~SBMM~

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has quite a nice and small collection to show...here are some of the highlights.

George Greenough's Flexspoon and camera used in the movie "The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun" :

Tom Curren's Red Beauty by CI:

One of Slater's first Boards by CI:

The "Rocket Fish" by local legends Clyde Beatty Jr. and Max MacDonald:

And......a very nice "Rincon" Longboard by Yatter:

The SBMM is worth a visit:

http://www.sbmm.org/

There are no words to describe atrocity...

"Only when the last tree is cut; only when the last river is polluted; only when the last fish is caught; only then will they realize that you cannot eat money."

Cree Indian Proverb

Enjoy the Universe Tonight

Since Speak & Spell in 1981 and "just can't get enough" that I have been listening to Depeche Mode. 1987 and Music for the Masses was a turning point for Depeche Mode. I recall DM taking over the charts and taking over the "masses". I loved that record, but somehow, I disliked the "mainstream" side effect and all the media hype at the time.
1997 was "Ultra" for sure.
The last two albums have been an act of greatness. Playing the Angel, 2005, was just fantastic. A mature DM presented us with some of the older sound and feeling from 1981/87.
Sounds of the Universe, 2009, has kept up with all my expectations and has been the soundtrack of my days since last April.

I am trully excited to finally see DM live, after all this years.
Santa Barbara Bowl here I come.

She is...

3 years old. She is my life and my angel.
Thank you for being in my life....my joy, my jewel. I love you my child.

Just because....

One's inability to see or understand underlying differences doesn't make things all the same.

A Strange Kind of Love

Tri-Plane Hull by Mandala Surfboards...

I saw....and I am in LOVE.

OC

Went down to OC...Newport was kinda flat on Sunday and Huntington wasn't much better.
On my way up the 1, I saw the BU...Nice walls but the 3,568 guys in the lineup made me drive right back home...to a flat, very very flat Santa Barbara.
Here are some pics of Surf City by the Pier:

I really miss the winter 2007-2008. If a picture is worth 1000 words....here is a nice essay about surf in Santa Barbara: Relax and Enjoy.

Leads....yes leads...

A very secret spot... the one with the rookies behind the big rock

Only Kelly Slater knew where to find a perfect wave.....NOT.

FINS.....

True Ames L-Flex B 9" and True Ames Farberow Flex 9.5"

After the fire is before the fire

After some good times in Kauai and another fire ravaging our town, evacuations, smoke and ashes, here we are enjoying a nice wind swell. Back to normal life again.

The only real concern left right now is - How many times will we have to pack our houses in our cars and run again? Fire season started really early this year and I personally think that we will have a hard and dry summer.

Hawaii

After a very bad winter for surf in southern California...I'm going to Hawaii for some surf.
Hope to get some good ones...Have a nice time over here or were ever you are...Aloha and see you soon again.

I'm going home

May your voice take me home for a few hours. Back to the places were I was young. Let your voice fill my eyes with colors, my mouth with flavors, and my ears with sounds of things and places I have known. Today I'm going home for a while. Thank you Mariza...Obrigado Fado.
http://www.mariza.com/

It's flat...lets go to Hawaii

After a flat winter in CA, I thought about spring in Hawaii.
I booked a trip to Kauai and I will pray for surf each and every day...Imagine I would get skunked....

Dawn Patrol II

Well...there was no real swell but the set waves were fun....

And at the very end of another session a Humpback came to say hi and bye.

I had never seen a whale as close to shore as that one...it made my day.

Gaviota...

Essentials...

Enjoy

Stubby Dawn Patrol

Got my Point Concept Stubby from Ryan Monday and a borowed center fin.

I'm so stoked...it's so gorgeous.

Tuesday 03.03.09, 6:30am I suited up at the usual parking lot.

Fast surf check: OK

At the point, the sets where breaking just behind the rocks. I went slightly to the left of the point and got a couple of nice set waves.
The Stubby paddles well and generates a lot of speed....but the powerless waves made it very hard work. The borowed center fin didn't let me bottom turn as sharp as the conditions were asking for - the set waves were closing out very fast.

As the tide dropped, the waves got hollow and the bottom very shallow...I took a last small ride to shore and went home. Santa Barbara hasn't seen one single decent surf day this winter...I'm so bummed. As I left the parking lot, Dave Johnson was suiting up.

Nex surf attack with a 3 fin set up is planned for friday 6:30am.

Balance Of Opposites

One should always try to perfectly balance the opposites...

Nothing like a hike in the mountains to let you know how much you need the ocean.

Life is a long and lonely walk you can only be prepared for, if someone shows you the way...

Portuguese Water Dog

Portuguese will become First Dog at the White House.



"The business of choosing a First Dog has been almost as stressful as picking a US Commerce Secretary. Finally, though, a kind of consensus has emerged. It will be a Portuguese water dog from a rescue shelter and it will arrive in April. For the name, we will have to wait a bit longer. That there would be a dog in the Obama White House was never in question. Every US president since Calvin Coolidge has had a pooch under the Oval Office desk. And as we heard from Barack Obama on election night, his two girls, Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, were promised a puppy if Daddy won. Michelle Obama reveals the choice in an interview with People magazine. There had been talk of a Labradoodle, but no longer. Part of the attraction of both breeds is they shed only sparingly, helping Malia, who is prone to allergies. "From the size perspective, they're sort of the middle of the road," Mrs Obama said. "It's not too small, but it's not a huge dog. And the folks we know who own them have raved about them." They would include Senator Ted Kennedy, who has two, Splash and Sunny. In a statement, he said he was "proud to endorse the Portuguese water dog as the next First Dog of the United States". The dogs were favoured by fishermen on the coast of Portugal since they are strong swimmers and were known to rescue men who fell overboard. But dexterity and intelligence in a dog can present challenges. "They're really good at opening refrigerators and cabinets, and so thank God the White House has staff to take care of things," said Janet Boyd, of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. The naming of the dog is clearly going to take a little more work. "Frank was one of them. Moose was another," Mrs Obama said. "I'm like, 'No. Come on. Let's work with the names a little bit'." From- The Independent 27 Fev 2009

I thought Presindent Obama had better things to do!!! Well I guess not...Keep up the good work Sir...

Scott Price...

Although my favorite photo from him is "Indigo Wave", I really wanted to share the natural beauty and violence of "Super Tubes"... More at: http://www.surfingdolphins.com/

That's all folks.....

Wow...what a ride

Yesterday...I finally went out.

Shoulder hight to overhead conditions gave me the opportunity to test the Stepchild. I have never had a fastest ride in my life. It let me go really nice down the line and gather enough speed to make it over the section. It turns a bit more like a Longboard than I would like it to turn, but considering the 7'0" and the single fin setup it was still lose enough to let me go down the face

again on longer waves. I loved it and I will take it out again next time to try some other things.

By the way...I saw the Point Concept 5'3" Blue Nugget in action yesterday....Holy shit....it goes like a lightning up and down the face while throwing buckets of salty water into the audience...

Great sound...

I went to this concert last Wednesday.

Donavon Frankenreiter & Gary Jules were performing @ Soho (a local music club).

The crowd was flowing in as a gentle and colorful stream...and pre-paying the ticket online saved me a long line at the door...Yeah. Donavon was friendly, smiling is way across the room. Great jaket man....

Gary Jules opened alone with his guitar. His music filled up the room with a sound reminiscent of early years...Oh man...listening to Cat Stevens, chill out under the shadow of an olive tree, looking at the ocean, counting shooting stars under the moolight of Tavira. He left the stage with his 2001 version of Mad World ( yes you know it from Donnie Darko). Great cover of Tears for Fears 1982 original version. Shortly after Donavon Frankenreiter hit the stage with his band for the joys of old and young. That's when I realized I wasn't in a concert but in a typical Santa Barbara "to see and to be seen" kinda Zoo. I mean F@#& you old fart....no Donavon didn't play at Woodstock...he wasn't born in 1969!!! And yes, that's why there are so many young folks in here. You can smoke doobies and drink tee at home. And what is wrong with you younger and older girls??? Do you really have to walk around with a sign saying "Single mother looking for pro surfer" or "School girl likes Kelly"...the only inpression you left was the one guys get from over-styled cheap blond bimbos (have you ever seen a surfboard? Can you spell that for me please?).

Guys I have a question!!! Where did you all get cloned and sent to the world as brainless zombies surfing white K smalls "verticaly" and "in the pocket"? Are all those brands your sponsors? By the way - No, Kelly Slater is not your buddy now just because you bothered/met him ( and me. I didn't even know I was standing next to him for quite some time. hey!!! He is smaller than I thought and had a wool beanie over his bold head...I was trying to enjoy the music.) and I don't think he will add you as a friend on Facebook now....

Donavon sent us home with a "if it don't matter to you, it don't matter to me" and all the room finally sang along. To make a long story short - the evening had a great sound, but really nasty vibes. Something is really wrong in this surfing town...

Adios Amigo!!

Adios amigo... My 1985 325es BMW and I went separate ways. The divorce took place last night around 6:30pm. It complained many times about beeing left alone and beeing neglected. It couldn't take my secret affair with "that Volvo" any longer. It wanted to be needed. I had no arguments against all that and I had to let it go. It still has so much life.
Have fun out there little guy!!I'll miss you.

Stepchild Part II

Some more pics of Steve Brom's Stepchild.

Steve Brom's Stepchild

Well today I am going to pick up a Stepchild Single Fin 7'0" shaped by Steve Brom.

It's an odd looking kind of board...A longboard with a chopped off nose is how I would describe it best. I believe it to be the ultimate summer wave catcher. The single fin gives you a souly feeling, the size makes it easy to turn and trim and the thickness and width make it an easy paddle with noseriding potential. Sounds like a lot of fun....but it will have to wait for tomorow. Today the priority goes to the music of Donavon Frankenreiter and beer.