SternWake
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- Nov 30, 2013
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It seemed like a day where trying to cross something off my list, might not necessarily be rewarding.
So I kept looking at it, my 'To Do' list, trying to pick something off of it to work on, but this little voice in the back of my head kept saying screw it. You don't "have" to do anything.
Not accomplishing anything puts me in a Foul mood, but at the same time, I felt that any task I would begin this particular day, would just fight me, and ruin my day, but not accomplishing anything........
So I was sitting there with my Van's side door open, getting a bit frustrated, trying to choose the task which could fight the least, when notion came into my head that why don't I just say screw it and goto the beach, and go surfing. I knew the waves were very small, and I am sunburnt and rashed up from surfing yesterday, and was intending on skipping a Salt Water Therapy session for a day, when that notion came.
I was sitting on my sill of my Van, list in hand, trying to fight the urge to just go play in the ocean, when a crow lands on the ground about 8 feet away, looks at me and tilts its head to the side.
"Hey Jim!!"
"Good to see you!"
"What to you think?"
"Should I cross something off this list?"
I hold it up and show him,
" Or Should I go surfing?"
He stares at me for a bit, looks over his shoulder in the direction where the projects I was considering lay, then back at me.
I raise an eyebrow.
He kind of Shrugs, ruffles his feathers a bit, opens his beak but utters no sound, and looks back at me, tilts his head. I move my hands in a "What's that supposed to mean?" gesture.
He then takes off and flies right over me, in the direction of the ocean, and that's all it took.
Decision made, I'm putting things away, getting the van ready to move, committed.
Now that schools out, and being a Friday, I knew there was a good chance that traffic getting there(1.5 miles) and finding parking would be a difficult, but I had faith in Jim's decision.
First traffic light turns green as I approach.
Always a good sign. Second third and fourth lights are also green. This is very rare.
2 traffic circles did not even have some nimrod stopped in the middle, unsure of who has right of way, and my oceanic approach was setting time records.
One more traffic light turned green as I approached, and I Knew Jim was 100% right. I knew a front row parking spot was going to open up as soon as I got to the limited parking area.
As I near the parking area, it is super crowded, and for a second or two I thought I would be denied one of the prime front row ocean view parking spots, but as soon as I pulled in, I see reverse lights, and a car vacates the spot where I will park for the next nine hours. The view out my front windshield goes to the horizon, Clean and green ocean.
I fry up some eggs, over medium, put them on some flat bread with some Avocado, Spinach, hot sauce and some parmesan, yummmm. Slap on some sunscreen, lower my 9'7" surfboard from my ceiling, wax it up, lock up the Van, and descend the bluff.
The waves were very small, but it was clean, the water is near 70F, Sunny, the crowd in the water is pretty light, and from first appearances, fairly unskilled. I knew I was going to have fun, lots of it, and all those little aches and pains in my neck, knees, feet and lower back dissolved on the march down the bluff.
I look back up toward my Van just before it goes out of view, and on a fence post right in front of it, is a Crow. Was it Jim? Who knows.
I give him a wave anyway and he jumps off and launches down the cliff and banks hard, right in the direction I planned on surfing, and keep flying down the beach.
Pretty rare to see a Crow on the beach, over the beach.
The trail is kind of a Zig Zag trail down about 60 feet from blufftop to sand, and as I round one zag, 4 or 5 small white butterflies are flying right at me, and I stop, and they fly around me on either side.
The waves as said were very small, but I have the right tool for the job, and the Skills to use it correctly, and quickly developed a good rhythm with the incoming waves. After a ride to the sand I'd paddle back out, and before I'd even get all the way back outside a little shapely wedge would be coming right to me, and I'd swing around and get another ride to the sand, 80 yards away.
Getting all sorts of ridiculous speed before setting a rail and throwing my weight into a turn, waiting for the wave to reform, then throwing another bottom turn and accelerating down the line again. Over and over again. So much fun.
The biggest waves were only a little over waist high, the smallest were mid calf high, but they were well shaped things and I was having all too much fun, and was not really allowed any time to just sit out there and catch my breath. I felt as if I let one go, I would not get another, so I kept taking everything I was offered and the offereings were surprisingly good, for such a low oceanic energy day
Sometimes the crowd would decide that sitting right next to me was the strategy to pursue to catch waves, and I'd paddle away as I'd prefer to be alone, and where I'd paddle to, a wave would appear. I'd take it and be a hundred yards away 30 seconds later. The crowd gave up on that tactic.
At one point the low skill crowd did not notice that a rip current had developed and sucked them out into water too deep for them to ever catch a wave. There was finally a Lull, and I was just sitting on my board, the nose of which was a foot out of the water when a bumble bee flies slowly by, and lands on the nose of my surfboard.
I Asked it what it though it was doing out here in the ocean, there is no pollen out here, but it did not answer.
I saw a little warble on the horizon indicating a set of waves was approaching and I told the bee it should probably take off again soon as it would likely get knocked off as I positioned myself to catch one, but once again, no response.
"Listen Up!, take off,or your are going to get a salt water dip my friend."
No response.
So I lean forward and stick my finger right next to the bumblebee, and slowly move it against the bee, and it climbs on to my finger. The movement of doing so submerged the nose of my board, and I brought the bee close to my face and had a look, but still could not discern any expression of relief.
I tell him there is a set coming and perhaps it should get on my shoulder, and I moved my finger to my shoulder and the bee stepped off slowly, did a couple rotations like a dog settling into a bed, then faced forward.
The clueless crowd outside was too far away to ever catch one of the oncoming waves, and I once again found myself in a perfect position to get a good ride. The Bee was still on my shoulder when I looked, and I asked him if he as ready.
Once again no response.
I spun my board around, aimed it toward shore, and made sure no water would climb so high as to knock the bee off my shoulder , but after I had matched the speed of the wave, I no longer thought about the honeybee on my shoulder. All conscious thought tends to evaporate when one catches a wave.
I got to my feet and rode the wave, and it was a Gem. I'd gotten a lot of speed, connected a few sections I didn't think I could, and at the end did a rebound off the whitewater and straightened out toward the beach.
I then remembered the Bee and looked down at my shoulder, and it was still there!
This time it had a big grin.
I pointed and said:
"That way to the flowers my friend, good luck!"
I was still riding the whitewater straight into the beach and it hung on my shoulder for a second or two more before taking off in that direction.
I went back out and caught about 60 more waves.
So I kept looking at it, my 'To Do' list, trying to pick something off of it to work on, but this little voice in the back of my head kept saying screw it. You don't "have" to do anything.
Not accomplishing anything puts me in a Foul mood, but at the same time, I felt that any task I would begin this particular day, would just fight me, and ruin my day, but not accomplishing anything........
So I was sitting there with my Van's side door open, getting a bit frustrated, trying to choose the task which could fight the least, when notion came into my head that why don't I just say screw it and goto the beach, and go surfing. I knew the waves were very small, and I am sunburnt and rashed up from surfing yesterday, and was intending on skipping a Salt Water Therapy session for a day, when that notion came.
I was sitting on my sill of my Van, list in hand, trying to fight the urge to just go play in the ocean, when a crow lands on the ground about 8 feet away, looks at me and tilts its head to the side.
"Hey Jim!!"
"Good to see you!"
"What to you think?"
"Should I cross something off this list?"
I hold it up and show him,
" Or Should I go surfing?"
He stares at me for a bit, looks over his shoulder in the direction where the projects I was considering lay, then back at me.
I raise an eyebrow.
He kind of Shrugs, ruffles his feathers a bit, opens his beak but utters no sound, and looks back at me, tilts his head. I move my hands in a "What's that supposed to mean?" gesture.
He then takes off and flies right over me, in the direction of the ocean, and that's all it took.
Decision made, I'm putting things away, getting the van ready to move, committed.
Now that schools out, and being a Friday, I knew there was a good chance that traffic getting there(1.5 miles) and finding parking would be a difficult, but I had faith in Jim's decision.
First traffic light turns green as I approach.
Always a good sign. Second third and fourth lights are also green. This is very rare.
2 traffic circles did not even have some nimrod stopped in the middle, unsure of who has right of way, and my oceanic approach was setting time records.
One more traffic light turned green as I approached, and I Knew Jim was 100% right. I knew a front row parking spot was going to open up as soon as I got to the limited parking area.
As I near the parking area, it is super crowded, and for a second or two I thought I would be denied one of the prime front row ocean view parking spots, but as soon as I pulled in, I see reverse lights, and a car vacates the spot where I will park for the next nine hours. The view out my front windshield goes to the horizon, Clean and green ocean.
I fry up some eggs, over medium, put them on some flat bread with some Avocado, Spinach, hot sauce and some parmesan, yummmm. Slap on some sunscreen, lower my 9'7" surfboard from my ceiling, wax it up, lock up the Van, and descend the bluff.
The waves were very small, but it was clean, the water is near 70F, Sunny, the crowd in the water is pretty light, and from first appearances, fairly unskilled. I knew I was going to have fun, lots of it, and all those little aches and pains in my neck, knees, feet and lower back dissolved on the march down the bluff.
I look back up toward my Van just before it goes out of view, and on a fence post right in front of it, is a Crow. Was it Jim? Who knows.
I give him a wave anyway and he jumps off and launches down the cliff and banks hard, right in the direction I planned on surfing, and keep flying down the beach.
Pretty rare to see a Crow on the beach, over the beach.
The trail is kind of a Zig Zag trail down about 60 feet from blufftop to sand, and as I round one zag, 4 or 5 small white butterflies are flying right at me, and I stop, and they fly around me on either side.
The waves as said were very small, but I have the right tool for the job, and the Skills to use it correctly, and quickly developed a good rhythm with the incoming waves. After a ride to the sand I'd paddle back out, and before I'd even get all the way back outside a little shapely wedge would be coming right to me, and I'd swing around and get another ride to the sand, 80 yards away.
Getting all sorts of ridiculous speed before setting a rail and throwing my weight into a turn, waiting for the wave to reform, then throwing another bottom turn and accelerating down the line again. Over and over again. So much fun.
The biggest waves were only a little over waist high, the smallest were mid calf high, but they were well shaped things and I was having all too much fun, and was not really allowed any time to just sit out there and catch my breath. I felt as if I let one go, I would not get another, so I kept taking everything I was offered and the offereings were surprisingly good, for such a low oceanic energy day
Sometimes the crowd would decide that sitting right next to me was the strategy to pursue to catch waves, and I'd paddle away as I'd prefer to be alone, and where I'd paddle to, a wave would appear. I'd take it and be a hundred yards away 30 seconds later. The crowd gave up on that tactic.
At one point the low skill crowd did not notice that a rip current had developed and sucked them out into water too deep for them to ever catch a wave. There was finally a Lull, and I was just sitting on my board, the nose of which was a foot out of the water when a bumble bee flies slowly by, and lands on the nose of my surfboard.
I Asked it what it though it was doing out here in the ocean, there is no pollen out here, but it did not answer.
I saw a little warble on the horizon indicating a set of waves was approaching and I told the bee it should probably take off again soon as it would likely get knocked off as I positioned myself to catch one, but once again, no response.
"Listen Up!, take off,or your are going to get a salt water dip my friend."
No response.
So I lean forward and stick my finger right next to the bumblebee, and slowly move it against the bee, and it climbs on to my finger. The movement of doing so submerged the nose of my board, and I brought the bee close to my face and had a look, but still could not discern any expression of relief.
I tell him there is a set coming and perhaps it should get on my shoulder, and I moved my finger to my shoulder and the bee stepped off slowly, did a couple rotations like a dog settling into a bed, then faced forward.
The clueless crowd outside was too far away to ever catch one of the oncoming waves, and I once again found myself in a perfect position to get a good ride. The Bee was still on my shoulder when I looked, and I asked him if he as ready.
Once again no response.
I spun my board around, aimed it toward shore, and made sure no water would climb so high as to knock the bee off my shoulder , but after I had matched the speed of the wave, I no longer thought about the honeybee on my shoulder. All conscious thought tends to evaporate when one catches a wave.
I got to my feet and rode the wave, and it was a Gem. I'd gotten a lot of speed, connected a few sections I didn't think I could, and at the end did a rebound off the whitewater and straightened out toward the beach.
I then remembered the Bee and looked down at my shoulder, and it was still there!
This time it had a big grin.
I pointed and said:
"That way to the flowers my friend, good luck!"
I was still riding the whitewater straight into the beach and it hung on my shoulder for a second or two more before taking off in that direction.
I went back out and caught about 60 more waves.
Some days its best to lay all lists aside and let the day unfold as it will.
