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.

So what???

So I'm bored, and grumpy, and nervous and I have been drawing shit with Paint and listening to Punk again.

I just can't go out and surf...no time to get sick from all the shit that goes into the water after the rain. But I think the next couple of days look ok....if only I had my Longboard

Because it's President day....

Just...

...another Sunday in the park.

Islands....Paint

I like it like that!!!

Wet dream....

I was dreaming about this freak right...I hate Crayola.

Clones...

Donavon is in Town...

Yep....Donavon Frankenreiter is in beautiful SB next week.
He'll be playing next Wednesday the 18th @ Soho...I've got my ticket.
But..."if it don't matter to you, it don't matter to me".

Stubby Part III - Update

Panoramic view of the Rails

View from the Deck

DeTail.....

I'm so stoked....Point Concept Stubby - Part II

I have no words to describe how stoked I am about this board.
Ryan is just doing an amazing job.

Who's "the Conductor"?

In his quest to find "the conductor", Steven Kotler takes us on a strike mission through surf, science and religion. This is how he describes a wave...My favorite part of the book:

"The water that was roaring toward me was quite literally a memory. It started out in some other part of the world, forming when a change in temperature produced a change in pressure. Air's natural tendency is to move from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. We call this movement wind. When wind flickers across the ocean's surface, it produces small ripples which provide a greater surface area that can then catch more of that blowing wind. Eventually these ripples become larger and larger until they cohere into wavelets and eventually waves, attaining their greatest size when the come closest to matching the wind's speed. What makes this whole chain of events slightly stranger is that it is not the water itself traveling across the ocean as a wave, but merely the memory of the original wind's energy being constantly transferred as vibration from one neighboring water molecule to the next. When I heard the roar of that wave behind me at Nusa Dua, what I was actually hearing was the sound of the past arriving in the present with me directly in its path."

Bad weather...

Good surf.

Today some surf came back to our town...Thanks.

Some know this spot...some don't...and that's good.

Let the music flow...

Pandora.com
Pandora must be the most precious invention to all of us "office studs".

There is nothing more relaxing than just doing your work without bothering about all the bla bla on radio stations. No commercial breaks. No music you don't like. No BS.

Just relax, work and let the music flow. Right now I'm just enjoying some Phish, The Dead, Allman Brothers Band, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Lou Reed and so much more...Open the box and let it change your world.

It's raining outside but I've got some sunshine in my heart...

The king is dead. Long live THE CRAMPS!!

Lux Interior is Dead....F#*k!!


I can't believe this shit...and it makes me realize that life is far to short to be doing things you don't love. I will surely miss your voice Lux. R.I.P.

Here is the text by Cortney Harding for Reuters/Billboard:

"Cramps frontman Lux Interior dies"
"NEW YORK (Billboard) - Cramps frontman Lux Interior died Wednesday at a Glendale, Calif., hospital as the result of a pre-existing heart condition, the band's publicist confirmed to Billboard. He was 52.
The Cramps formed in 1976 and were part of the now legendary downtown New York punk scene. Their lineup shifted over the years but always included Lux and his wife, Poison Ivy. The band's rockabilly-infused punk has been credited as an influence by bands including the White Stripes and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
Interior, whose real name was Erick Lee Purkhiser, was born October 21, 1946, in Ohio. He met Ivy in 1972 and started the band shortly thereafter.
The Cramps released 14 albums over the course of their career, their latest being 2004's "How To Make a Monster." Their best-selling album, 1984's "Bad Music for Bad People" has sold 95,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Reuters/Billboard"

Point Concept Stubby

So here it is...
My 6'8" Stubby.
I spent some time watching Ryan shaping today...here are the first impressions.

Cambria again...

A voz vem do vento e do mar...

The voice comes from the wind and the ocean... said the strange young woman in my dream.....

So does beauty. Cambria at its best.

Elephant Seals and White Rocks

Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas (South Big Sur) near San Simeon.




































More infos at http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/elephant-seals.html