Finally, some waves!

Waves have been inconsistent lately! Just when I think there might be something to surf, I look on the Galveston webcam and it's flat. Or, I look on the webcam just as I'm preparing to head to work, to a meeting, to a wedding...to a fill-in-the-blank, and find the waves are wonderful, but I can't make it to Galveston. It's been flat for the past few weekends, with waves only appearing mid-week. I was off the entire week of Christmas, but it wasn't until late Thursday that the waves started picking up again. The surf dude Brian called on Friday and said that the waves were messy and the current was bad, but I was so desperate to get in the waves again that I decided I would take my chances. In fact, I had been keeping up with several surf forecasting sites and the prediction for Friday afternoon was clean surf after yet another norther blew through. The current would still be strong, but the surf would be a little more consistent.

Pretty, clean sets were forming by
mid-day on Friday!

I made it to the island and into the waves close to noon. Because of the number of surfers already at 43rd waiting for the wind shift to occur, I listened to Brian's suggestion and surfed at 39th . Things were still a little rough, but I could see waves forming and filling in nicely. The current was strong, and I knew that I would have to paddle hard to make it to the outside. That was an understatement. I was able to time the waves, count the sets and make it out past the jetty, but I couldn't make it out far enough where the waves were building. Every time I almost made it out, I would get swept back in by a wave. I would then see a well-formed wave and think that I was far enough, turn and surf it. Usually, once a person gets past the jetty it gets a little easier, but not Friday. I made it quite a ways past the end of the jetty, but still couldn't make it all the way out where some of the waves were forming. Don't get me wrong, I had a few fabulous rides. I didn't even have to paddle much to get into the waves. The ones I caught were not real big, but very strong and fast. I had a ball, and I sure was glad to be back out.

For the first time this year, I had to wear my 5-4mm wetsuit. Water temp is approximately 57 degrees, which is quite chilly. Although I had my booties with me, I opted not to wear them. Fortunately, my feet didn't really start getting numb until a couple hours later, which was my cue to get out of the water. Of course, by the time I got out, the front had swept past the coast and the air temps were about 55 degrees. And, getting out of a wetsuit, especially that 5-4 which is so darn hard to peel off, is COLD. Brrrr...fortunately I keep my sweats real close and have managed to disrobe and re-clothe myself quite fast. By Saturday, the waves had disappeared and on Sunday, they weren't much better. However, this evening they look like they are building again as another front moves in. I might be able to squeeze in a little surf time tomorrow morning. Here's hoping!!

Who am I?

A surfing Santa

My identity and my wallet were stolen Friday. I'm not sure exactly where it was taken, but it either disappeared at La Madeleine restaurant or the HEB grocery store. I was frantic when I realized it was gone, but was strangely aware that it was missing almost immediately. Although I stressed and cried about it, I finally realized that all I could do was "let go." It was definitely beyond my control. I canceled credit cards and filed a police report, but that was all I could do. And, then, I understood that nothing in the wallet defined me (although the missing social security card did offer anyone who had it a chance to claim some of me). One interesting thing happened in the process of closing accounts, though. It had to do with my security question to one of the credit cards. What do you do in your free time (hobbies, etc.)? I had to think back to when I might have received that credit card. I wasn't sure what I had answered at the time? Had I said writing or cycling or running or surfing or??? I almost laughed when the woman on the other end of the phone line asked me that question. I had to guess. I tried to remember exactly when I had gotten that card. I answered the woman with a question in my voice, and it happened to be the correct answer thank goodness.

Sometimes, people ask me what I do in my free time, and I have a hard time answering. Some days I'm a cyclist and other days I'm a runner. When there are waves, I am a surfer. It's been almost three weeks since I've been in the water, so I'm sad to report that I haven't been surfing. Fronts have been passing through and flattening all the ripples. During the past few weeks, the only waves have been rough south wind waves. (A couple of times, the waves were halfway decent, but, of course, it was always when I was at work.) On Sunday (yesterday), I participated in a Santa Claus fun run that took place in Galveston. I had my surfboard with me so that I could go directly to the beach after the run. However, the surf "dude" called to say not to bother. He admitted that there were waves, but said that they weren't  surfing. "They're slop!" are his exact words. Part of the route for the run was on the seawall, so I got to see the slop for myself. I even drove to the seawall again after the run, and saw that, if anything, it had gotten even sloppier. I watched a couple of people paddle out, but they weren't catching anything. I probably could have gone out and had a little fun, but I would have also had to work very hard just to get out and not be pulled by the current down the beach.

I'm off of work this week, so I'm hoping to surf a few days. However, the surf reports are saying FLAT, FLAT, FLAT. It's also going to be COLD. Oh well, I can dress for cold, but I can't do anything about FLAT. My wish for Santa this holiday is for a few waves!

Busy Time of Year

Where has the time gone? It's now been about three weeks since I've been out surfing. When there were waves, I couldn't surf. And, when there was surf, I couldn't surf because of a busy schedule. This weekend, weather forecasts indicated that it would be a wet, miserable weekend. The rain came, but so did a few waves. However, this weekend also happened to be one of the busiest weekends of the year for my work at the university. This was Commencement weekend, which includes a Commencement Kick-Off event on Friday and Commencement itself today (Sunday).  I could have possibly surfed on Saturday, except, it, too, was filled with several other events including running, cycling, personal commitments and a holiday party. Although I didn't get to surf, I still had an uplifting weekend. Commencement is fun. People are happy, and, students who are graduating have finally finished years of hard work and have met their educational goals. My coworker happened to be one of the graduates today. She has a family, worked full time, survived devastating damage from a hurricane and still managed to graduate with her master's degree. I am inspired by her! I hope to take that inspiration into the surf with me. I can do it! I just hope I get to surf soon.

Holiday Parties, Scheduled Events and Unpredictable December Weather

December!! Seems like I was just putting away all the holiday decorations last week and it's time already to pull the decorations out again. Of course, I don't decorate much, so decorations are basically just a tree. I haven't done it this year yet, but I need to do it soon. I also need to start writing and addressing my holiday cards. Getting everything done this time of year is difficult. Add to it that I've just bought a new home and all that entails. I'll be lucky to get any of it done, let alone find time to go surfing. Fortunately, waves have been dismal lately. I shouldn't say fortunately, really, because I probably would squeeze in a little surf time if only there were waves. My friends went surfing Monday, but the waves were described as mediocre. And, it doesn't really matter how good the waves are during the work week. Taking time off in December is almost impossible with all the events at work taking place. I have to rely on Friday afternoons (actually, Friday morning this week since I have an event Friday afternoon) and Sundays to surf. I also have to rely on the wave "gods" to create waves for me during these times.

The last instruction from the
adventure race director at the race
was quite funny!

The surf "Dude" said that the waves weren't too bad yesterday (Saturday). They were small, but surfable. I would have even considered making my way to G-town even though I usually cycle on Saturdays if I hadn't promised a friend I would be his partner in crime in an adventure race in Goodrich, TX. Like most adventure races, this one included trail running, mountain biking and kayaking/paddling. Unlike some of the other races, this one did not include navigation. It was also a little shorter than some of the adventure races. We were given four hours to complete our race, but fortunately we finished in just three hours. We were hoping for a better time, but although my partner was strong on the mountain bike and I was not, he was not as strong on the trail run and I was. We finished next to last, but had a ball in the process. I definitely will do another one. It was my third race, and I'm busy trying to find a fourth.

Today (Sunday), the surf "dude" Brian called to say that the waves were too weak to bother going to the island to surf. He said that he might take his SUP out, but he wasn't even sure that he would do that.  He added that he would go out surfing if I made the trip down, but with all I had to do, I decided that taking time out to go surfing for just an hour in "iffy" waves, probably wasn't a good way to spend my time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the cold front forecasted to come in tonight might create enough waves so that I can surf one afternoon this week. Of course it will be cold, but I have my 5-4 wetsuit ready to go. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Limited Time Surfing

One of the problems with not living directly on the beach or in Galveston AND holding a full-time job AND being actively involved in three other sports is that time on the beach surfing can be limited. I'm fortunate to have a schedule at work that allows me to work four nine-hour days and one four-hour day to fulfill my week. Because of that schedule, I have the opportunity to surf on Friday afternoons. Unfortunately, the waves aren't always in agreement with my schedule. I was fortunate that there were enough waves to play in this past Friday. November had been extremely flat, but by the end of the work week last week, waves were building. Although they were small most of the time, an occasional thigh- or waist-high wave would come through.

One last Costa Rica shot!

I hadn't been to my home break since returning from Costa Rica a couple of weeks ago. So when I heard there were surf able waves, I headed down after work. Although I thought I would go out at Flagship, I decided that 43rd would be better. The surf dude met me there. We first went out on the east side of the jetty. Because of the way the wind was blowing, I felt like I couldn't get far enough away from it to feel safe. In fact, I pearled on the very first wave I went after simply because I looked up, saw the jetty and freaked out. I decided to go to the west side where I had much more fun. I caught some great little waves and had some fun rides; however, I still had a couple of mishaps that caused me to pearl. I felt like my wetsuit was getting stuck to the wax on my board. I'm not sure that is even possible, but it's exactly how I felt. I also felt like my pop-up was slow. I had a couple of small bruises on the inside of my right knee that definitely suggested that, at least a few times, I was getting on my knee during the pop-up. (Yikes! Not sure why I would be doing that...except that the wetsuit was slowing me down.) I need to work on that.

Sunday is the other day that I usually surf. However, today I had already committed to a run. Not sure why I committed to doing this particular run since I'm already registered for two others during the next seven weeks, but I did. The dude called to say the waves were spectacular, but I needed to do this run. So, I missed out. I'm hoping that next weekend will also include waves. In fact, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will.

A Flat November and Board Storage

Gosh! I'm itching to go surfing again, even if it means a 3-2 wetsuit. This week, a cold front pushed through returning the temps to the 40s for lows and low- to mid-60s for highs (water is a chilly 65-67 degrees). When the air temps are cold, getting in and out of the wetsuit is awful. Once I'm in the suit and make my way into the water, I'm okay until I have to strip out of it to go home. However, the discomfort is not enough to keep me from surfing. I have a friend who probably has finished surfing until next April. She just can't take the cold and would rather sit out until the warmer weather returns. I, personally, can't wait to get back into the water regardless of the temps. I hate being out this long because of my fear of getting "rusty." It's only been two weeks since returning from Costa Rica, but it seems like an eternity since I've been at my home break. I've been checking G-townsurf.com regularly and people have been able to find some rather small surf on long boards, but by the time I would be able to get there, I would definitely be too late. Seems like that small surf is only around early in the morning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for next weekend. According to the Surfline, I might have surf next Friday afternoon. Yippee!! Of course, we're definitely too far out for Surfline to be able to make an accurate prediction. Possible waist high sets? Yes, that's enough to get me a little excited, even though the conditions include the word "choppy."

My surfing might be a little irregular for the next couple of months as I prepare to move...which will be a major step for me. The new place has a small place in the garage that I might be able to adapt for board storage. For the past five years, I've been keeping them in my dining room, but I'm hoping this new spot will be perfect for storage. They should be easy to access too. Hmmm....we'll see.

It was fun watching the local
surfers skate across the tops of the
waves. This guy was about
to go out!

I'm still thinking about my trip to Costa Rica and wishing I would have made a commitment to at least TRY to surf one of the head high waves. I know I've said it before, but I chickened out when I was paddling for the wave and looking back over my shoulder. There's just something a little intimidating about being in prone position and seeing a huge, fast wall of water coming toward you and knowing that timing has to be perfect. But the only way I will ever get better is if I go for it. I definitely will next time...that's right...definitely!

Living, Loving and a New Year's Resolution

Oh my! The north wind this week has blown out all the waves. While most surf reports indicated either incredibly small or no waves at all, I still depend quite a bit on first-hand reports. I know that the north wind can flatten things, but I also know that if a slight east wind gets tangled in with the north wind an occasional knee- to thigh-high wave will be generated. Surf Dude B said that it was flat Friday and Saturday, but he thought there might be enough of a wind for a knee-high wave to have some fun on Sunday mid-day. However, I never saw that wave form while watching all the webcams. Another friend of mine who recently purchased a home in G-town told me that he thought it might be surf-able on Saturday. Since buying his home in Galveston, he has purchased an SUP. He took it out Saturday after a fast bike ride. His assessment of the waves confirmed that there might be a few, small surfable waves for me and my longboard. However, the cold air temp coupled with the cool water temp made it quite easy for me to excuse myself from a surf session for and occasional, small wave. In fact, even the "dude" said it wasn't worth a drive from the mainland on Saturday. His optimistic opinion for Sunday afternoon however didn't prove true, and I'm glad I didn't bother packing the wetsuit and the board to get down there. I must admit, though, that I'm missing the surfing BAD. I'm dying to get out even if it means I'm in a 3-2 wetsuit. Maybe one day this week, I can squeeze in some wave time, although I'm not sure how or when. Busy week ahead for sure! But, despite the lack of surf time, I'm certain it will be filled with lots of fun, family and laughter.

A huge Costa Rican wave at sunset

I'm still thinking quite a bit about my fabulous trip to Costa Rica. I'm not sure I offered enough positive information in my last post. Surfing in Costa Rica is wonderful! They almost always have waves and it's warm all of the time. Hotel Casa Cecilia's break was a great experience. Even though the waves were bigger than I had expected, I still had the opportunity to push to the outside and watch the really good surfers take advantage of those fast waves.  I wish I hadn't pulled out of all the big ones, and taken my chances at being pounded into the bottom. I'm glad I had the opportunity to surf the outstanding, fast re-forms, but I sure hope to be able to surf the really big waves some day. Or, at least some bigger waves. I've surfed chest-high waves in Galveston, but the waves in Galveston are also a little more gentle. Sometimes I think that the only way to really get better is to surf the bigger, stronger waves of the west coast every day. However, I don't have the luxury to do that. I think I mentioned the book "Kook" by Peter Heller. He was determined to surf the big waves and lived in a van on the beaches of Baja and central Mexico so that he could get experience surfing the waves every day. And, it made a big difference. Within six months, he was able to surf some bigger waves on a short board. I don't think he was ready to compete, but he was able to get some decent rides. I don't have the luxury that Heller had, so I will just have to make do with the G-town waves and an occasional trip to the Pacific. I just hope it's enough to take me to the next level of surfing...to get me to stop pulling out of the big waves and going for it! Maybe I should make it a 2013 New Year's Resolution. I think I will.

Waves, Bruises, Bites and...Fun?

As I look back on the past week, my mind races with a multitude of thoughts. Where did the time go? How does one full week seem like just a day? How come I'm so battered and still unable to say I surfed bigger waves? And, why am I so worn out even though I spent most of time just surfing the re-forms or whitewater waves?

First of all, Santa Teresa, Costa Rica was probably one of the most primitive places I've ever traveled. I am excited and feeling adventurous about the visit. The town is basically just one dirt road filled with potholes that seems to go on for miles, but, in reality, is probably only about five miles long, if that. The ride from the airport (consisting of a small lean-to on dirt) in Tambor to Santa Teresa took about 50 minutes and offered a bumpy, lush view of the countryside and its people. Hotel Casa Cecilia was a wonderful base of operations for this trip. This exclusive B & B offered great breakfasts and wonderful views, not to mention great waves only a short walk from my bedroom door. As I mentioned last week, I was lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves every night.

Although it is hard to tell in this
photo, waves were overhead every
day I was there.

My first struggle with the waves came on my first day. I had to figure out a way to the outside, which I did rather easily that first day. The second day seemed more difficult, but by day three, I had found, with the help of another surfer from Argentina, a rip current near some rocks to ease the paddle-out. Like the rip current near the jetty in Galveston, this rip current scooted me out as if I was riding an escalator. I loved being on the outside; not because I was anxious to surf the waves that were overhead every day I was there, but because it gave me a close up vantage point to watch the experienced local surfers sail across the wave tops on their short boards. Originally I was excited about using the 8' swallowtail board, but after a couple of days, I decided I need to revert back to a 9' board like the one I use at home. The rental had a 9' for me to use, but it was a little more narrow and flatter than Roxanne. I opted to use it though since I felt that I definitely needed the length. It was a great board for me, and I was able to play/surf on it for the rest of the week. I use the term "surf" loosely. I never quite got the nerve or felt like I had the skills to catch the waves on the outside. They were always head high, so I just opted to ride the reforms all week. I hope some day to return their and actually surf the big waves...at least, the waves I thought seemed so big. (The local surfers didn't think the waves were really all that big, but I sure did.) One day, we went to a beach called Hermosa, but even there, the waves were big on the outside. I, again, opted for the quick and fun whitewater waves. I talked to Don, the innkeeper, about my disappointment with chickening out and my desire to some day surf those waves, and he urged me to keep trying. I got bit by what I think were sand fleas and bruised by the board soaring at me through the rough current, but I definitely plan to keep trying no matter what.

Costa Rica Charms

I've been fortunate enough to find myself in Costa Rica again! A friend of one of the guys that surfs regularly in Galveston at the 43rd Street jetty manages a Bed and Breakfast in a charming little town called Santa Teresa. When my regular surf gal pal met him in Galveston, he suggested that we visit him in CR. So, she planned a trip, invited me along and, although the planning took place quite awhile back, we are finally here. We've also brought along another 43rd Street Jetty surfer to have fun in the consistent waves.

After flying to San Jose, CR, spending the night in the Adventure Inn (aptly named...in a good way), I took a puddle jumper to Tambor and after a 50-minute drive found myself at the adorable Casa Cecilia in Santa Teresa. It is a town that is still growing up, so to speak, after I found out that many they only received electricity here 15 years ago. Yet, in many ways, I find CR to be much more advanced than Nicaragua. Casa Cecilia is a delightful little place and the surf is right at the end of the path that goes to the beach. Rumor has it that Mel Gibson has a house nearby as does Gisele B., the famous model.

Just walking up to the house, you can hear the waves. Even now as I type this, I can hear them clearly, and I'm sure I'll hear them all night. It will be a soothing sound as I sleep. Don, the manager of the house, took me into town right away to get a board. After discussing it with the owner of the shop and asking me about my boards at home, he suggested I use a 8' Robert August board with a swallowtail. I explained that I mostly use 9' boards, but he said that given my weight and the strength and speed of the waves, I should be able to use the 8' Robert August. I was hesitant, but excited. As soon as we made it back to the B and B, I changed into my suit and paddled out. I made it to the outside rather easily the first time, but I didn't stay there long. The waves seemed rather big to me, even though November is considered their month with the smaller waves. I caught one of the smaller ones right away, but from then on, I found myself in the whitewater since it was so difficult to get back out. For the rest of the day, I paddled for the forceful whitewater, attempted to stand and tried to surf at an angle. I was successful a few times, but on the times that I wasn't, I would either pearl or just miss the board with my pop-up altogether. The board was definitely smaller, and I needed to be directly in the center of the board to be able to surf. I'm not always in the middle, which causes me to lose my balance. I surfed for awhile, put the board up and walked awhile, then went back out near sunset with many other sunset surfers. I had a couple of really fast rides; rides that even led me to believe that I had turned. However, practice is definitely the key to this and many sports. We'll see. I might end up exchanging my board for a 9' before the week is up! Can't wait to find out what the week holds for me. (I wanted to add a photo of the beautiful waves, but blogger in CR just doesn't want to let me. Oh well.)

October Surf Time, Cold Fronts and More

I've mentioned it before, but I'm thinking it about it again: October can be a good month and a bad month for surf. On the one hand, because we live in south Texas, we can sometimes have mild weather and southerly winds that give us messy, but decent waves. However, cold fronts also start moving through, which CAN, if the timing is right, give us a brief period of beautiful well-formed waves. That was the forecast for this week. SwellInfo had predicted that the cold front moving through this weekend would have strong winds and that the window for surfing would be very small and would probably be early on Friday morning. I, personally, wasn't sure that would even work out since the winds were forecasted to be 20-25, which is much too strong and would make the beach flat. I had a feeling that there wouldn't be any surf at all for me this weekend, so I was glad when I saw on the webcam on Thursday evening and the pre-front waves looked promising. They looked a little messy, but they were definitely surf-able and they were also a decent size: waist- to chest-high.

I left work a little early, loaded up the board and headed down. This time of year -- right before we "fall" back on the clock -- daylight fades away quickly in the evening. I knew that if I made it to the island by 5:30, I would only have just a little more than an hour to surf before the sun went down. I made my way to 36th Street, met up with the surf dude, paddled out and had a ball. The waves were incredible. I caught the first wave I went for and surfed it until it faded away. This time of year can prove challenging for a goofy-footer surfing a left break into the sunset. However, it didn't stop me. I caught several waves. I had one minor wipeout and it actually happened while I was paddling back to the outside. I got caught in a bad place on the inside and didn't time my paddle-out correctly in the inconsistent sets. (The only bad thing about surfing 36th is that there is no jetty to provide the comfortable  rip current that takes people out past the break. Using a rip current is like having an escalator to take you from one floor to the next; it requires very little effort on your part.) I had some fun rides. In fact, one of my rides still makes me smile when I think about it. I caught a nice-sized (3 or 4 ft) wave turned left, caught a re-form and sailed down the beach. I was moving so fast that it caught me off guard. I made a shrill sound as if I was riding a roller coaster. (IT WAS A BLAST!)  I surfed for an hour and 20 minutes just as it started getting dark. I needed a little light to load the board. I'm so glad I made it out Thursday because although surfers had some pretty, well-formed, small waves early on Friday morning, by the time I got off of work, it was just as I thought it would be: FLAT. And, it stayed that way for the rest of the weekend.

Here's hoping that there will be some waves one night this week so that I can get one last evening surf session in before the time changes. I also hope there will be some waves on Friday afternoon. Surfing is just so darn fun! I'm sorry it took me so long in life to discover it.

Great Way to Haul a Surfboard

Surfing was a bust this weekend! I knew that I would be going out of town for the weekend, so I kept my fingers crossed that I would get to catch some waves on Thursday night before I left on Friday. Unfortunately, it was flat! Friday was flat too, so I didn't miss any surf then either. I made an annual pilgrimage to Crowley, La., where I participated in the International Rice Festival 5K Race on Saturday. This is definitely not just a run, but a race. Many of the kids from the local high school cross-country track teams compete. Medals are given to the top three in categories split by age and sex. With my 8:07 a mile pace and a very small field of competitors in my age group, I was able to win the gold medal. It was very exciting, and the medal is definitely something that I will cherish. I won the 40-49 age group last year, but I wouldn't have won in that category this year if I was in it. Another 40-year-old would have beat me by more than a minute. Pshewww...I need to work on increasing my speed for next year.

What a great way to get a
surfboard to the beach!

This blog is about surfing though, so my surfing news really has more to do with something I saw during my surfing experience last week. As I said during my last post, last weekend was a fun weekend for surfing. The waves were a little rough, but at least they were surf-able and not only did I take advantage of surf, but so did many other surfers in G-town and beyond. A couple of the locals, though, definitely caught my eye when they showed up at the 43rd street jetty on their bikes. I've seen a couple of others arrive this way before; in fact, one of the ladies I surf with occasionally rides over on her special board-toting bike. At times like this, I envy their proximity to the beach and the special way they've set up their bike to adequately combine two sports. I think it would be fabulous to be able to ride my bike to the beach with  a board attached. Maybe one of these days I'll live in one of those dreamy G-town homes. Until then, I'll just be glad I can load my board either on top OR inside my vehicle.

I kept my fingers crossed that the waves that began building on Saturday afternoon would hold up until Sunday afternoon. Well, they did...kind of. The waves were rough and created from strong SSE winds that made the surf quite choppy. I knew that I would be home from my race by early Sunday afternoon and had planned to load the board and head down until I received an email from the surf dude who said not to bother coming down. He said there was "...strong wind, bad current, lots of chop and slop." So, after that, I decided my time would be better spent on the mainland. I was a little sad though. I hate missing a weekend of surfing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for next weekend!

Yet Another Weekend at the Beach

A great image I saw on the door
of a surf shop in California

I was sure that this weekend would be a bust at the beach. The surf forecasts weren't great; although, they did show some bumpy stuff on Sunday with a big chance of rain. However, the forecast wasn't completely correct. On Friday, I spoke to Brian who said that the while the waves weren't great, they were certainly surfable. That was all I had to hear. I needed to surf! Although my week wasn't particularly tough, I still had a busy one. And I look forward to surfing away the stress on Fridays and Sundays. On Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, I cycle away the stress, while on Wednesdays and Saturdays I let go of stress while running. Unlike my other sports though, I'm completely dependent on mother nature for surfing. This time of year, surfers like me are waiting for the cold fronts to come through and bring in north winds that cause pretty sets and bigger waves. No front this weekend, at least, not until late tonight. So, I had to surf the raucous waves being stirred up by the east/southeast winds.

Lots of people were out on Friday, probably because the Gulf had been flat for a few days. People were just happy to finally have waves. Instead of going out with all the others, Brian suggested that I surf at 45th Street. The only bad thing about that is I don't have a rip current next to a jetty to help me easily out into the waves. I was back to maneuvering my way to the outside through a beach-breaking waves, just like last week in California. I managed to do okay, although I must admit to being caught on the inside and falling a few times. I also had a couple of mishaps when catching the waves that caused me to pearl, which is something that hasn't happened in a while. The waves were hard to read and would occasionally close out way too fast for me. I saw "the dude" pearl twice too, and I've never seen him pearl. One time, I asked him what happened. He just said, "I pearled." He offered no explanation, but I'm sure it had to do with the "inconsistency" of the waves.

Sunday, was a little better. Although rain had been forecasted, it never materialized. I surfed at the 43rd Street jetty, where the waves were rough, but accessible. I caught my first wave, but the rest of the day, I only caught the the powerful whitewash from the waves. Had a ball though! I paddled to the outside several times (waves were breaking way out) and caught some powerful whitewash and practiced turning and standing positions. I'm sure there is still quite a bit I can do to improve my pop-up. I continue to work on looking forward instead of to the left side so that I can get a better position on my board. I think I'm still bending too much from my waist forward and not from my knees. I can't complain though. I had a lot of fun in the water today.

My big concern lately has to do with my left leg or rather hip. I first blamed running for the pain I was having on the inside and outside of my thigh where my leg met the hip bone. But, it didn't hurt after my half marathon last weekend, so it had to be my cycling. However, it didn't hurt bad after my ride yesterday. I hadn't thought at all that it might be from surfing, but it's really bothering me tonight. My board is attached to my left leg, but I can't really understand why that would cause it to hurt. Even when the board gets away from me and yanks at my leg when caught in a wave, it doesn't feel like it is pulling my leg very hard. And, why would that be bothering me now after four years? Hmmm...I'm going to have to give this some thought. I have a few weeks before my next big surfing trip. Hope I can figure it out before then.

California Surfin' Once Again

I had another wonderful opportunity to surf this weekend in California when I flew to Los Angeles to compete in the Long Beach (half) Marathon. It's the third, and final, run in a series called the Beach Cities Marathons. Last January, I ran in Huntington Beach, while in May, I ran in the OC (half) Marathon. I decided that I had to complete the series in Long Beach. Naturally, I knew I had to surf while I was here so I contacted my favorite Surf School out in California and arranged another surf session with Phil, my California surf guru. I had exchanged emails with Jaz and another person at the school and found out that Jaz and Phil and a few others had been surfing in Baja and wouldn't return until late the night before I arrived. They would need to assess the waves early the next morning to let me know where to go. Sure enough, I received a call from Phil saying to meet him at a Jack-in-the-Box on a corner in Huntington. We met up, discussed the wave options at various beaches and opted for the head high, rather than the double overhead at the Brookhurst Beach we had met at before. 

I was a little intimidated at first, but quickly overcame my fears by watching the other surfers in the water. They all made it look so easy. Phil had an 8' and a 9' board. I opted for the 9' because I wanted to keep using the same size board as Roxanne, which is the board I use regularly these days. The differences, though, we're that it was Softop and, therefore, a little wider and thicker than mine. Since the waves were formed by a beach break, it was a little tricky getting out. I counted sets, but Phil warned that the waves had  minds of their own and would form and come into shore as they wanted and not in any prescribed manner. I tried to follow his lead, but sometimes got caught on the inside. He gave me some tips for getting out, one of them being to keep heading into the wave and to not stop paddling if I saw a rather large wave heading my way. Of course, at least three times, I got scolded for doing just that...stopping and occasionally turning when a wave headed my way. I paddled a lot, but then again, paddling has never been an issue  for me.  I caught three rather large waves with Phil beside me, but I also missed some I should have been able to catch. 

I participated in my run today (Sunday) and didn't really have an opportunity to surf again. I had a fun run that included a few miles on a paved path actually on the beach. However, with the sun beating down on the sand, running on the path was really warm...warm for California. I was hoping to finish in 1:55, but finished in 2:02 instead. Oh well, there's always next time to set the record. Who can complain about a running and, SURFING in California? I certainly can't!  

Return of the Waves and Tanker Surfing 1.5

The saga of tanker surfing continues. I mentioned in my last post that I wrote to the person in charge of the tanker surfing charters, and explained that I was willing to just watch from the boat if he felt that was necessary.  I told him that I was a strong paddler and that I wasn't worried about the strength it took to paddle in the wave, that the biggest problem I have right now is timing. I also told him that the group may not be willing to just watch, so I would probably have to find another couple of surfers to go out with me and surf dude Brian. (I really don't think that will be a problem.) I was pleasantly surprised to hear back that he would consider taking me out after all. However, the original day we had planned was for Friday and, because of boat motor problems, he wouldn't be able to take anyone out just then. He said he would get back in touch with me in a week or two. I hope so! I've already decided that I'm not ready to give up on this just yet. I'm counting on someone more experienced going out and catching waves so that I can watch how it is done. If I don't hear from him in the allotted time, I will write him again. I'm sure tanker surfing is in my future.

When looking at the surf forecast on Wednesday, I noticed that Friday looked flat. Weather forecasts predicted storms Friday and Saturday and, because of that, the waves would either be too weak or too choppy to catch. Thursday didn't look bad though. So, I contacted Brian and explained my plan: I wanted to go out after work on Thursday. He said that if I decided to go out, he would probably go out with me. In fact, when I spoke with him on Thursday, he said he was so tired of working on another project at the house, that he would love to get out in the water. I hate indecision when I have limited time, so when I arrived at the beach at 5:30, I was ready to go get in at 43rd Street. However, the dude wanted to go to 47th. So, even though I was a little anxious about it, I did. It was nice. I'm not sure it was any nicer than 43rd, but I didn't care. I was ready to get wet. I had a spectacular time. The waves were a little choppy, but, all in all, a little above average. My first wave to catch, was my best. I caught it at the peak and managed to ride it down the beach. I caught many more that night, but I still think the first was my best. I'm still bending at the waist, though, instead of at the knees. It should push me over, but it doesn't. Rather, it just makes me look goofy, and I don't mean goofy-footed. However, I'm not sure why it matters. If I'm not falling and feel in control, then why change it? Hmmm... I'll have to think about that one.

Everyone following the surf forecasts
headed to the beach on Sunday.
I was behind this guy on my way home.
Hope he had a good surf session
despite the wind!

On Saturday, the storms came and choppy waves returned. I was in G-town late Saturday afternoon -- not to surf -- but I did get to see the waves.  They looked a little unmanageable. I kept my fingers crossed for Sunday. Forecasts indicated that a north wind would come through mid-morning on Sunday, which could mean waves. However, today when the surf dude called, he said it was rough still. A couple of hours later, though, he called again and said that it might be worth coming down if I really wanted to surf.  I did want to surf, so I loaded up and headed down. I'm glad I did. It wasn't as nice as Thursday, but I still had fun. Don't get me wrong. The waves were probably some of the biggest I've seen in Galveston in awhile, but the strong west winds made them very difficult to catch. They were closing out quickly and with the strong west winds, pushing east. In fact, several times, I paddled out past the jetty and found myself near the 41st street jetty before I even knew it. I had several long walks on the beach back to the rip current near 43rd. Some of the others were staying on the inside and not being pushed down, but I wanted to go a little past the end of the jetty, which allowed me to catch the current down the beach. I had a few rides, but only stayed out about an hour and a half before deciding that I was ready to call it quits. The north wind made for a chilly day on the beach. Actually, I should say that I only got chilly after I got wet. The air temps were still in the low 80s, but the west wind on my wet body made me a little cool. I think fall is on its way to the beach. It won't be much longer until we have to wear a spring suit. Oh my!

Tanker Surfing Part 1 (Hoping for a Part 2)

It all started with a surfing movie (or, maybe, two)! Many surfers have seen "Step Into Liquid" and "Miles to Surf." Both films highlight tanker surfing, and mention one of the best tanker surfers in the country who happens to be in Galveston. The cool thing about tanker surfing is that it allows a person to surf even when a wind shift has flattened the waves on the beach since the wave is generated by ships/tankers. Because the surfing is in/near the inter coastal canal, however, surfers must pay close attention to shallow areas as well as objects just under the water's surface.

Last week, the surf "dude" I often surf with contacted me to find out if I might consider a tanker surfing trip. "Of course," I answered quickly. However, I had a little hesitation about whether it was something I could actually DO. The dude assured me that I could, but I still felt the need to send a note to the guy leading the tanker tours. I explained my concerns, and he wrote me back to let me know that it was, in fact, a dangerous sport, but that he would take me to a few easier spots. A day or so later, though, he wrote back to my friend Brian and said that he didn't feel good about the trip with three beginners (me and two others I surf with at the 43rd St. jetty) and only one experienced person in the boat (Brian). His email stressed the importance and necessity of strong paddling skills and that he didn't feel comfortable about the trip and he wouldn't take us out after all. I was very disappointed. I've since sent another email requesting permission just to ride in the boat. I explained that I would take my board, but that I wouldn't put it in the water if he thought I was not capable. I'm anxious to hear how he will respond. I sure hope he will let me go. Of course, that is dependent on whether we can get two other surfers to join us. Since the email saying we couldn't go, the other two "beginners" have decided they wouldn't go anyway; even if they could just go and watch, they wouldn't pay the money to not surf. I think I know of at least one more who would go, but that still leaves an open place. Oh my! I'm not ready to give up yet though.

This week, one of the pages I follow on Facebook just so happened to post a video of tanker surfing. It sure looks fun.  (http://wavecation.com/galveston-tanker-surfing.)

On another note, it's been flat, flat, flat in Galveston this week. The great waves from last weekend disappeared by Monday and the beach looked like a lake for the rest of the week. A few weak waves developed close to shore yesterday, but nothing surf-able. And, today was flat again. According to the surf forecasts, we might see some waves midweek, so I might just have to pack my board before work with the hope that I can have an after-work, late afternoon surf session. Hmmm...I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Adventure Racing and a Few Little Waves

my t-shirt from the race

Several months ago, a friend I bicycle with sent a notice to a few people asking if any of us wanted to participate in an Adventure Race taking place in Tyler State Park during September. I had heard him talk about his fun at adventure races before and had expressed an interest, so I'm sure it came to no surprise to him that when he posted the note, I was the first to respond. Adventure Races can be different from one to another but, for the most part, they usually include trail running, mountain biking and kayaking. I had done one short one with him last December, but this would be a longer one and would probably be a four-person team that included two of his male friends and me. I am nine years older than my friend, 12 years older than one of the friends and, finally, 25 years older than the youngest guy on the team. I wasn't sure they would want me on the team, but I didn't hear anyone complain. And, I'm so glad they didn't! I had a ball racing with team Dazed & Confused. The race was unlike anything I've ever done before. I left the navigating to them since it required using a topographical map and a little plastic tool that helped locate coordinates. It was nice to have them lead in that area so I could relax when it came to directions. I realized that I need to strengthen my mountain bike skills and my orienteering skills if I want to compete in another race. I know I can do that with practice. I have to say, though, that I had one of my best days ever on the mountain bike. Just as the size of the wave can be frightening when looking over my shoulder, so can a descent look scary when looking down a path from the seat of a mountain bike.

Because I drove up with my teammate to Tyler on Friday for the race, I didn't get to go surfing. It didn't look great on the webcam, but I'm pretty sure there were ride-able waves. By Saturday, the wind had shifted out of the north and the waves were beautiful. Of course, I wasn't there since I was competing in my race. I wouldn't have changed a thing other than to wish the waves would have gone from frumpy to fantastic on Sunday instead of Saturday so that I would have been home to enjoy them. From the webcam I looked at after my race, I could see quite a few surfers enjoying the fun.  A couple of friends sent Facebook notes or emails describing the fun. I was just hoping that there would be a few left on Sunday morning.

I was glad to get a call from my surf dude Brian who said there were still some small, surfable waves this morning. I loaded up Roxanne and headed down. I'm sure glad I did. When I first arrived, I struggled catching them. In fact, I got angry and almost packed up and went home. Because the remnants of yesterday's waves didn't pack a lot of power, paddling had to be fast and strong. Brian offered me his 10' board, but I knew changing boards wouldn't help. A couple of other guys were out trying to catch waves also. One young guy was making it look easy. I studied how he was doing it and realized that I wasn't paddling soon enough. I needed to go out a little farther in the water and start paddling the minute I saw the wave form. So that is what I started to do. I caught many waves after that and managed to turn a little. However, because the waves were breaking so close to shore, the rides were short. I prefer if I'm able to catch them out past the jetty. But, that just wasn't possible with the waves we had today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that next weekend when I'm IN town, another front will push through so that I can surf some nice waves on the outside.

First Real Front of the Season

I've become addicted to Swell Info. It's the app on my iPhone and my iPad that tells me what the waves are like and what they will be like for the next five days. I'm sure I've mentioned it before because I rely so heavily on it. However, I think I've also noted that occasionally it is wrong. This weekend the forecast indicated that when the first strong norther of the season came through on Saturday, it would be accompanied a slight chance of rain and also enough (but not too much) wind to cause some clean 2-foot waves. (Don't laugh! 2-foot waves are fabulous for long boarders.) However, that didn't exactly pan out, but more on that later.

The waves were perfect for a
goofy-footer like me.

Friday, during my regular surf day, my surf friend in Galveston told me that it was flat. I could tell it from the webcam. In fact, it had been flat for most of the week last week. So, I wasn't even expecting much for Friday. While talking with my surf friend (the surf dude), I told him that based on what I was seeing on Swell Info and based on the weather that I thought there would be waves on Saturday afternoon. He said he didn't think so because there wasn't enough of a swell...he wasn't even sure about Sunday. And, he was right; at least he was right about Saturday. The waves never materialized. By Sunday morning, though, the wind had shifted, was out of the east and was causing a little bit of the swell. In order to play in it though, it was best to be on the west side of the jetty. When I got there, no one was out except for Dude with his lessons. They were in the white water. I took the rip current out and once I was on the outside, I tried to line up for the sets. Next thing I know, I was halfway down the beach. So, I paddled back by the jetty. A few minutes later a couple of SUPers and a short boarder was with me. The short boarder was amazing in the swell taking wave after wave and working them a short way. I actually prefer longer rides than he was taking, so I made up my mind that I would ride the line as far down as I could. And, that's what I did. I caught several waves! Because of the east wind, I felt like it was perfect for a goofy-footer like me. In fact, I don't feel like we get enough of these types of waves. I was able to work the board  enough to catch the next wave, once my wave fell apart. My rides were long and smooth. Every once in awhile, I would be caught on the inside and pearl, but most of the times, I surfed the waves that were coming for me. I had a blast!

This week, a friend of mine sent me an email about a surfer named Terry Tracy dying. He was one of the "original" surfers at Hermosa Beach in California. In fact, he was the model for the Big Kahuna made famous in the Gidget movies. He earned this notoriety when a young woman befriended him on the beach and started surfing. He was nice to her. She would talk about him and the other surfers she met with her father who went on to write the Gidget novel, which led to the movies with Sandra Dee and the television show with Sally Field. Here's the obit that ran about this fascinating surfer's life in the NY Times. May the big Kahuna rest in peace.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/us/tubesteak-tracy-surfer-featured-in-gidget-dies.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Hurricane Waves, Three-Day Weekends

Hurricane Isaac waves had been forecasted this past week! Local surfers, including me, were anxiously awaiting them. Last Monday morning the north winds started blowing a little, and before you knew it, sets were clean. However, the forecasted swell never really occurred. The high pressure over us kept the waves from building. That doesn't mean there wasn't anything to surf though. Surfers were out on Monday, and one of the surfers that hangs out at 43rd said that he surfed for five hours straight. I had an after-work commitment that night, so I knew that all of my "Isaac" surfing would have to be done on Tuesday afternoon/evening. I kept my fingers crossed that there would still be waves and, fortunately, I found that there were. By looking at the webcam, I could see that the 43rd Street jetty and the 25th Street Pleasure Pier/Flagship had an overabundance of surfers. Surfers Bob P. and Brian thought we should go to 36th Street, and that was a good call. We found only a couple of other surfers at that spot, which made the evening much more pleasant. And, even though I don't have the rip current to pull me out like I do when I'm at 43rd, I like it there because it seems much more "open." (I'm sure this feeling of openness has something to do with me being goofy-footed and crazy idea I have that, as a goofy-footer, I need open space to the left of me -- a space that I don't usually get when I have a jetty with which to contend.) I surfed until the sun started going down (about 2 to 2 1/2 hours) and had a ball. I love it when I can read the waves and, when I pop up, have the room to maneuver any way I see fit. What a great night!

By Friday, the regular choppy mess was back, as was the wind. The wind messed up the waves in a bad way. I was very disappointed. For the first time in a long time, I was going to be working in the afternoon and evening, which meant I was going to have the morning free. I very seldom have an opportunity to go surfing early in the morning during the week, so I was really looking forward to it. Oh well! My surf report was bad, so I just stayed home. Saturday morning's surf report wasn't any better, but by Saturday afternoon, the waves were nice. Unfortunately, I already had plans. Even if I hadn't though, I probably wouldn't have gone simply because of the Labor Day weekend crowds. My plan was to get up bright and early and head to Galveston on Sunday and hope for the best.

That's exactly what I did. I was on the island by 7:15 a.m., which allowed me to have prime parking and get out in the water with fewer surfers. Two were in the water when Dude Brian showed up and he  and I paddled out. The WSW winds made the waves a mess! And, just about every time I made it to the end of the jetty, I was pushed halfway down the beach. I got pummeled by waves a couple of times...one time so hard that my eye even hurt as if I had been punched. However, I caught more than I missed. I had to paddle a lot to stay in a surf-able spot. Dude Brian went way to the outside, while I stayed just to the end of the jetty, which meant I was outside, but not quite as far as Brian. He eventually went in and others replaced him. After about three hours, it was quite crowded. My surfing friend Bob H. made it out. (I met him on the beach a couple of years and see him while surfing from time to time.) He is an outstanding surfer and fun to watch. He and a couple of the other guys made it look easy. And, even though I caught some waves, I still wish I could have caught them as often and as easily as they did. Since tomorrow is a holiday, I could go surfing again. However, the forecast suggests more southwest winds. I worked so hard paddling today, though, that if the winds are as bad as they say they might be, I will probably take it easy on the arm exercises and, instead, give my legs the workout by participating in one of my other favorite sports -- cycling. I love three-day weekends!

Natural Neti Pot

Many years ago, my mother swore by a Neti pot. A neti pot is an old fashioned way of cleaning sinuses. My mother had one that was plastic, but the original Neti pots were clay I believe. When I did some investigations online, I found this definition on a Group Health Initiative Blog:  "Of eastern origin, the neti pot was originally introduced to the western world about 30 years ago. Rooted in hatha yoga practices, usage of the neti pot is considered a yogic body cleansing technique. However, originally neti (sutra neti, to be exact) employed the use of waxed cotton thread to 'floss' the nasal passages." Basically, you fill the Neti pot with a saline solution and then pour the solution in one nasal passage and it exits through the other, fully cleansing the sinuses. What in the world does this have to do with surfing you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. Today, at least three times, I received a Neti cleansing without the use of the pot when I pearled during my surf session.

I didn't surf Friday because my reports indicated that the water was just too rough for surfing. Waves were small and messy, and certainly not worth a drive down after work. I was really wanting to surf too! It seems that I had been reading about pretty waves earlier in the week and, frankly, I was dying to get down to G-town and play. I contemplated going down on Saturday after my bike ride, but weather forecasts were "iffy." As it turns out, waves were pretty clean early in the morning, but by Saturday afternoon, were a mess again. Rain came in spurts. However, the showers were light and didn't include lightening, so many people went out to surf. Forecasts suggested that the wind would die down a little by Sunday, and they did.

This morning, I loaded up Roxanne and headed down. I made it to the island about 8:20 a.m., and into the water by 8:45. It wasn't as windy as the Saturday, but the waves were still very choppy and the current was strong. I paddled out in the rip current near the 43rd St. jetty, but it didn't take long before I was pulled down the beach. In a way, I was glad I had the help of the current since the waves I wanted to surf were midway between the 41st and 43rd St. jetties. (Since I'm a goofy-footer, I tend to take waves left, which takes me to the jetty. So, I like to start a little to the side of the jetty, so I can surf the wave as far as I can before hitting the jetty. Apparently, many goofy-footers like me tend to sit to the right of most surfers.) I struggled at first, but eventually caught a nice wave and rode it a long way in. The waves were very inconsistent and hard to read. I pearled a few times and had several "Neti" falls where the water "cleansed" my sinuses.  I popped up from under the water coughing, but I eventually cleared my sinuses and realized the salt water had actually helped me breathe easier. Ha! I hate that I pearled, but, sometimes, I need to be reminded how much I still have to learn. I had some good rides and turned consistently. I even managed to walk on the board to make sure that I got the most out of the wave. Several people on short boards were tearing it up in the waves, and they made it look so easy. I saw others pearl and miss waves and can only guess that the irregularity of the waves made them hard for everyone to read.

This week, a hurricane (Hurricane Isaac) is forecasted to hit somewhere along the upper Gulf Coast. Surfers are chatting about this on the Internet since the storm will cause unseasonable North winds in Galveston and make the waves a little bigger and the sets cleaner on Monday, Tuesday and, possibly, Wednesday. I think I will be paying a visit to the island this week after work!  Hmmm...I'm a little anxious and excited about this.

Beautiful August Waves and a Birthday

A birthday weekend would only be perfect with all three of my favorite activities! So, I celebrated by surfing, running and cycling, which means that this weekend wasn't all that different from my other weekends. On Friday, I turned 50. It's a milestone birthday so I received a little extra recognition for it. My office mates surprised me with a cupcakes and goodies on Thursday, which meant I definitely needed the cycling, running and surfing to burn off all the extra calories. Surf dude sent an email early Friday saying there would be waves on Friday afternoon. They were a little inconsistent, but should be easy enough to catch. I stuck to my Friday ritual. I worked until noon, then drove home, loaded up the car and headed to the 43rd Street jetty. I'm so glad I did. Because it was my birthday and other activities I had scheduled, I only had a couple of hours to surf, but those two hours definitely were fantastic. Roxanne definitely made my time in the water a good time.

Waves were a little difficult to catch, but that didn't stop me from trying.  I caught several, and the dude B. caught twice as many, making it look easy to be a surfer. I watched and was amazed. I turned the board a couple of times, but only to the left when heading toward shore. Turning left is the natural way for a goofy-footer to turn. But because the waves in Galveston usually break left to right, I almost always turn the wrong direction. I still sometimes get long rides, but I think it might be better if the waves were breaking the other direction. I've attempted to ride the wave the other way, with my back to the wave and face to the shore, but that never lasts long. I'm not completely sure, but I think that would look funny also. Nevertheless, I had fun on Friday and had a few pretty little rides. I will definitely have to explore and practice the direction I go on the waves.

Dude Brian gave me the
coolest gift. An original
Glen Campbell album
for his hit "Galveston."

I was a little hesitant to make my usual trek to Galveston on Friday because of all the news during the past few weeks about Red tide, which was depriving the fish of oxygen and causing shorelines to be littered with the carcasses of hundreds of fish. The worst of the Red tide was occurring on the west end of Galveston and in Surfside, but my surf pal, Robin, said that she could see washed-up fish bones in the water near the 43rd St. jetty on Wednesday. By Friday, though, they must have already been washed back out in the ocean. I never saw anything. Of course, the water is quite brown in Galveston, especially when the wind is blowing out of the west like it had been, but I never felt any as I was stepping into the water either. Brian gave me a cartoon on top of my awesome birthday gift (see pic). He said he had printed it last year, but with the "Red tide" in the news lately he brought it out and gave it to me. It is a picture of two surfers and a guy on the beach says that if he were them, he wouldn't surf because of Red tide and a sewage spill.  One of the surfers says to the other: "Good thing he's not us!" And the other replies, "Good surf is good surf no matter what color it is." I'm not sure I agree, but I had checked some of the environmental sites and found out that the water was safe for humans.  I sure hope so! 

On Sunday, I had been planning to make it down to surf early. However, a 6:30 a.m. report from Brian and a quick glance at the 43rd St. webcam, indicated that it was flat in G-town. The tide was in, and, on top of everything else, it was raining. So, I went to the gym and spin class. After spin, though, (around noon) I took a quick glance of the webcam on my phone and couldn't believe what I saw. Tons of surfers were taking advantage of some waves that had developed. I called Brian who decided he would go down and take a look at the waves. He called back from the beach a few minutes later and confirmed that the waves were, in fact, pretty. He thought it might have to do with a tropical system in the most southern section of the Gulf. However, I'm not too sure it wasn't some sort of strange North wind, which is really odd in August in south Texas. It doesn't matter. I just pretended it was a special birthday gift to wrap up my birthday week. I loaded Roxanne, drove to 36th (43rd was too crowded), made my way out and surfed. The waves were incredible, and my surf session was marvelous. Happy birthday to me!

Busy weekends, but always time for Surfing

Psheww! Weekends are never long enough. I'm sure many people feel the same way. There are so many things I'd like to do, and so little time to do them. I've lamented about the lack of time before. This past weekend was especially busy, which is why I'm already a day late posting to my blog.

Friday was a dud. After hearing about great Hurricane Ernesto swell (I think it became a weak category 1 hurricane before hitting land on the Yucatan Peninsula) on both Thursday and Friday morning, by the time I got off on Friday, my personal reports said that the WSW winds were too strong to go surfing. While there might be some chop, the current was extraordinarily bad and the loading and the unloading of the board might be treacherous. After hearing that, I didn't make it down. However, a friend of mine sent me a message late on Friday saying he had gone down and had actually had some fun on the windy surf. Of course, I always question my decisions anyway, so when I hear about someone else making it out and having fun when I've chosen to skip, I regret the decision I made. Therefore, I had pretty much made up my mind that I would make my way to the 43rd street jetty on Saturday at some point if there were any kind of waves at all.

Since I was going to be competing on Sunday in a Duathlon, I opted out of my 5:45 a.m. Saturday run. I did however go out for my regular Saturday bike ride with the intention of taking it easy, just because I can't imagine not cycling on Saturday. I had a fantastic ride.  I rode a little over 40 miles, and by the time I returned to my car, I had a message from surf dude saying that the waves were very pretty. I ran by the house and picked up Roxanne and made my way to the 43rd Street jetty. Wow! The waves were on the smaller side, but still pretty. Several people were out surfing, including two of the surf instructors from the surf shop that uses the 43rd Street jetty for lessons. I joined them -- after a brief visit with an old high school friend who had been surfing all morning -- and had a ball! I missed the first few waves 'cause I either didn't paddle hard enough or misjudged how far the waves were away. However, after a few minutes, I started catching them. I had a great time. I was so glad I went down. I even had a good conversation with one of the young ladies out in the waves who said I should definitely try Surfside since I'm a long boarder. I've been wanting to try Surfside, but I'm not real sure where to go. Hmmm...I've investigated once before, but I might have to give it a try again. All in all, I had a fabulous time on Saturday.

Had fun participating in my first
Duathlon on Sunday!

Fortunately, on Sunday, I felt hydrated and ready to go bright and early when I needed to head to my Duathlon up near Lake Houston. I have never competed in anything like it before. I ran one mile, cycled 11 and finished the race with a 3-mile run. My finish time was 1:10, and although the records show I had a really slow transition time, I felt incredibly good about my performance. Had a ball and will probably compete in another one! And, if I had even wanted to go surfing afterward, I couldn't have. The waves were gone. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they return this week!

Back to the Murky Waves of Galveston

I had beautiful waves in San Francisco, but I was definitely ready to return to my home break this Friday. After all, even though the sets/waves wouldn't be as pretty as San Fran, I definitely wouldn't have to put on a wetsuit. I probably won't need a wetsuit in Galveston until November and, even then, it probably will be only a springsuit until late December when I wear my 3-2. I won't need my 5-4 again (I HOPE) until mid-January. Dude B. says the water is cooling in Galveston, and I found that hard to believe until I went down on Friday afternoon. It is a little cooler...by Galveston standards.  By cooler I mean that instead of feeling like I was stepping into a murky bowl of steaming soup, it felt more like I was actually stepping into a pool. Water temp is about 86 degrees.

Dude B. called on Friday to say that the waves were pretty decent despite the picture that was appearing on G-Town Surf. He said the sets were fairly clean and breaking outside of the camera picture. When I got to the 43rd St. jetty, I saw what he was talking about. I think the sets had slowed considerably, but they were still there. I unloaded Roxanne and took her out. I caught a wave right away, but it fizzled. I got a ride though and even tried to extend the ride by stepping forward on the board. However, I either didn't step forward quick enough or the wave really was fizzling out, 'cause I couldn't extend the ride. Oh well! I caught several waves that day, and received some compliments. The planets must have been aligned for my success, 'cause while one of the lifeguards was walking out on the jetty to do a water check, he saw me paddling back out and stopped to talk to me. He said it looked as though I was the only one at the time that was catching any waves. I wasn't sure. I saw several surfers out, but only noticed one who seemed to catch quite a few waves. By the time, Dude B. made it out again to surf with me, I was catching waves quite consistently. They were very small waves, but waves nevertheless. The second compliment of the day came from one of the little boys playing in the water. I had seen him a couple of times when I was making my way in to catch the rip current back out into the waves. He turned to his mother and said, "I want to surf like her." Now, I would like to say that I had a stellar day! But, it wasn't the greatest. It certainly wasn't the worst, but things must have been just perfect when people saw me surf. The waves were small, and I'm guessing that those watching were just excited 'cause ANYone was able to surf them.  I paddled hard to catch them.  And, I missed many. I certainly didn't catch as many as Dude B., who manages to catch just about everything he attempts to surf. All in all, I had a ball and it was great getting back out.

By today (Sunday), it was flat again. Later this afternoon, I noticed that the waves were building but, by then, it was too late for me to load up and get down to 43rd. Oh well! I had a full weekend. I ran and cycled (more than 95 miles) this weekend. And, I'm looking forward to next weekend. 

San Francisco Surfing

I'm a little delayed in my weekly post, but that's because I'm just returning from a fantastic long weekend trip in San Francisco. I signed up a while ago for the San Francisco (half) Marathon. The Wipro San Francisco Marathon is unique in that it divides its full marathon course into two half marathons, which means that it is possible to run either the first or the second half of the marathon route. I ran the second half last year since I was new to running and noticed that the second half was a little flatter than the first. So, this year, it was only natural that I consider running the first half, which includes some steeper hills and a glorious run across the Golden Gate Bridge. Run weekend was this past weekend, but I had already made up my mind that if I made it to the northern California coast again, I would surf.

A "Texas Surfer" with an amazing
California surfer named Candace

The week before heading to San Fran, I put in some calls to some local surf shops that popped up when I googled "surfing San Francisco." None of them answered right away and only one returned my call the same day. University of Surfing (ironic since I work at a university) called me back within four hours. A young surfer named Candace called to see what kind of lesson I was seeking. I explained that I had been surfing about three years, but that I still needed a lot of practice. Candace said it was no problem and that she would be glad to meet me on Friday afternoon, right after I arrived in San Fran, for a surf session. (Incidentally, I eventually heard from two of the other surf shops I called; but it was several days later.) I questioned her about wetsuits, and she said she would provide one; however, I insisted that I wanted to bring my own. She said I would need either a 4-3 or a 5-4. I opted for my 5-4, and I'm sure glad I did.

On Friday morning, she called my phone and told me to meet her at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, Calif., which is a suburb of San Fran. So, as soon as my plane landed, I made my way to San Fran to check into my hotel, and to plot my travel to Pacifica. I was able to take the BART and then a taxi straight to the beach. It was quite cool, and I was having second thoughts about getting in the water just as Candace arrived. I hesitantly put on my wetsuit, walked with Candace down the beach to her co-worker's house, picked up a couple of boards and headed back to the beach near where we parked. Several surfers were out. The sets were small, but pretty...prettier than I've seen in a few months. Candace directed me to the part of the beach I would surf, and I picked up my board and paddled out. Candace had asked me what I wanted to work on, and I told her that I wanted to concentrate on knowing when to start paddling and also on turning. We had a brief discussion and when we made our way out into the water. Candace paddled close to me and gave me some tips on when to start paddling. One piece of advice she gave me was to keep my feet together when paddling out. I hadn't thought about it much, but Candace claimed by keeping them together it would help my core strength. I'm not sure I can explain why, but it made sense to me, and it's something I'm going to think about every time I go out. I started catching waves right away. I missed quite a few too. Candace explained that the waves weren't very strong, so they might be a little hard to catch, but because I'm used to weak waves in Galveston, I'm not sure I missed any more than I would have at my home break. I had at least two outstanding rides, partially from some of Candace's advice about how to turn. All in all, it was a blast. And, it wasn't very cold once I was in the water. But when it was time to get out of that wetsuit to go back to the hotel, I WAS FREEZING. Fortunately, Candace offered to drive me to my BART station, so I didn't need to call a cab.  I wish the waves had been a little bigger, but, all in all, I had a blast! And, not only did I get the opportunity to run across the Golden Gate Bridge during my run, but I also got to surf in northern California! (Oh, and I got to see two of my surfing chicas from Chica Brava while in San Fran!!)Who knows? Maybe I'll surf again next year when I go back to run in San Fran again. In fact, I'm pretty sure I will.

Reconnecting with Roxanne

Friday waves were a little
disorganized, but at least we
had enough wind for them.

What a spectacular weekend! I had the opportunity to participate in all of my sports. The Gulf is still pretty flat, but, on Friday, rumor had it there were a few waves. Actually, the "surf dude" called me early on Friday and said that the waves were not bad, verifying the rumor as fact. Of course, by the time I made it down at around 2:15 p.m., the wind had shifted and it was kind of mess. But, hey, I can't complain: WE STILL HAD SURFABLE WAVES! I loaded Roxanne as soon as I got home from work and headed to the island. I drove down the Seawall looking for the best spot, and the waves were better around 36th Street, but because of summer crowds, there was no place to park. So, I drove back to 45th.

I paddled out in the rip current and immediately caught a wave. My timing was good and the ride was spectacular. Of course, I struggled after that. The waves were small and weak AND a little jumbled, so reading which waves to go for was difficult. The "dude" came out to surf with me about 3 p.m., and he made it look easy. It had been a little over two weeks since I had been out, and although that doesn't seem like a long time, when a person is still figuring out the intricacies of a new sport and on a new board, practices means everything. The "dude" caught three waves to my every one. At one point, he said that I wasn't paddling for waves soon enough. I know he's right. I almost always wait a little too late. Part of the problem on Friday was that a few of the times I paddled for a wave, the wave would fizzle out before it made it to me, leaving me worn out and deflated. So, I would wait until I could tell that the wave would make it almost all the way to me, which is way too late. I saw B lose waves, but I could also tell that he had a sixth sense about which waves would stay together until they made it to him. I caught several more waves, but missed several too. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I know I still need to practice; in particular, I'm still looking down rather than out when I surf. I HATE THAT! Also, about every third ride I have an awkward pop-up that leaves me feeling like a bird with peg legs struggling to find my balance. I'm able to salvage the ride, but I hate that it happens. I'm very successful turning my board to the left because I'm a goofy-foot, but I also need to practice going right. Oh, there's just so much for me to learn and practice! I hate it that this summer has been so flat.

I heard the waves returned briefly on Saturday, but Saturday is my run/ride day. And, since I have a half marathon coming up soon, I need the cardio. I was hoping to surf again today (Sunday), but it was too flat. In fact, B had to cancel his lessons. The forecast is dismal for the rest of the week, but I'm hoping that changes soon.

Books! I'm looking for a new surfing book to read. The hardest part about choosing surfing books is making sure that you choose one that actually shares valuable information and isn't just a lame story. One of the best I read so far was "The Wave" by Susan Casey, which I read about two years ago. I haven't found another really good one since. But, who knows... I'll just keep looking.  I'll have a little bit of time to do just that. I've been spending a lot of the evening hours watching the Tour de France. It finished today (a Brit won!), so I'll have some spare evening time once again.

The Flatness Continues...

I didn't get to surf this weekend. This time, though, it wasn't because of not having enough time; but, rather, it was because there were no waves! We are in the middle of the summer doldrums, which means the Gulf is flat -- at least, in Galveston it is flat. Last year during our drought, we had waves because the wind was constantly blowing out of the south. However, this year we are having a lot of rain and, with the rain, light winds that blow in from the north and west. It's just not blowing hard enough to cause any wave action. Of course, a couple of my surf buddies are blaming me because the flat seas began just about the same time I bought Roxanne, my new 9' Walden surfboard. The only positive thing -- if there could be anything positive -- is that I'm doing more cardio workouts.

I realized on Thursday night that I wouldn't get to surf on Friday. Surfline and SwellInfo both gave dismal wave reports on Thursday night for Friday. They were correct. Not only was it raining, but it was flat. So even though I don't mind surfing in the rain (as long as there is no lightning), I also had nothing to surf. Since I realized it on Thursday, I was able to plan to attend the 5:30 a.m. spin class at the gym. I would have rather had a workout in the waves, but when that isn't possible, I take what I can get. On Saturday night I scoped out the report for Sunday and again saw "flat" as the forecast. In fact, when looking at a week ahead, I see "flat" through next weekend. I'm so bummed about that. Of course, since getting my new board, I want to surf even worse than before. It's been two weeks since getting to surf, and I'm itching to get Roxanne in the water.

Bella sends wishes to the future baby

Fortunately, I have been able to run and attend spin class. Rain and other commitments have kept me off the bike. I was able to get in a 9-mile run before the rain on Saturday fortunately, but I was unable to ride because of another commitment: a shower for my nephew's girlfriend who is seven months pregnant. I didn't feel so bad about missing the riding though, because by the time I finished my run it was pretty damp out. I didn't get rained on during my run, but it was raining by the time I made it home.  The two showers -- baby and rain -- kept me from cycling Saturday, but that's okay. It was okay that I just got to run. The 9-mile run was a success for me since I have a half marathon in just two weeks. The baby shower for my nephew's girlfriend was also a success. In fact, I thought I'd share something that happened at the shower. All the guests were asked to fill in a wish list that would eventually be given to the baby when she is old enough to understand the wishes. One of the guests was the 7-year-old grandchild of another guest. At 7, I was amazed to find out that not only could she read, but she could write. She turned in her list with all the others (I snuck a photo of it). Not only do I agree with her list that I hope the new baby respect her family, but I also hope she gets shoes. That one made me smile. I didn't write it on my list to the baby, but I should have written that I hope she grows up to be a surfer. We need more surfer girls!