Surfing Again, at Last

It's been a little over two weeks...actually, almost three...since I've been surfing. The waves always seem to come during the work week when I can't make it out. I was hoping for some waves on Friday afternoon because I knew that I would be working on Saturday (UHCL introduced it's new mascot -- the Hawk), and I wouldn't be able to surf if the waves were good. Friday was too messy according to my surfing contacts, and, fortunately, so was Saturday. My report early today (Sunday) was that it was messy again. I decided to run instead and got in five miles, but once I returned home and looked at the Galveston web cam, I decided I must go down.  I'm incredibly busy lately, but I felt like a good surf session would help strengthen my soul.

I surfed at 37th today instead of
my usual 43rd Street jetty.

Since I have my first marathon coming up in June, I needed to run today. I also had some responsibilities at church this morning, so I knew even if the waves had been decent, I wouldn't make it down this morning as early as I would have liked. I really prefer getting down to the beach by 7 a.m. because fewer surfers are usually out at that time -- usually just the locals.  I also had a lunch scheduled with my mother and father, but I was able to convince them to eat in Galveston. Once lunch was over, I drove over to the Seawall, which was full of other enjoying April. Although the sun was shining, the temps were a little on the cool side, which meant that I would probably need a wetsuit. (The water temps were quite cool too.) I found a parking spot on the hotel side of the Seawall between 36th and 37th and opted to surf there. Waves were breaking beyond the jetty, but they weren't all holding up very well. I made my way out and immediately turned back toward the beach when I saw a powerful wave come my way. I caught whitewater but it was still incredible to be out surfing again. I caught several more whitewater waves while I was out and was able to practice turning and looking forward instead of down. I wanted to catch some waves as they were breaking instead of just catching strong whitewater, but only accomplished that once. I definitely need more consistent practice. I can't go two weeks between sessions. Just like my running and cycling, I need to surf more. As the water warms, the days get longer and the busy-ness subsides, I'm sure I will be able to do that.

Another Surf Movie

Last week on Facebook, one of the surfing pages I follow posted information about a documentary that would be premiering in the Clear Lake area at the local Cinemark on Thursday. I usually work out on Thursday nights, but I was ready to make an exception so I could see "A Deeper Shade of Blue." Described as "a film about surfing’s deepest roots: in the subconscious; in ancient lore; in the craft of surfboard building; in man’s perpetual quest for a joyful relationship with the natural world," it sounded intriguing, to say the least. After grabbing a bite to eat, I went to the movie theater and could quickly decipher who was there to see the surfing documentary and who was there to see something else. I hate to typecast but many of the surfers were distinguishable; especially the older surfers. You could tell who they were from the rugged, tan, almost leathery skin and the hair that was blonde at the ends. I saw a couple of cool guys I know from G-town, but most of them were unfamiliar older surfers with a few young ones thrown in. I saw a guy I know from work with his son. He's been a surfer for awhile, but he has only recently introduced the sport to his son. I chuckled when we were sitting in the movie theater waiting for the movie to start because everyone seemed to be talking out loud. They were  shouting across the room as people they recognized came in. It was interesting.  

The movie started with interviews, which were entertaining for the first few minutes, but dragged on a little bit too much for me. It was interesting information, but I was ready for the movie to start. All in all,

The movie was called "A Deeper Shade of Blue," which
made me think of this pic I shot while flying over
Costa Rica.

the movie was good and the information about different boards and wave heights was fascinating. I shudder to think how I would react if I saw a wave as a big as some of those in the movie coming toward me as I was lying prone on a surfboard. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't react well. I'd be looking for ways to get out of the wave. Check it out at adeepershadeofblue.com. 

After seeing a movie about surfing, I was dying to get out in the waves. On Friday, the waves were rough and the seawall was full because of the Easter holiday weekend. On-the-spot surf reports from some of my surfing acquaintance indicated it wasn't worth the drive down to the shore. Saturday morning brought some pretty little waves, but by the time I could get there, crowds had gathered again and the wind had made it far too choppy to make it worth my while. (On a side note, I had a family breakfast to attend; I was glad that, at least I got to run 8.1 miles.) Sunday was Easter and my calendar was full. I read on the web that there were a few surf-able waves, but I didn't have time to make it down. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this weekend. I have to work Saturday afternoon, but I should be able to squeeze in a session midday Friday and Sunday mid-morning. I hope I can...I hope I can...I hope I can... I have no ruby red slippers to click together, but maybe I'll squeeze some board wax for luck.  

Crazy Spring Weekends

Allergies have been dragging me down. If I'm not sneezing, I'm coughing. I also have had a sore throat that has made me sound like a blues singer who has spent too much time in a smoky jazz bar. On Friday, I knew I probably wouldn't surf even if there were waves. Before I could even send a note to the surf dude, he sent a text saying that the waves were rough, the air was cold and the crowds were big. He said it wasn't worth a trip to the island, so I was relieved to find out that I wasn't going to be missing much. I was still under the weather on Saturday, which not only stopped me from surfing, but also from running. I did sneak in a little ride, but a short, easy bike ride was about all my lungs could handle. I'm sure hoping that this Friday will bring warmer weather and nice waves.

I noticed on Facebook that my local Cinemark movie theater would be showing a special surf movie premiere one night this week. "A Deeper Shade of Blue" is described as "world-renowned surfing legends as they discuss the evolution, the culture and the impact of surfing from its beginnings to today's billion-dollar-a-year global industry." According to the description, "Panelists include surfing movie star Gidget and legendary surfing sensations James O'Brian, The Marshall Brothers ..." I think I might have to see if a couple of my surfing buddies might want to go see the movie. I'm sure I'll leave the theater anxious to get back in the water. And, I'm also sure that I'll feel envious of their skill level.

An email notice arrived letting me know that Surfing magazine published a special edition that is ready for me to download on my iPad. It was the Hot 100 issue that highlights the up-and-coming surfers. I've not read very much of it, but I didn't notice that only 34% of the Hot 100 were goofy-footers like me. Hmmm... Also, the average age of the Hot 100 females is 17. Oh MY!!! The guys are 19, which isn't much better, but at least they are a little older. Interestingly enough, they offered a graph explaining where the Top 100 were from and the graph showed the three top home areas as Australia, USA and Hawaii. I wonder why Hawaii gets its own spot on the graph instead of being grouped in AS A STATE within the USA. In fact, the two highest percentages on the graph went to the USA and Hawaii...both 30 percent. I'd be curious to know what states they all were from. I would guess most of from California, but I'm hoping when I start to read the articles that at least one might be from Texas. I doubt it, but one can hope.