Pre-vacation surfing and dancing

It's that time again -- time for me to take my annual hiking trip to the Smoky Mountains. Because of the trip, I usually have to miss a few of my regular surf sessions. So, since I wasn't going to be able to make it today (Sunday) to surf, I was anxious during this past week to get in some good surf time. I noticed on the G-town webcam Thursday, that the waves looked pretty nice. The forecast had predicted some decent surf because of strange light, north winds blowing in on Wednesday and Thursday. So, when I left for work on Thursday, I decided to go ahead and pack up my surf stuff, just in case. I knew that I had a work commitment that would keep me at work until about 5:30, but because it stays light later, I decided I would probably have enough daylight to surf a couple of hours after work. I took my 9' Softop because it can be left in the car all day unlike fiberglass or epoxy boards with wax that would become a sticky mess if left in the car all day. I drove down and met two of the guys (Dude B and T) who were already out on the west side of the 43rd street jetty having fun in the small, but clean suf. I paddled out and instantly caught a wave. I knew it was going to be a fun evening. I started surfing about 6:15 and caught multiple waves. I also had the opportunity to watch the guys who caught twice the waves I did and made it look so easy. When I paddled hard, they seemed to paddle easy, pop up with ease and dance on the waves. I envy their style and hope that some day I can surf like them. I watch them and try to mimic their every move. However, I still have such a long way to go before I can surf with the ease and grace that they can. When it started to get dark at about 8 p.m., we decided to call it a day. It was peaceful and wonderful to see the sunset. Although they were surfing too, we were really all alone out there. I guess it's always that way, surfing being a solitary sport, but I felt it more that night simply because it was quiet and the sun was going down and all seemed right with the world. I was so glad that I went down. I might have to start incoporating at least one night of surfing into my regular workout schedule during the summer when the days are long. Friday was "iffy." Surf forecasts were predicting it to be flat, but my noon call from B offered some positive news. The waves were still there...very small, but clean. I ran by the house after work, picked up a board, changed into my swim suit and made it to Galveston at around 2 p.m. I wasn't going to have much time to surf because of a busy afternoon of activities, but I wanted to make the most of the time I had. The winds had died considerably and, by the time I arrived, much smaller than they were at noon. They were breaking real close to shore on the inside. I had made the correct decision to bring my 9'6" board. However, because I haven't surfed it in a while, it took a little time for me to get reacquainted with it. Also, because I haven't surfed it in a while, I had a wax issue to overcome. Quite a bit of the wax was coming off on my arms and rashguard. The board was unually slick. My hands slipped, as did my feet, a few times. I need to strip the old wax off and start again. I probably should do that every season anyway. Despite all of this, I had several good, but short rides. And, after about an hour, the waves had diminished even more, so I left the beach. I'm hiking this week, so my workout will include a lot of leg work, but I'm just sure that it can only help me in all my other endeavors, including surfing. I'm not sure how yet, but I can't wait to find out next weekend when I'm surfing. Maybe I should incorporate some pop-ups while on the trail...or maybe not. (hmmm...having a hard time uploading photos on my iPad, will have to do that later. I'm also having spacing issues. Oh well.)