I CAN'T GET THAT SOUND YOU MAKE OUT OF MY HEAD.

Nature writer T.H. Watkins perfectly describes "that sound" in a recollection of his childhood bodysurfing experiences near Dana Point in the late-1940s:

“The lip of the wave curved over my head, and for one brief instant I found myself in a long, green translucent tunnel that stretched 40 or 50 feet on either side of me. That moment was when I heard the Sound, a high, hollow, almost metallic keening that cut through the outside roar of the surf until it was all that could be heard. It seemed to come from a great distance, like a cry out of the ancestral night, then swept over me and moved on just as the wave seized my helpless body and plunged it through the water and into the sand… . When I finally surfaced I was certain I had been privileged to experience one of the essential mysteries… . I remain as convinced today as I was then that I had heard nothing less than the voice of the sea itself.”

(Excerpt taken from Saturday's LA Times front page article on a certain Pacific Northwest mysto slab that's been getting tons of ink lately.)

Love on the Rocks

Bouldery break.
Brand new Bonzer.
Broken leash.
Bummer.

Love On The Rocks - Neil Diamond

(Note: That was my friend's V-Day story. MY decision to surf on Valentine's day was even more of a heart-breaker.)

Flawless

Unspoiled by
Murky water
Onshore winds
Secondary swells
Or guys in neoprene
Bobbing on the surface.

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Images courtesy of G$

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

An amazing, surf-themed 1981 Rodney on the ROQ show captured in its entirety for your listening pleasure. Where else can you hear The Surfaris, The Waitresses and AC/DC all in one place (not to mention the awesome commercials)? Tons more at the great blog From the Garage. Click the cassette above to download.

Dawn Patrol

Oyster Waves

Kuma Sutra.
Kumamoto oysters.
Small, hollow, and sweet.
The trick is getting inside.
I'm still picking bits of shell from my teeth.

A flat tire on the way out gave us time to crack into the 24 oysters we bought in Tillamook. When we finally reached the beach, the waves looked choice. Shoulder-high negative-tide dredgers. It only lasted an hour or so until the tide filled in. On the way home we explored such topics as: teaching yoga to inmates, killing animals with your bare hands, karma, the new T.Moe movie, the new Animal Collective, art, and if it's possible to get a "happy ending" via reiki massage.

Santos SurfArt II

Top: The Surf Museum in Santos, Brazil. Bottom: My watercolors, alongside such great company as Joe Curren (left), Sandow Birk (top center), and Guilherme Tonelli (right).


I'm so honored to have participated in the Santos SurfArt show in Brazil this year. The photos on the website, curated by Jair Bortoleto, do a great job showing how awesome the event must've been, and also twist the dagger a little because I couldn't make it down there on a technicality (no visa).

But who knows? Maybe the show will happen again next year and I'll plan for it a little better -- or maybe it will travel to other exotic surf locations (Ed?)... What a great opportunity.

Thanks, Jair!