Good Eats!

I could get used to this!

Surf all morning... wear yourself out, come in to a nice plate of langosta... perfect!

Surf to Exhaustion

Have you ever done anything until you're totally exhausted? I ran a marathon once, at the end I could barely walk to the car (my baby girl had to carry me). Today, I surfed basically all day long! It was a marathon of surfing and it was a constant day of learning because I had to practice riding on my backhand.

Surfing on your backhand happens when you are heading in a direction that does not allow you to face the wave. Backhand surfing is more difficult than surfing on your front hand, you have to rock back onto your heels to make the board turn (an odd feeling) and you have to twist and turn, looking over your shoulder to see the wave. It's tough and frustrating, especially when you can surf competently on your fore hand and you see lots of waves running away from you. It's not easy to do, but it's a skill you have to master if you're going to do it all in surfing.

Here I am, surfing on my back hand- totally exhausted... but totally happy!

This spot is so fun- the wave is super long and the water is almost the perfect temperature... not too cold, not too warm and really blue. It's the kind of place that keeps you coming back for more- all day long- 'til you just can't do it NO MORE!

Don't Go Into the Light!

Believe it or not, it's not just all about having fun.  Some of us have work to do-- kind of...

My Favorite Surfer (For Today)

Today I think I saw my favorite surfer. We were at a spot out in the middle of nowhere. You had to bump along a dusty dirt road with no houses or people on it for miles- just jungle and mosquitoes. At the end of the road is a really fun surf spot but you have to work to get to it. We had just finished our session and were getting ready to leave when up walked this super stylish local girl surfer. Check her out:

It was the hat that got me- she was so stylish without even trying, carrying her board over her shoulder with a homemade strap, whistling to her dog and just cruising out of the jungle. I liked the fact that she wasn't trying for anybody- she wasn't filling some type of "surfer-chick" stereotype. She was just a girl who wanted to go surfing- so she started walking. That's cool.

Made it!

Well, we got here. And it's really beautiful. It's about eighty degrees, no wind, waist to chest high, glassy surf... Is there anything more to say? Check back for surf pics:

Boga 9'5" Bullet: The folks at Boga really came through and hooked me up with a brand new Boga Bullet to take on this trip... this is HANDS DOWN my favorite short SUP. I've been surfing a Bullet for about four months, it was my first step down from a big 11'6" stand up board and I have to say, if you're dreaming about getting on something a bit more high performance (you can turn it!) this is a board you should check out. Here I am getting her all finned up for my first surf of the trip- this is a great travel board just small enough to get on the plane and just big enough to make stando surfing fun. Thanks Boga!

Closer Every Minute

Traveling is a series of small steps. The steps vary in discomfort. Some steps feel like stubbing your toe some are like finding that freshly laundered twenty dollar bill you forgot in your back pocket.

Good step: drinking an ice cold Pacifico while watching your board get racked up onto the rental car.



Bad step: fighting traffic on the 405 hoping to actually make that 10am flight (on nothing but a big cup of grit laden gas station coffee).

Good steps/Bad steps, they come with the territory. I've found the best strategy is to just smile, take a deep breathe and remind myself that good or bad, any forward progress towards warm tropical surf is one I'm more than happy to take.


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You tell me...

Soooo excited! Leaving in three days. Let's play a game: I'll give you some hints and you tell me where I'm going. Hint 1 below:

Essential equipment for where I'm going.

There's a bunch of info in that photo but if you still need more tidbits of info here are a couple more hints. Hint 2: Dress code? Bikinis, shorts, sunglasses, sunscreen (forget about the make up bag). Hint 3: Food options? Fresh fish, sopes, grilled chicken... and kick in you in the ass Margaritas (I'm making this way too easy). Hint 4: Board of choice? Wave riding gear.... definitely! In this case my new 9'5 Boga Bullet and my short cut surf paddle. Hint 5: Loooong left point breaks and a hidden right hander.

Now it's your turn. You tell me....

Keemo works

I grew up always surrounded by family. I only have 1 sibling, but I have many cousins from my 18 aunts and uncles. We always have an excuse to spend time together-- birthdays, holidays, Pacquio fights, etc. That's one of the reasons why I enjoy stand-up paddling. I can take any one of my family members out on the water. It doesn't matter what their individual fitness lifestyle is or if he/she is an athlete. Anyone can do stand-up paddling. My crazy family always supports me in my activities, including SUP. They will wake up way too early in the morning and stand out in the cold just to watch one of my races. So, whenever I can, I reciprocate.

Last night I brought a couple of my friends with me to check out my cousin James' (aka Keemo) art show. His work is so unbelievably impressive. He specializes in stencils. Basically, he cuts stencils out for each color in his piece. When the piece is complete, it looks like a portrait from a distance. You just have to check it out in person to get the impact of his incredible artwork.




That's James on the right with my brother. Those are his pieces in the background.




Please help me get the word out about his upcoming shows. Google NastyKemical to find out more information. You won't be disappointed!

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Cruisin' SoCal Beaches in Style

One day after another fun surf session at Dogpatch, something shiny on the dirt road caught my attention. Any type of "bling" will catch the attention of almost any female. Then add some pink to that shine and you'll definitely catch a girl's eye. Well, I have to admit that I'm not much of a "pink" chick but this thing I couldn't take my eyes off of.



Cruising towards me was a classic, sweet ride. I couldn't help myself and had to stop the car and chat with the owner.



He was very nice to let me sit inside his vintage pink cadillac, which still had the original interior. I dusted the sand off my feet, sat behind the wheel and imagined myself cruising along the coastline. This car makes heads turn with its polished look complete with white-walled tires.
It was fun to fantasize riding it for the moment but it still doesn't trump the vehicle to buy next on my list - sprinter van. (I'll talk more about this later.)

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