Christmas and a cute 'surf' present

I received an email this evening from a surf friend who said that he had been surfing today and that the waves were wonderful. It wasn't just sent to me. The message was sent to several of the surfers who usually hang out in G-town near the 43rd Street jetty. I'm not sure about the motivation behind the email other than to just let us know that he was having fun on this special holiday. He had great waves and the beach to himself. It's Christmas, and I'm sure that most, if not all, in the "to" field had other non-surf commitments related to the holiday. I did. I don't even remember having looked at the webcam on the G-townsurf site, but I can't imagine skipping it either since it is a daily ritual. So, I'm sure I must have looked at it and missed the "fabulousness" of the waves. That happens sometimes. What doesn't necessarily look good on the cam, can look pretty awesome sometimes when standing on the beach. I'm actually glad my friend got to surf, and was also thrilled to hear that on this special holiday, he was able to do what he loves to do and relax. A sharp, north wind, drizzle and gray skies made the day definitely feel like winter, and might have actually kept me from attempting to go surfing even if it hadn't been a holiday. If I had decided to go surfing, I would have been miserably cold; and, I would have had to wear my 5-4, which would have kept me warm for a little while, but not warm enough. Being miserably cold doesn't ALWAYS deter me from wanting to surf, but it might have today. Sometimes, I just feel like I have to get in the water; especially when I haven't surfed in a while. It's only been a little over a week now since I got to surf, and I am missing it, but not enough to leave my family gathering, get into a thick wetsuit and surf in the winter weather. Luckily, I have the week off. I am hoping for waves tomorrow, but the forecast is not looking good for tomorrow or any other day this week. Too bad. Sure wish I could pack up and go surf some place warm this week!  Ummmm....maybe it's something to think about and plan for next year.

Family gatherings are wonderful. Today was no different, except for a little family drama. We successfully struggled through the drama though and, all in all, had a fabulous Christmas celebration. Gifts were exchanged and games were played. We ate and laughed. I was pleasantly surprised by a little gift from my sister. (We siblings aren't supposed to exchange gifts.) Picture attached. This cute little board with a magnet will be great for a photo or even a note. She had noticed a photo of a Robert August surfboard in my vacation photos and had decided to decorate my board (she made one for all of the women in the family and included special designs that reflected our interests) with a miniature picture of the RA board. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift and one that I will cherish always. Now, I just have to decide where to put it so that I can see it often.

Merry Christmas!