaking. I know her's is too.. But I gues I don't know how to fill it. If it's not money, it's the kids, or the fact that I choose not to work as much. It is hard to have a step family period. There is so much more but.. I think we still love each other. well.. hmm.. I don't know.. It's complicated..

"they say you got to choose your side.. and when it's done. nobody right.. nobody wrong"

FOR SALE - BY OWNER - RINCON SURF PARADISE 2 + 1 $119,000

This is the perfect set up for the single surfer, or very small family who needs to live near Rincon. I hate to sell this place but, I'm getting married, and moving to town. I not giving up my position at Indicator but, I will have to drive 15 minutes further now. Arrg...

Anyway... This is an all ages park. I have lived here by myself mostly, for the past five years. My kids are up here more often than not, so it is very livable for a minimalist family of three. The second bedroom is really what I would call a "half bedroom" or maybe an "Alcove" The wall was removed to give it more space. Great for traveling surf bros that might stop by, or a kid or two. You might think Rincon is too crowded? A lot of days it is.. But... a lot of days IT IS NOT! When you live two minutes from there, I guaranty you are going to catch it good. Yes I said Guaranteed!!! Did I say how great Carp is? Best town in America. You can get anywhere on your bike in about ten minutes, usually faster than jumping in your car. There are only "3" street lights in the whole town!!! I usually only deal with one. Santa Barbara is great but... I really do hate to leave Carp...

About the place... Nestled in a well maintained park, right next to Carpinteria Creek. My place is on a dead end lane, so it is pretty quiet, and has some nice views of Rincon Mountain, and the Santa Ynez Range. The creeks is right there, along with a bike path, which is also short cut under the freeway to the market. Farmers Market is on Thursday. The closest surf spot is TarPits. About 5 minutes by bike. That is also the closest beach at the State Park (camping), also there is Jelly Bowls the summer hang out for locals. You could walk it in 15 minutes but why? Bikes are fun! You are also right near the Northern, Southern California's only seal rookery. Sick Oxnard Barrels are about 25 minutes to the south, Ventura is about 15 minutes with surf spots all the way down. El Capitan, is about 35 minutes north, with about 20 right hand points in between... The space rent is running me about $575 per month right now but I don't know how they do it when new owners come in. Should be about the same though...

This is an old single wide. Classic... 1969 It's old school, made of aluminum,and of course, paneling inside. This is some of the nicest paneling going though. Take a look at some other old single wides, and you will see what I mean. There are not many of these single wides left. This means you usually are going to have to pay around $200,000 to get anything. We did look at the option of putting in a new doublewide in here but... to tell you the truth, those things have no style what so ever. I would rather live in a Yurt. My place is a wider than average single wide, with a nice extension, and raised ceilings in the living room. The porch is nice and roomy, far superior to any of the new double wide options... The kitchen is pretty roomy, but I am running my business out of it so no photo's yet. I am painting the bathroom as well. The living room is comfortable and quite livable. The bedrooms are small and really made for sleeping or napping. People... Please stop working so hard and take a nap! The carport is great and keeps my Westy nice and clean. It is also perfect for your 22' Foot Outrigger. Where am I going to put that?

You will need new carpet. It has a small yard... Some other repairs are inevitable. I will gladly pay for all of that, if possible, through escrow... Email me for more a slide show if you like.. If you have your own agent great. I need someone to put all the legal details together.

Last detail for now... I am getting Married on the Summer Solstice in June, so the place will not be ready for move in till early July!