Summer has hit with a vengeance! Not only is it how-can-it-be-this-hot HOT, it is very dry. No rain has come our way in a long time. The waves have been odd this year too. The first year I started surfing, we had some sort of wave just about every weekend. Last year, was a tad more inconsistent, but this year is really sloppy. We've had some weeks with churned up waves that are hard to maneuver and then we've had A LOT of flat days. No waves! Nothing! Nada! Today was no exception. Although there had been some decent waves at least one morning this week, by Friday, those waves were gone. (It's hard to get in some good surfing time, when you have to work full-time...but it beats the alternative -- UNEMPLOYMENT. Surfing doesn't pay much...and there are no benefits. Besides, I love my job!) So, when Brian said I could use one of his Stand Up Paddle boards, I jumped at the chance, just so that I could be out in the water on a summer day.
I got to G-town about 10:30 a.m. I connected with an old friend from junior high who was in town, bought a surfboard and decided to surf. She was having fun just practicing on her new board in the small surf that was available for practicing surfers. It was great seeing her. (And, I was sorry that she ended up falling and breaking her nose later. EEEk! That's probably worthy of it's own future surfer girl post.) After a little while though, I was ready to get in the water. Brian handed me one of the boards and I went out. What a blast!! I'd done it one other time and had fun then. I think I even described it the same way and used the same tired and overused phrase. It requires some core strength, but, for the most part, SUPers need strong upper arms and good sense of direction. Turning that sucker necessitates some thinking...at least for people like me who can't remember to paddle backward on the opposite side to start a turn.
I remember saying in a an earlier post that I would probably never buy one, but having one on days like today, would be great. How would I carry it though??? Those suckers are big! Big, but very fun. Maybe I could figures something out!
