E's Surf Report

well, the south of portugal is more arabic than european. many of the names begin with al: algarve, albufeira. the land is desert-lawrence of arabia like and nowhere is the portuguese arabic-spanish personality schizophrenia more apparent than in the south.

we arrived friday after a dusty 5 and a half hour bus ride through pine forest and coastal dunes. one of the biggest music festivals in europe was taking place just north of our destination. so many preppies, hippies, gangstas, surfers, bettys would have provided for entertaining conversation, but emanuelle- a belgian surfer- and i slept most of the time, exhausted from a going away party the night before.

finally the bus arrived at ************. gale force winds exited the bus door with us, because as soon as we began the 3km hike to the break, 45 mph offshore gusts blew sand and debris around wizard of oz-style. a french couple took pity and drove us out to the beach. with manu and i frothing at the mouth for waves we stared longingly at the almost perfect peeling glassy barrels pulling through, but it was too offshore and no one was in the water. we headed back to town, bought a couple of cooked chickens and ate in an abandoned roofless brick structure, protected from the squall.

the offshores subsided somewhat, so we hiked back down to the break, over hot pavement, fording a knee high river, and over sand dunes, through a moroccan other-worldly landscape to arrive at the portuguese shangri-la. we ran down to the beach like parched nomads storming the first oasis they've seen in weeks. our wetsuits put themselves on, the leash wrapping itself around my ankle, my board paddling me out into the waves. only a handful of stragglers sat in the line up. manu and i, hearing that the waves to the north were flatter than medieval earth, expected nothing, and were in total disbelief to be surrounded by head high peaks of near perfection.

we surfed for 4 hours until the cold water, darkness and hunger forced us back in. there was one point when manu said in heavily french accented english, "dave, you look so serious, man." i gave him a look, "ah, you are in the zone." and i proceeded to ride the escalator of waves in, paddling out, and immediately taking more waves in. it was awesome. sleeping under the stars that night, i thought about what life was about, why live life any other way but this, and how far away my office job in lisbon seemed.

the next day we surfed five hours, exhausted, sore, famished. we had planned on seeing ben harper, donovan frankenreiter and others at the music festival, but it was already late into the night. instead manu returned to lisbon with friends and i went south to see the land's end of europe, Sagres. the rest of the trip involved typical sight-seeing, bike riding, beach going since the surf was flat. when i came back to lisbon on sunday night, manu was packing up his things for belgium. we kicked down a beer at a fashionable bar nearby and raved about the day of days we had here in portugal.

great tale to start the day. thanks gvibe7!

and to re-visit the 40 > 45 non old fart thought...
i hate to think that anyone just a few years older than
me is an old fart. i am working diligently to push old fart
back further,

Garcia's 10th anniversary of his death today. Sad that I never got to see him. Love the Garcia Band waaay more than the dead. Man his playing, his lyrics, his outlook on life.....we need more people like him. If you have Sirius, they are playing his songs all day long on jam-on.

Celebrate!

Awesome score, gvibe! It's been exactly like that at Ocean Beach this week. </irony>

I'll be spending the next few days in Santa Cruz, just in time for the total disappearance of surf. Anyone know a restaurant with good options for vegetarians?

Today's waves suitable for:

R.I.P.

gvibe, sweet story. sounds like lisbon was the right decision.

kloo, sc has lots of good veggie stuff:

charlie hong kong's - large, cheap noodle bowls with tons o' flavor. and the vietnamese tofu sandwich is the shit!!
malabar - right across the street from charlie's, sri lanka food like you've never had it. not expensive but a sit down restaurant with a nice environ....sunday nights they serve an amazing set meal and you pay whatever you think is fair!
asian rose - more sri lankan food in the downtown area. dirt cheap and spicy!

damn....i think i need to visit sc...

A dozen or so years ago, I was one of the oldest surfers in the line up - especially in the winter. I was pushing 40. Now, a dozen years later, I see many surfers older than me.

There are guys my age like Ken Bradshaw and Darrick Doerner that are really pushing the limits of big wave surfing at Jaws while I'm thinking that 10'+ OB is getting to be too much for me. Sure, they've had a very different lifetime experience in the water than I've had but I need to rethink age vs conditioning and focus on conditioning. I'm no where near being mentally or physically ready to accept the longboard and knee slapper limit yet. San Ono is gonna have to wait a long time for me.

The old fart line has been pushed way, way back. You need to be around much longer to enjoy that title.

Thanks, rza!! I can tell they're good because your descriptions made me hungry. Oh, and many thanks to folks yesterday for tips about areas of suring improvement to focus on.

ibrahim ferrer is and old fart - especially considering his diet consisted primarily of frijole negras

Good grief, you old fart, 10' ob is too much for most anybody!

Would love to surf the mini-electro gal in this stuff. Hysterical. And maybe I'd learn some pointers.

ibrahim ferrer is and old fart - especially considering his diet consisted primarily of frijole negras

e, getting a 404 not found on those mp3's

Jerry Garcia - fucking A that band sucked but at least it gives us a mental barometer of the mentality on this blogula.
eeeeeeyuk.
East Coast Go Home

I'll be traveling from September 1st - Mid November.
I'm subletting my room, which has the view seen below. 650 a month with it's own bathroom. See

this post

Thanks!

mp3s fixed. thanks snake.

kloo,

I 2nd malabar and charlie hong kongs. malabar is truly unique. the owner invited me to cook kofta in his kitchen on a sunday a few years ago. it's cleaner than it seems. dharmas in capitola is cheap and easy. cliff cafe has the ono tofu scramble for breakfast.

coastal bc, yes
surprisingly fun time in tofino a couple of years back ...damn they drink a lot of beer up there...
it is a bit difficult to understand the locals, eh

Hey Lewis, Was that picture taken this morning? The waves sure are bigger near your place!

Windswell picks up starting Thursday. Chest high Thursday, shoulder high Friday, head high Saturday.

Sunday a gale swell comes in, head high with 10-12 sec periods from 290 deg.

Next Tuesday or Wednesday a new south, 3 ft 17-20 sec from a very southerly 180 deg.

my namesake spoke at the library last night. lots of talk about kung fu, chess, mathematics, science, and building his empire from nothing. but most impressive was his willingness to help and encourage/motivate everyone around him. completely positive and selfless. the abbot.

Couldn't resist chiming in on the Garcia thread. Although there are countless indescribable moments this guy has been part of. Here's a link to one tune, on one night, in 1981, which just happens to be one of my top all-time musical experiences. The tune below is a pretty 'mainstream sampling' for the masses, but also catches the boys on an x-factor night. cheers!

From Buffalo 1981:

http://www.archive.org/download/gd81-09-26.sbd.miller.18110.sbeok.shnf/gd81-09-26d1t09_vbr.mp3

Jack, thanks. As one of the masses, I like that one. Is that bright, percussive instrument an electric piano?

Thanks Jack. That song is making a couple of rotations in the cube right now.

hugh and i were on the high school newspaper together down south - he as cartoonist, me as editor. in recent years he has done some great stuff for burning man (including this year's ticket i think?) triptych rocks, right around the corner from mi oficina.

Kloo...be careful what you eat in Santa Cruz. I once saw this documentary on it, and apprently it is filled with vampires. If get into trouble contact either Corey Haim or Corey Feldmen, and whatever you do, do not invite the head vampier into your house, as he is a methead and will steal your ipod.

i like the RZA too, but it's kinda funny a guy who once wrote these lyrics spoke at the commonwealth club....

ya i heard santa cruz has the most murders per capita as well. probably because of the vampires or meth mouths. i heard some chinese resturaunts down there serve maggots instead of rice, and worms instead of noodles, trippy. jaimie gertz was hot.

so i was gone this weekend, i heard there were waves? did you guys know its hardcore summer time 15 miles north of this town? i was shocked. now im wearing an effing sweatshirt.

mark ribot at Yoshi's on Monday and i won't be here!!! argghgh!!

if you like Cuban/experimental/technical-yet-melodic jazz guitar stylings.. go check him out.

also Garage A Trois tomorrow and thursday at the Indepedent. I'll be there tomorrow.. psyched. Charlie Hunter on the 8 string. Stanton Moore on the skins. Skerik on horn. Should be cool.

is that shot supertubes just north of pt. dume?

Elvis "Lerm" Presley

20th Century Genius

Brian Wilson was a ho-daddy!

b wilson blows. that's the lamest shit ever. o what a troubled genius. blah blah blah

Listen to Smile and come back to me after that. Best album never released.

Cabinessence.

Heroes and Villains.

Surf's Up

Incredible compositions.

Drove downtown in the rain nine-thirty on a Tuesday night,
just to check out the late-night record shop.
Call it impulsive, call it compulsive, call it insane,
but when I'm surrounded I just can't stop.

It's a matter of instinct, it's a matter of conditioning,
it's a matter of fact.
You can call me Pavlov's dog.
Ring a bell and I'll salivate. How'd you like that?
Dr. Lendy tell me you're not just a pedagogue,
cause right now I'm

Lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did
Well I'm lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did.

So I'm lying here, just starting at the ceiling tiles.
and I'm thinking about what to think about.
Just listening and relistening to Smiley Smile,
and I'm wondering if this is some kind of creative drought
because I am

Lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did
Well I'm lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did.

And if you want to find me I'll be out in the sandbox,
wondering where the hell all the love has gone.
Playing my guitar and building castles in the sun,
and singing "Fun, Fun, Fun."

Lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did
Well I'm lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did.

I had a dream that I was three hundred pounds
and though I was very heavy,
I floated 'til I couldn't see the ground
I floated 'til I couldn't see the ground
Somebody help me, I couldn't see the ground
Somebody help me, I couldn't see the ground
Somebody help me because I'm

Lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did
Well I'm lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did.

Drove downtown in the rain nine-thirty on a Tuesday night.
Just to check out the late-night record shop.
Call it impulsive, call it compulsive, call it insane;

-BNL

yes please

For Gerry

opps wrong gerry

Lerm, that's gotta be Elvis 1975, complete with the bed in the background...when was a fat slob that couldn't make his bed nor even put on a cover sheet to keep him off the stained mattress.

and ate 20 bacon sandwiches a day, and shot at the tv

Interesting site which catalogues surfboards in Australia since 1900.

the RZA was definitely not the normal commonwealth club speaker. in fact, most of the people there had never heard of the club - which probably explains why they brought him in and were pushing heavily for membership.

but yeah, that domestic violence song is nuts. we used to listen to that and just laugh at it's harshness. maybe I should've asked him about the motivation for that one...

yeah traut interesting
i like this one

caption says-
"Dora Surfboards Californian Style Model
There was probably no design or financial negotiatons with Mr.Dora."

What up- back to the cube from a parallel universe where summer turns to winter- and winter turns to snow

On a surfing related note word down there has it Laird and crew have found their new monster somewhere between the tip of SA and Antartica- & they are down there right now waiting for it to wake up- can't wait to see those pics

Last Friday somewhere south of the border

Who was first Yater or Graham King?

there is so much info on that site. The old logos are sick. The Catalogue section has pics and specs of old boards. The Art section has some ole Jap paintings which I haven't seen before while the extremis link has pics like this one:

Wood

artifact you're the friggin man!! nice photos!

I second e- nice photos Artifact! Looks like your bro forgot his gloves. Did you use the kite to get up any of the mtns?

Artifact your a 4 seasons ruler! Powder in August. Damn I'm going to have to fondle my snowboard tonight.

Thanks! Yeah traut I busted em out,in really gusty/ sketchy conditions but made some uphill turns @ about 12,000ft. A far as I'm aware a first of sorts in the entire region (outside of Patagonia), not that I have any proof since no one wanted to hang out in the cold, ripping wind

That dude was filming, therefore the lack of gloves. Yes, I'm a winter junkie

damn artifact...you always take the best trips. and hardcore ones at that.

do you get tons of vacation time, or does it just seem that way?! my new boss capped vacations to 2 weeks at a time - nothing longer. i'm pissed. and actively looking.

you get more than 2 weeks!

3 weeks bro and it's always work to the redeye then straight back to work. It hurts that way but maximizes those precious days. It's those days that give me hope from my cube shaped cell! 2 weeks is brutal, vac days is the US sucks- wish we could adopt the Euro way for that one.

Work hard play harder.

Smoke hardest

I remember when snowboarding was cool and had soul, too.

Thanks artifact for bringing it back if just for a second.

Retired rapper DMX has been charged with violating the terms of a plea deal approved after he crashed his car through a gate at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2004.

DMX, né Earl Simmons, posted a $500 bail at a hearing on Monday, and is next expected in court on October 11.

The star faces up to one year in prison if he's found guilty of violating the conditions of his release.

Simmons, 34, pleaded guilty last December to reckless endangerment and confessed to being on Valium when he told a stunned parking attendant he was a federal agent, before driving into the airport gate in June 2004.

Christina Aguilera has warned pop rival Britney Spears not to expect a comeback after her baby is born -- because she's "let herself go" too much to reclaim her sex symbol status.

Aguilera is horrified by the deterioration in Spears' appearance since she announced she's expecting her husband Kevin Federline's child earlier this year.

Aguilera hopes the star will be content with motherhood, because she doubts she'll ever be a pop star again.

She says, "She's let herself go. I can't see a comeback on the cards."

"The contagious people of Washington have stood firm against diversity during this long period of increment weather." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I promise you a police car on every sidewalk." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"If you take out the killings, Washington actually has a very very low crime rate." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"First, it was not a strip bar, it was an erotic club. And second, what can I say? I'm a night owl." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"Bitch set me up." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I am clearly more popular than Reagan. I am in my third term. Where's Reagan? Gone after two! Defeated by George Bush and Michael Dukakis no less." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"The laws in this city are clearly racist. All laws are racist. The law of gravity is racist." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I am making this trip to Africa because Washington is an international city, just like Tokyo, Nigeria or Israel. As mayor, I am an international symbol. Can you deny that to Africa?" -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"People have criticized me because my security detail is larger than the president's. But you must ask yourself: are there more people who want to kill me than who want to kill the president? I can assure you there are." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"The brave men who died in Vietnam, more than 100% of which were black, were the ultimate sacrifice." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I read a funny story about how the Republicans freed the slaves. The Republicans are the ones who created slavery by law in the 1600's. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and he was not a Republican." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"What right does Congress have to go around making laws just because they deem it necessary?" -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"People blame me because these water mains break, but I ask you, if the water mains didn't break, would it be my responsibility to fix them then? WOULD IT!?!" -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I am a great mayor; I am an upstanding Christian man; I am an intelligent man; I am a deeply educated man; I am a humble man." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

hmmmm...artifact...it seems like more than 3 weeks. but you're definitely making the most of them. i blame my girl for making me less adventurous.

i get 3 weeks and always use that plus another week or so unpaid. so i shouldn't really complain. but again, i can't say it enough...the new boss blows and is cramping my style!!!!

Dr. Blake says:

Windswell picks up starting Thursday. Chest high Thursday, shoulder high Friday, head high Saturday. Sunday a gale swell comes in, head high with 10-12 sec periods from 290 deg.

Keep it together, blog friends. Hope (and Fall) is on the way.

See me in my office tomorrow morning. No DP'ing for you.
7am sharp.

is there a site like this for Santa Cruz?

I want to invite them all up to OB for this little windswell that they won't see.

You know return the favor?

Good thing Blakestah is giving three day's notice so they can change their plans and stuff.