Even Though, Part Deux

Even though I'd had such a fun day before, and even though the waves were a super-fun peaky 3-4' with some head-high sets, I still had a weak session yesterday. First time on the shortboard in a while, and I definitely have some dues to pay to get the timing back. But having ridden my LB pretty aggressively the day before, I felt like I should get on a board that was designed for that kind of approach. I still think this is probably a great board, but I'm having a hard time with it feeling too sketchy for me. I want to be able to power it, and it seems to just want to squirrel out too much when I push it. Maybe some different fins...

And even though it was less-than-stellar session, it still made me happy. It felt great to be out there, to be on the shortboard, the be hustling for waves and to not worry about the time. And even when I did start to get really frustrated over my complete donkeyness, a shared laugh with a stranger and a nice chat with someone else picked me right up, especially because those sorts of interactions can be rare in the crowded and competitive lineups of Huntington.

In all, it really was a great weekend.
(And I didn't even electrocute myself....though I came very, very close!)

Even though...

Even though I spent the evening in the even-more-landlocked-than-my-neighborhood environs of Corona, it was a wonderful night. And even though I didn't get to sleep until 1:30-ish, I still got up and surfed. Even though I didn't quite make it for the dawn patrol, it was still glassy and the crowd was light. Even though the waves weren't epic, I had way more fun rides than I could ever have expected. And even though I'm heading out into the 100-degree heat to go clean my garage, and it's still only halfway through Saturday, this still counts as a really great weekend.

I am smiling.

Movement

Adios little purse. It was a good place to land for a while, but it's time to move on with a more focused direction and to a new location. I will miss the salt air, the sound of the foghorns in the morning, and riding a bike along the shoreline in the quieter months. My residency at the beach has ended for now, but my relationship with the sea will endure, and there will be more mornings spent walking across crisp, cool sand and paddling across silky-smooth water. The anticipation as a set approaches is a timeless thing, and the allure of those intimate moments wrapped in the embrace of the wave is unending.

Right now though, I am looking forward to a simpler life in a new place, and to coming home.