Special J

Adopt this Dog!

2013-05-09T16:17:00.000-04:00

At the end of my stay in Rincon, PR this year, the universal floodgates of love suddenly opened and among my bounty was this sweet dog (now named Tulip!) who followed me home from the bar down the hill from my place. When I woke the next morning, she was still there. Sweet, curious, hungry, well-behaved, eager to hop in my car and come surfing. Sadly, I am not allowed to have dogs where I live but if I could, I would have taken her. Since my arrival home, she has been spayed and is currently being looked after by a few good people in Rincon. If you are looking to adopt a sweetie pie, please consider this good little sato! She will be back on the streets once she is recovered from her surgery and I know she will make someone a loving companion. Please contact me or ARF (email: arfrincon@gmail.com phone: (787) 823-7167) if you are interested! Also, please check out ARF's page all about sweet Tulip here!

Love Letter #126

2013-04-28T22:04:00.001-04:00

I'm not ready.

I have been here 5 weeks but it feels like I just arrived.

Only now am I starting to find my stride and to catch my breath.

My body is just beginning to become the elusive, efficient surfing machine that only comes by way of daily sessions.

My mane is only now starting to grow longer and lovelier into the mermaid locks that they were always meant to be and that New England winters are always cutting short.

My skin has only now become compatible with the sun. An upgrade in pigmentation now allows me to absorb the rays, assimilate and radiate. I am a solar machine.

My soul is only now settling into itself and to the rhythms of the sea and sky.

I lie here in the moonlight listening to the sound of the ocean at the bottom of the hill.

There is no tv. There are no late-night cravings here.

And I'm still not ready.

To go back to the life that I am always trying to find some way out of or a deeper way into.

To figuring out this puzzle of happiness and balance - the constant thinking, thinking, thinking.

To the grown up world of never-ending responsibilities, long lost comforts and to things that can never be made right.

To a scarier place where anything might happen at any time.

Two full moons have passed since I returned to this island.

When I return to my other home, I will don my thick rubber suit. I will play the game. I will hide and I will seek and I will stumble into those sweet, fleeting moments that sparkle and melt like spun sugar on the tongue.

But for today I am simply a child of the sea and the moon, the sun and the stars...

Oh for a few more precious days.

And maybe one day, I will be ready.

Everyday Waves

2013-03-05T13:27:00.002-05:00

Love Letter #124

2013-02-28T00:45:00.000-05:00

Dig it.

2013-02-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

After a full day of moving snow I was finally ready to see what treats the storm left us. Filled a bottle with hot tap water for warming up. Planning is everything.

West Coast Weekend

2013-01-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

I timed my visit to the West Coast perfectly. Good friends, truly epic surf and beauty beyond breathtaking. Images span three days along the coast from LA, through Big Sur and up to Monterey.

Parting shot from the Vienna...

Start Small

2013-01-14T17:02:00.000-05:00

The first sessions of 2013 are taking their time. Got salty yesterday for the first time this year in small, glassy waves with a few friends. Simple joys.

The Present

2012-12-31T08:05:00.000-05:00

The past few years I have done a 12-month retrospective but today I wish not to dwell so in the past - nor to look too far ahead. I wish all a happy, healthy 2013. May you live each day in the present and truly savor every session, every friend, every day.

December Flow

2012-12-31T01:55:00.000-05:00

Damn it was good. So many sessions, such good quality. If every month could be this good I believe I would never want for more. Fave moments from December 2012...

Moments of Silence

2012-12-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

Hoodless + Warm

2012-12-03T19:45:00.000-05:00

Who knows if there will be another day like this before winter really gets here. Thoroughly savored the wind and water in my hair today.

Glassy Wobbles

2012-12-02T22:59:00.000-05:00

glassy knee to waist
small windswell keeps us salty
slide your way to fine

Namaste

2012-11-30T15:29:00.000-05:00

This one day...
Body, mind and spirit aligned.
There was a moonset and a sunrise.
Oh yes... and there were waves to ride.

Thanksgiving Swells

2012-11-27T11:08:00.002-05:00

Can't Steal Stoke

2012-11-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

The few photos from a quick 10 days in PR...

Photo via Joe McDaniel

Snack break! This day was amazing. Surfers Beach. Chest to overhead and wind stayed offshore all day.

Photo via Joe McDaniel

Plantain latkes (Arañitas)! Better than tostones!

Paradise found / paradise lost

Surfer Girls ♥ Photo by Brent

Hurricane Sandy

2012-10-29T18:49:00.001-04:00

Somewhere in MA. Sunday, Oct 28, 2012.

Sunday Clarity

2012-10-22T20:46:00.000-04:00

After Saturday's foggy waves it was a treat to have crispy, sunny waves all day. It was also day three in the wintersuit and it seems my body is finally starting to acclimate.

Taking Notice

2012-10-22T12:39:00.000-04:00

At a favorite spot in RI last week I was sad to see plastic bottles and other debris littering the rocky shore for as far as you could see – and in extremely high density. Given the location of this spot, these probably washed in from the ocean (rather than people leaving them there). I easily filled a giant trash bag with plastic bottles, nylon rope, a few bags a bunch of straws, etc. In the lineup I mentioned it and suggested we all take some with us. I know one guy did. That stoked me out.

Into White...

2012-10-20T23:58:00.000-04:00

With surfing, timing is almost always a factor. I timed things perfectly today by rolling up just as breakfast was being served! Fog surfing is much better with a belly full of chocolate chip pancakes.

Raphael Sessions

2012-10-19T21:46:00.000-04:00

Got a couple. Thanks Raph!

Just Me, a Few Waves and a Seal

2012-10-08T23:39:00.001-04:00

Yeah... that about sums up today's sessions.

Beach cleanup in a cup...

Love Letter #109

2012-10-01T23:58:00.000-04:00

Some Kind of Wonderful

2012-09-25T16:46:00.000-04:00

Head high with offshore wind all day. Soooo good.

City Surfing on the First Day of Fall

2012-09-25T13:44:00.001-04:00

It was nothing epic... but scoring within a half hour drive of my house is rare and always cherished. Longboarded for hours.

September Swoon

2012-09-21T15:09:00.000-04:00

The slight chill in the air. The empty beaches and less crowded waves. Fresh-picked apples. Leaves just about to turn. More consistent surf sessions. Fall is here.