Riding the wave

I finally had my surf lesson. Brian (aka surfer dude) was a cool 60-year-old surfer who has surfed around the world. He gave me and my friend a 30-minute talk about the waves, sets, currents and possible animal encounters before saying he was ready for us to hit the waves. The Gulf was cool (not as cool as the Pacific), which was just one reason why he had suggested that we wear a rash guard. However, it was much warmer than last week. As usual, the most tiring part of the afternoon is trying to get the board from the car down to the water and then fighting the waves to get out into waist-deep water (the currents seemed even harder to fight than when I was in Nicaragua). At waist-deep, Brian was suggesting that we get on the board. He coached us on how to get on the board, our body positioning and, of course, the pop-up. Although I almost got up on the first try, it wasn't until the second or third try that I did the pop up correctly and positioned myself good enough to ride the wave all the way in. I was victorious!!! Okay, so I fell off every time after that; I had at least one good ride, which even garnered me praise from Brian.

I hope I can take another lesson next week. I definitely need some more wave time!

The wind is my friend?

My surf dreams were temporarily dashed on Friday because of strong winds. Brian, surfer dude instructor, called early on Friday to say that the wind was much too strong. He said that the winds would make the waves unpredictable and that after driving the length of the beach, he didn't even see the regular surfers taking a chance in the water. He set us up for next Friday. I definitely was disappointed. Brian also said that just transporting the boards from the car down to the beach would have been troublesome because of the wind. I definitely understood that would be the case since we had some windy days in Nicaragua and carrying those boards can get difficult. I am hoping/wishing for calmer winds next Friday.

The wind played a part in my life on Saturday during my usual weekend bicycle ride. Blowing out of the southwest at about 25 mph, the bicycling group decided to ride one of our summertime rides -- Wee-Mart. So, we had a 30-mile ride into the wind in one direction, and we had a 30-mile ride with the wind behind us or crossing us on the way back. Unfortunately, the crosswinds were too much for me during the return and I was dropped at about mile 48. I mentally destroyed myself on Cemetery Road when I decided that once we made the turn on to FM 517, I wouldn't be able to stay with the group. So, of course, when we turned on to FM 517, I couldn't stay with the group. Fortunately, a couple of other riders were dropped before me and, eventually, caught me so I didn't have to ride by myself the rest of the way in. Thank goodness!

"The answer my friend is blowing in the wind; the answer is blowing in the wind."
Bob Dylan