.....so to speak!

Had a pleasant session mid-morning, high tide at Del Ma
r. Passed by Windansea and Blacks... but... I just wanted t
o go somewhere mellow. I caught half a dozen or so decent r
ides. The waves were pretty slow rolling... but every once
ion a while a nice, big pusher would come through. (yeah!)< >/P

Taking a break to do some laundry and then heading back
out for the afternoon/evening sess. I'm feeling a bit more
back to my old self. Time for me to really work hard on tu
rning, or leaning quicker as soon as I catch a wave. That s
eems to be the biggest obstacle to riding the kind of clean
er waves I desire. It appears that I need to get more comfo
rtable going sideways... Straighter rides always make me en
d up in the foam.

I'm contemplating going back to Black's for the afterno
on. Those waves seem to have more oomph! And people were re
ally nice there. It's just such a bitch to get to!

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I guess every day can't be great. But then again....
it's really all about attitude. So... I know i just need
to suck it up and brush my bruised ego off. And,
I'll feel better when I hit the surf again.

I had a pretty rough time the other day at a
notoriously hostile spot. I was still pretty worn out
from surfing so many days in a row. So.. for some reason,
since I had been to this spot before and always had great
times... i was thinking that someplace familiar would be
nice. It was aThursday morning and I guess I was
expecting it to be a fairly light crew out. Boy, was I
wrong! The place was packed.

I probably should have just gone somewhere else... or
taken the day off... but I saw that this nice bodyboarder
whom I had met last week was at this break. I thought it
might be a nice opportunity to surf with another
bodyboarder. And.... yes.. that part was nice.

But as far as catching any waves.... I caught only
1 or 2. And.... I have to say... for the first time in
my brief surfing life.... I was uncomfortably aware
of how out of my league and completely unwelcome
I was by the majority of surfers
in the water. I don't blame them. I wasn't up to par. I
left the water after an hour or so.... feeling like a
complete doofus.

Later... I checked on this site and on another web site
about bodyboarding that I frequent. I know that the
young kids .... and... a lot of grown men like to make fun
of fat women. So.. it wasn't surprising to see some
snide remarks about my posted pictures and read
people writing rude comments about the "fat chick"
bodyboarder. i'm used to
it. Usually it doesn't bother me. But... after such a
demoralizing day in the water... it just put me kind
of over the edge.

I took a couple days off. I'll go back out pretty soon.
But,
I think i'm just going to enjoy surfing alone.... or where
the
surfers are more mellow. If i ever learn to surf well....
then I
guess that will be sweet revenge to all the mean spirited
haters.

Sorry about this post being sort of negative. I write m
y
journal more for me than for other people to read. I try
to
look back and think about what I've learned from each time
I've been able to surf. Thanks to those of you whoi have b
een
supportive. Everyone needs a little encouragement from
time'to time. I'm not giving up.... just in a bit of a fun
k.

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Finding the place was a little tricky. The walk down
the long... VERY steep path was tough. The walk back up
5 hours later was absolutely BRUTAL. But in between.....

....fast waves with nice shape and size, clean, warm wa
ter,
a school of dolphins rolling past within a few hundred
feet of the line up and a couple of them hanging around
to play in the surf with us. And all around us, breathtak
ing
cliffs and scenery..... what more could I ask for?

It was an extraordinary day. Another spot to check off
my list. I will probably go back. But man! That path is a
bitch for a fat, old lady like me! And the worst insult...
at the end of the day.... all the fit the lifeguards drive

their vehicles through the locked gate and down the path!
The whole way up I was wondering what sort of lightweight
vehiclemight be able to be lifted over that gate and have
enough oomph the haul my big but back up that hill! lol

Ah well.... the walk was good for me. I survived with
the help of my asthma inhaler and a jug of water I was
carrying Maybe if I lived closer to this break and made
that trek every day... I'd be in better shape. My shoulder
s
are aching and my legs feel like lead weights. But
those waves were worth every bit of effort.

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Today (well yesterday since I couldn't upload
my journal) was a fabulous day all around! I surfed 2
new spots for like.... 6 hours. I am tired. I am hungry.
I am very happy!

First I hit a legendary spot called Swami's. I watched
from the bluff for a while and it loooked like the waves
were rolling really slow. There were about 10 longboarders

out. And mostly they were catching rights. I wasn't sure
if I could even catch any slow moving rights. But there
was a left.... over past the longboarders... and no one
was even trying for it. So....I figured, "what the heck!"

and grabbed my gear.

The best part about "grabbing my gear" this week has
been that the water is sooooo warm down here compared
to home. No wetsuit required. This is a MAJOR plus! I love
being able to just grab my board and fins and hit the
waves. What a welcome change.

The waves were really mellow. And the tide was coming
in. Most of the surfers bailed and it was just me and 2
surfers. hehehehe....... the patient shall be rewarded!
We had to wait a little between the sets.... but I tell
you what! Some really good waves came along every
so often! Big, peaky and very fun! I even rode some
rights!. It was beautiful.... warm.... and peaceful.
The surfer guys were nice and we just had a blast
with the place all to ourselves for a couple of
hours. :-)

Probably most people know this already.... but they
call the place "Swami's" because there is an eastern
religious (Hindu, I think) Self Realization Retreat
located right above the break. My friend told me
stories about this place when he used to surf it
"back in the early days". He's about 65... so.. I'm glad
I finally got a chance to surf it too! I will probably go
back there!

What a cool place! And.. I really learned a lot there.
Catching slow waves is a big problem for me. I think I see
now how important it will be for me to learn to judge the
timing for paddling into the peak and then turning back.
I have a long way to go on mastering that. But... at least

I think I understand the mechanics a little better after
today.

I got out to get a snack and rest and then I decided
that maybe I should try a little faster breaking wave
since I was pretty tired... and... the place was getting
crowded now that people were getting off work. I
looked in my book and saw that there were quite a
number of good breaks nearby. But the one
that caught my attention was in Del Mar. A fast
breaking wave with rights AND lefts. I grabbed my
peanut butter and appleand hit the road!

I could saw a lot of things about Del Mar. The vibe was
completely different. But... not bad... I dunno. It was
sort of a shock after the peaceful, humble, mellow
vibe of Swami's. Del Mar is kind of like "Beverly Hills
Beach". Crowded, upscale neighborhoods and shops....
people drinking wine spritzers on the lawn overlooking
the beach. Just..... VERY different. But the train that co
mes
along and passes right by the beach every so often was
pretty cool!

The waves were definitely faster here! We still had
to wait a bit between sets.... but there were some
hellacious, peaky A-frames that would come along. It was
really something! The inside just pumped! But.... I like
the outside. So... I waited. I caught a few rides....
and I was really amazed at how fast the waves pushed!
And... there seemed to be like.... 3 pushes for each wave
.
The initial drop would just send you screaming down the
face. Then (because I haven't mastered the cutback either!
lol)
When the foam would catch up.... it would just give
another push and I would be thinking, "wow... this
is really fast!" And then... just when I would be thinking
...
"hmmm... I should probably try to turn outta this thing
before I get flopped up on the shorey.... ANOTHER push
would come along and there'd I'd be.... in 3 feet of water

and having to paddle back through. It was brutal.... but
magnificent! The power of the ocean really gives one
some perspective.

I'm sooooo tired... and... so greatful.

....and I get to do it again tomorrow! :-)

p.s.(I surfed Black's all afternoon today... more later
)

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I had a good time yesterday at Imperial Beach
here in San Diego. Some people from another web
site were having a little get together, so I dropped
by around noon. Mmmmm .... free hot dogs! lol

So... it was a great day.... sunny and some pretty
good sized waves. The wind was colliding with the
swell and making the waves push really fast. 8-)
Most of the bodyboarders were on the south side
of the pier so that's where I paddled out first. Well,
more like "tried" to paddle out. The sideshore winds
were blowing from the south and that caused me to
drift back towards the pier where I nearly got smashed
a couple of times. (yikes!). I managed to get through
the pilings and paddle out and back through to catch
one wave. And of course..... then I was stuck getting
smashed towards the pier again.

It was pretty brutal. So... exhausted, I decided to
just try on the north side of the pier. That was better
for me since I like going left. The current and winds
were still tough to fight. But I did manage to catch a
couple of really nice waves. By the time I finally
crawled out of the water... I was spent. I think I
fell asleep at like... 8:30pm last night. lol

Oh! I forgot the best part!!! It was so warm here
that I didn't have to wear a wetsuit for the first time
since September! Yippee!!! It was quite a different
feeling to be out in just a swimsuit and a rashie. At
home it's the full suit, gloves, booties and a cap. Total
geek suit. But... otherwise... I just freeze.

I met a guy who does surf trips and it really made
me think that I might want to start saving and be able
to go someplace with warmer water a few times a year.

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A good day at my favorite spot. I got off to a late
start and hit the middle of the shift from low to high
tide. There's a high pressure system moving in on the
coast, so the fog is back. The waves were bigger today.
The forecast said 3-5 feet.... but some of then sure did
look big as they came crashing down around me!

I sort of blew it because the inside breaks were
really rough and vreaking close together. It was hard
paddling to the outside. As soon as I got outside.... a
really good wave came... and.. I took it! A really fun lef
t!
But I rode it too far.... and darn! .... I ended up caught
in
the pounding inside breaks. It took me forever to get
back out. And.. the rest of the session was fun... but I h
ad
pretty much used up most of my energy paddling out two
times in a row.

It was fun catching some bigger waves though! I
surfed about 3 hours and the sea was kind of churning
and really.....rough. I got spanked good and tossed about
a few times by some pretty big waves. By the time I got
out of the water, I was so cold that I could barely get my
fins off.

I talked to this surfer guy, Bruce, in the parking lot.

He pretty much confirmed what I've veen thinking. I need
a bigger board. I like my 42.5.... but let's face it... I'
m a
big gal! I think on my camping/surfing trip next week that
I might stop by a couple of shops in SoCal and see about
getting a new board soon. I think I need like.... a 45....
with
a couple of stringers. Maybe I will try some out next week
end
at Imperial Beach in San Diego. They are having a
bodyboarding event there and board companies will have new
product lines for people to try out. Plus.... free hot dog
s! lol

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The bodyboard as we know it, turned 35 yesterday!
July 7, 1971, Tom Morey developed the first flexible
foam top bodyboard known as a "boogie board".
(yes... I know paipo was around LONG before that....)

In celebration, I spent the day at my favorite spot...
riding for hours til I was dizzy and had to stop.
The waves were only about 2-3 feet, but it was good
to get some practice in taking off and trimming. There
were only a few people out since it was midday on
a Friday. All in all... a gloriously, beautiful, warm
sunny day..... blue skies and no clouds... even a little
warmer water! (woo-hoo!)

There are some really good people in this sport...
sometimes that's easy to forget with all the idiotic,
egomaniac bodyboarders who don't seem to care about
the history, development and preservation of this sport.
It was a nice day to be with mellow people who just love
the ocean and the thrill of riding waves.... without all
the "Look what I can do!" ( a la Stewart from Mad TV)
claimers and their rude bravado.

Thanks Tom!.. and all the other people over the years
who have made it possible for peiple like me to go out
and enjoy bodyboarding today. :-)

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Happy Independance Day!

America The Beautiful....

Really nice day today in NorCal! It's been
pretty foggy and cold lately. But I was patient
and waited a for the tide to shift and the fog
to burn off. I was rewarded with sunshine and
some pretty nice little waves at a new spot today!
I even met a new bodyboarder girl... Alicia. She was
doing pretty good! I've been having some trouble
with my left ankle, so kicking has been hampered.
But I still caught a few and had a lot of fun!

This new spot is pretty close to my regular
spot. But for some reason, I had never paddled
out there before. I dunno... it always seemed like
a "local spot" for only the good surfers. It was kinda
nice to have a couple other bodyboarders out there
today. It made me feel a little better. One of the
surfers was a little irritated by our presence. But,
all he said to me was "Watch out.... this is a heavier
wave than LM."

Which leads me to my little reflection on a lesson
learned today. As I've progressed... I've actually started
to get a little cautious on the bigger waves. This kind
of concerns me as I find myself bailing out of some good
waves. I guess before... I was too stupid and worried
if I was doing it right. I was so busy trying to catch the
wave I didn't stop and consider the possibility of a
faceplant. So now.. this little annoying habit is starting
to concern me.

Note to self...... when flying through the air while
riding down the face of a big wave... try to stay on the
board and don't bail. (lol) There's got to be some "rule
of thumb" about this! And.... I had better learn it FAST!

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What a great day! Even though we have a special
summer class all this week... I took my board to school
so that I could go right to the beach afterwards. It was
actually a pretty fun class, but I was still glad to go wh
en
it was time.

I couldn't check on the swell.... but I figured there
wasn't going to be much anywhere. So....I remembered
my lesson and headed to my spot. As I went over the
bridge into San Francisco, the fog was really coming in.
The closer I got to the beach..... the colder... and foggi
er
it got. I was starting to think this was going to be a
wasted trip.... and.. I was pretty tired. The thought of
having to drive back home in rush hour traffic... was
not good.

I decided to have some faith... and just keep driving.
I was now within sight of the coast..... but.... due to th
e fog...
it was impossible to see the water. I just kept driving. U
p and
over the hill and... VOILA! Sunshine!!!. I was very happy.
:-)

I ran into Susanna again and met her friend.... that wa
s
nice to have some buds to hang with in the water. The wave
s
were pretty mellow and small... but still fun. I practice
d catching
waves and trying to sort of paddle INTO the wave and then
turn.
This is a new way of catching a wave for me. But.. it seem
s like
pretty much the ONLY way to catch smaller waves as my "ove
r
the falls method" only works if the waves are big and powe
rful.
I surfed for about 3 1/2 hours. I love being on the water
when the sun is setting.

Afterwards.. I was cold and starving.... Thank God for
Denny's! Breakfast for dinner...mmmmmmmmm

Anyway... I'm too tired to articulate some "Doogie Hous
er"
profundity..... but suffice it to say.... I was reminded t
o have
faith in what has proven itself to be true.

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