Category: August 2013

Home Sweet Home

On one hand, it’s good to tell the truth. But on the other, it’s just not. The truth often seems so negative. A real buzz kill ~ bad energy.

Who would ever move to Amelia Island, if they first considered the paper mills, the bad smell, the ugly billowing grey chemicals, being forced on the sky. The nebulizer of febreeze spraying it’s acid aerosol. But we don’t know it. We’re unaware. It’s best to not think about it.

And what about our muddy waters. Sales and marketing experts, tell the tale of runoff, from the river and the marshes. It seems to me that if that were true, the water would have been muddy when I was a kid. But it wasn’t. It was blue and clear. You could see your feet under the water. Continue reading Home Sweet Home

No-Green-Gringo

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis is part of a painting, on my board bag. I bought it white, white, white. It was the cheapest one they had, at Aqua East Surf Shop. I think I paid 99 dollars. I had no idea, at the time, what a good investment that was.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI had drawn a fish with a black marker. I had to do something. I labeled the side of the bag with name, address, etc., like the airlines wanted you to do.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt recently became handy, when having my Rozo brought to me in Nicaragua. After my first trip out of the country, I altered the bag. Now, I let it live in deconstruction.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOne thing I figured out, through experience is – don’t buy new equipment, to travel to a third world country. Unless you just want to show off your shiny new board, to people who are doing unbelievable airs, and landing them, on big waves, on yellow boards.

What ever…..

What would granny know….

She’s a gringo-but she’s not green.

 

My Ego is not My Amigo

I like that ~ this was a comment, made to me, in reference to my calling Fernandina Beach a dumping beach break, in my last post,

Rocks Are My Friends.

Yes, the waves there can jack up and break over shallow water, and the people, that surf that break, are awesome! I’ve always admired that. But I can’t surf it. I want to get in the water and catch some waves.

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This is my home break, in CR, and has been since 1996. When in Florida, I use to surf the Pier, Huegonot, and the Poles. Now I’d rather be Secondhand Surfer when I’m there. It’s been exciting for me, to get my photos, learning my camera, and giving away the many photographs, that I have taken of the Fernandina Beach Surfers. It makes me feel whole and connected. Continue reading My Ego is not My Amigo

About Andrea Diaz

I did it!

As I’ve said before, this blog, other than being my personal, online journal, is a learning tool for me. I figured out how to embed a U tube video. yeah! Yes, Andrea is speaking in Spanish, but hey, I’m in Costa Rica. And she’s Costa Rican.

On a personal note concerning communication: I think it would enhance the life of any U.S. Citizen, to venture into learning the Spanish language. Look at a map. These countries, the western hemisphere, are our neighbors. If you don’t want to, I realize it’s a personal choice, but I can tell you, it has enriched my life greatly, what little Spanglish and Pidgeon that I speak. I am always working to improve.

This video is about an organization, that Andrea is involved in, teaching life skills through surfing. You can read an article about it in English, in my previous post, Andrea  Diaz. It’s by CRSurf and it’s linked by the word, here.

This is a video of the Roxy/Quicksilver Waves Camp- Surf School- here in Costa Rica. Andrea and fellow Costa Rica surf champions are instructors!

Girls do surf!

*And look, they’re teaching Pipeline Style!

Andrea Diaz

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhen I pulled into the Playa Avellanas parking lot, the Roxy/Quicksilver van was there. I’ve seen it, off and on, through the years. A lot of camps transport surfers here, to surf the Dead Tree break. I caught some waves and then got out of the water, to get my Olympus TG-2. There were some local kids out and I wanted the practice.

To my surprise, I came face to face, with Andrea Diaz-the Costa Rican, surf champion. In August of 2012, she placed fifth, at the World Masters, held in Colorado/Nicaragua.

I had just seen her in a presentation, via Jorge Mora, board shaper and owner of Sick Surfboards. It’s on U Tube. The video is called Surf for Youth 2013. Andrea and other surfers are giving back to the local community.

Here is a write up by a CR surf explaining what they do.

Jorge is here in Costa Rica, doing what he can to help out this super-worth while effort.

Andrea is one of the instructors for the Roxy/Quicksilver Surf Camp ~Waves Costa Rica.

I never know who I’m going to run into.

What an honor-what a good day.

Rocks are My Friends

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese rocks never let me down.

Playa Avellanas is my Costa Rica, home break.

Once I found this beach, I’ve never wanted to leave it.

Sometimes, because of crowds, or when life gets hard, I think of escaping to Mexico. Me-hee-co is the speedball of adventure. And one day I might get there again. But, until that happens, daydreams are cost effective.

Quien sabe?

Fernandina Beach, the town that I’m from, and where I learned to surf, has a dumping beach break. When I got down here at the age of forty, and discovered point breaks and reefs, I was a changed surfer.

The rocks make the wave more predictable.

I rely on my friends. I don’t need surprises.

EMILIE SERIS

Emilie Seris-smart, adventurous, world traveling, surfer chic and engineer.

Salt Gypsy

emilie seris

Longtime supporter and avid reader of Salt Gypsy, Emilie Seris is the kind of chica we`d love to meet up with in the lineup. About to gypsy-off on more surf adventures around France, New York, LA and Mexico (can we come??), here`s just a snippet of her story….

I am French, from the South of France, Toulouse, which is a bit inland from the surf. I was very keen and independent from a relatively young age, taking the train on my own at 16 years old so I could go to the beach. My parents have always left me very free. I came to Australia 12 years ago as part of my studies and to surf of course. I wanted to find somewhere where I could combine a good career and surfing. Being good at science, I ended up an engineer and Sydney allows me to do that and surf…

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Zero and Zippy

Zero had walked a long way. She relied on a cane to hold herself straight. Her bamboo staff, swung with her stride; step, step, step.

After years of traveling life, wandering here and there, her shoulders felt the weight of time.

Zippy was bright and with the skinny legs of a new born colt. He had just begun his walk. He had yet to be bruised or broken. He had spent years on his mother’s milk, playing by the shore, doing childish things as children do.

It was circumstance that brought the two together. They were headed in the same direction. Continue reading Zero and Zippy