Swimming

Had a good swim yesterday after thinking the shorebreak was a good place to surf...outside was 8' plus but the inside bar was pretty good I thought.
I hit it and was having fun till I ducked into a sand pit and was blasted off my board.
I came up and my board was no where to be seen...hmmm, not where it should be...is it over there in the end of the rip? Nope.
Next to the rocks? Nope.
Heading back out to sea? Nope.
So I started swimming in but I was going more southward than towards the beach, no worries...big finger of rocks that way and I could climb up and out...but where is my damn board?
I finally got to the rocks, climbed up and took another look for an orange 6' board.
Nope. Still don't see it.
I got off the rocks and started walking North, just in case the rip doubled back on itself, outside was a churning mess so it made as much sense as anything.
There it is...75 yards out and heading for Japan.
Fuck.
I ran out along the rocks, jumped off and started to swim for it...
20 minutes later...I am paddling in, almost to the shorebreak again...I picked off a peak, popped up and was tossed over the falls, too tired from the swim to get up quick enough for the drop...
There goes the board again.
I caught it quickly this time and bellied in.
Let this be a lesson, low rockered boards are hard to find in the foamy rips...
To the tourist who thought this was an every day thing, no, it wasn't, given the conditions, I was pretty close to letting the board go on its way...

Not having enough abuse, I did the SUP thing for three hours waiting for the tide to come up but the mysto I was waiting for never got it together enough to surf.

Met some dipshit tourist surfer from Eugene, he and his girl cruising their white VW Westy, boards on top, the full on long haired organic wanker scene...they parked next my VW tin top, maybe they thought I was some organic, co-op shopping hippie dippy surfer type?
After he named four local spots that he knew nothing about-I had heard enough..."Go home or go somewhere else..."
"But..."
"See ya..."

While I can appreciate tourist types-I am one after all, traveling as much as I do, there is no way you will catch me in NorCal or SoOr, standing on the beach next to a local and naming all of the local spots in the area.
Etiquette is good.
Keeping your mouth shut when traveling is even better.
Especially when you are sporting a day-glo green board on your racks...lol.
Patchouli reeking douches...

I have a full couple of days coming now so no surf for me, conditions are going southwind and ugly anyway.
Bike trip is put off because Crystal is dancing in Eugene (she won't name spots, I promise) Saturday and that leaves me with Stella for the weekend, no worries, her and I will head south anyway for a mini camp trip (where I won't name spots), perhaps the last for the Summer...
Bummer.
But make it last, eh?

I have a two week celebration coming Saturday too...
A middle finger to the tobacco companies...now, if I can get my wife to quit...
Two weeks smoke free.
I have to say I feel so much better, more energy, less stress, I don't stink as much (I rarely shower) so all in all, while it was hard (harder to kick than heroin), I am loving it. In the end, it was as much about my health as it was about money and Stella, she was a driving force in my efforts. She gave me more then enough inspiration to quit, she even got to use those words she doesn't get to use..."Put that fucking cigarette down!"

Well, thats the news, time to chase some chickens...
See ya and have a great weekend.