Home Sweet Home

 

      So, with the (temporary) shop all set up, I started Mark's board on Wednesday. Actually, most of that time was spent figuring out an outline. Mark had a template made up, but in the end decided to make quite a bit wider than he originally planned, which was a good call in my opinon, I've been a fan of wider boards ever since I bought my Cannibal "Rocketfish". So the dimensions he decided on were 5'7" x 19 1/2" x 2 3/8". After I pulled his template out to the desired width, I checked it with other templates I have, and coincidentally it was really close to the Boombastik, and by extension, my quad. So I decided to go off that again, I pulled in the nose just slightly and made the rail come into the tail a little straighter, but still retained a nice curve. I also moved the wide point back a bit, to add some pivot. So, by the time I figured that all out and cut out the one side, it was too late to use the jigsaw to cut out another template to flip for the other side.

     So I did that Thursday. The board is cut out and the bottom skinned and sanded (I used the Skil 100; it was nice). I planned to continue working on it this evening, and should be working on it right now, except I was having an off day with other projects which dealt in wood instead of foam. I kept on cutting things wrong and getting really frustrated. With wood, when I do that, usually the piece that has been cut wrong gets shattered to splinters and then I cut a new one. Knowing my self (kind of) and the way I can get when I get frustrated, I opted not to work on the board tonight because A)I do not want to shatter the blank to splinters and B)I can't just cut a new one if I mess up. So, thanks to Mark for his patience, work will resume tomorrow, when I am hopefully out of my serious delirium. Serious. 

     The water's finally warmed up enough where it's perfect without a wetsuit. Been getting out on the little swell we've had this week, and it's been fun in a carefree, shorebreak surfing kind of way. I picked up a pair of swimfins today, to start doing some bodysurfing and just plain old swimming during these semi-flat spells. But don't let anyone tell you it's been flat: I've surfed four times this week, and rode fun waves every time.

Are you big on the Pig?

     I took advantage of the Sun earlier today and dewaxed my boards, then I took this picture. From left to right: SF 004, SF 001, SF 003, Hobie "Phil Edwards Model" 9'0", push mower, Dewey Weber "DNT Series" 5'8", Cannibal "Rocketfish" 6'0".

       Look at this insect, and realize once again what a strange world we live in. Really beautifully bizarre.

       Ever since Pat posted this post over at Casualties of the Loudness War, I've had this song stuck in my head. It's Bruce Springsteen, of course, and the song is "Atlantic City," from his unbelievable 1982 album Nebraska. Now, even you Bruce detractors (you know who you are) have to respect it when an artist (in this case, being Bruce), releases a huge album (namely, The River), does a huge tour with huge shows at huge places (the River Tour being the tour in question), then releases a stark "folk" album recorded on a four-track at his home, and not just any album but an amazingly album full of the thematics of the darkness and tears that his previous work may have been touching on but not completely engulfing (well, except for "The River." That is one sad song.) So yeah, listen to this song, and every song on the album, again and again, and again once more.

A Board Bag!

     The fact of the matter is this: that every person is at the center of their world, in other words: self-centered. You inevitably see things from your viewpoint, a viewpoint backed with your experiences and your beliefs and your being. No matter how hard you try and imagine you see something from a different point of view, I from yours or you from mine, you are imagining that persons viewpoint from your self: you are still the center imagining you are seeing it from another's center, but it's still yours. You are the center of your world.
     This fact occasionally leads to unfortunate and inevitable instances of inadvertent selfishness, and this is one of them. I realized the other day that in all the hooplah (sic?) I made about 004 being completed and being happy with it and all that, I forgot to include this bit of information: Jeannine made me the above board bag even before the board was finished. She made it out of canvas and some felt-like material with lighthouses and seabirds on it. Here's the pattern:

     It's pretty cool, and does the trick in keeping the sun off the board, and even offers some protection from minor whacks against things. It will have a drawstring on the end, but the needle broke on her sewing machine. So yeah, apologies for my self-centeredness.

     Been busy trying to get the shed ready and get things together. The lack of waves of any real substance has been killing me, but at least I have my Sunfish in the water so when it's windy I can cruise the Bay and get my salt-water kick. I've already had it out once in some pretty strong winds and nothing broke, so that beats last years Sunfish Sailing record of Nature:1, Me:0.

 Now that's strange flora!

 

     I just finished watching "You're Gonna Miss Me," a documentary about Roky Erickson, best known as one of the lead guys in the band that coined the term "psychedelic rock," the 13th Floor Elevators. If you've never heard them, hear them. Anyway, that's not what this is about. The documentary really interesting and very well done, it really shines some light on the troubled life of this excellent musician. He suffered from schizophrenia most of his life until recently his younger brother gained custody of him and got him the help he needed. As a result, Mr. Erickson not only released a new album this year, with Okkervill River serving as his backing band, but was able to tour (he played two shows in the area, both of which I regretfully missed, the reason for which escapes and mystifies me).The above song is the title track off of his new album, True Love Cast Out All Evil, and below is track number three, "Goodbye Sweet Dreams." ENJOY!

 

Long-Awaited Update: Creatures, Photos, Flora, and a Planer

 

      First of all, public apologies to those who are waiting for boards from me. It's been pretty busy lately what with moving and getting the new house set up and liveable, but now that we're completely out of the other house (as of last Saturday) I have more time to focus on getting things together at the new. The main reason I have not been able to start on any boards is the shed, as shown above. That space in the back, the area with stacks of shingles and 2x4s, is going the be the shaping/glassing shop. I need those materials to make the shop, and while I don't plan on getting the interior done before I start shaping, I do want to get it watertight. The roof is fine, better than the house, but the siding was just old cedar planks, with gaps between up to half an inch. Not the best condition to build a board in.

     So that's part of what I've been doing, cedar-shaking the shed. I've got the one side done, and part of another, so really there's not too much more to do. I also put that new door on. So, I appreciate the patience on the parts of those waiting for boards (namely mark, ryan, and that low-down Rooster), and I hope to start the first board within the next two weeks. Once I start, it'll be quick, because I have all the materials and everything, it's just a matter of doing it.

     Here's a quick gardening tip: Dip the roots of the plants you transplant in water before you plant them. The above four squash plants came from the same four-pack. They were planted at the exact same time, with the exact same potting soil, and in the same size containers. They get the same exact amount of sun, and they are watered equally. The above photo shows two who were fortunate enough to have their roots dipped in water. They are basically Audreys three and four, with gigantic leaves, thick stems, and a healthy, vibrant green color. So big they almost look mutational. The second photo shows the two lowly squashes who were robbed of the silver spoon of water on their roots, and have suffered throughout their youth. They are small, weak, and have a pale green/yellowish hue to their leaves. I feel bad for them, as they are suffering as the result of an experiment. I had to move because the first two got so big they were blocking their sun. It's a hard world for little things. 

     We only were able to plant things in containers this year, as we had no time to clear any garden space in the ground. But we've got a lot growing and most of it (aside from the two sad squash) is doing well. We have Strawberries (see above), four varieties of tomato, six pepper plants (one cubanelle, one jalapeno, and the rest are Italian Fryers), eggplant, watermelon, cucumber, cilantro, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, and lavender. There are also four cantaloupe awaiting planting, and four mint cuttings I am trying to get to root. It's really amazing watching these plants every day, seeing them change from morning to evening, or even hour to hour. Most times people thing of plants as being void of activity, but they are really very kinetic, they just seem to operate in a different temporal plane. But I look forward to watching the flower below become a delicious tomato. 

    In surfing news (this was a surf-centric blog at one point, right?), I've been able to get out a few times in the morning on the new board, and it's pretty fun. We had a good steady run of solid swell a couple weeks ago, and I was able to get out for some of it, as well as the weaker days we've had in the past week. The board definitely works for smaller stuff, what with the boxier rails and more volume, but I'm still getting used to it, especially on weak mushy rights (which are backside for me). It definitely comes to life when there is some power behind the wave. I can't wait until late Summer/early Fall when there are some nice north swells and the WJ starts working (hopefully) like it did this Winter. This board will fly on long, speedy lefts. 

    Also, in other surfing news, I went out last Wednesday morning with boardshorts and a short-sleeve wetsuit top. It was cold. I will stick to the 3/2 for the time being.

     Yes, there is still more! A recent acquisition: a 5.5 amp Skil 100 power planer. This has been the "industry standard" for surfboard shapers for years. From the Clark Foam Hitachi Planer Manual: "Since it was introduced in the 1930s, the Skil 100 Planer had been used for almost all surfboard shaping." It was discontinued in 1988 when Skil decided to withdraw from the power planer market. Thus, while other planers are available, the Skil 100 is highly sought after by shapers, and they regularly demand prices exceeding $500 on eBay. This is the reason I have never actively sought one, aside from checking craigslist from time to time or keeping an eye out at yard sales. But, as luck would have it, my Dad was talking to a friend of his who used to make boards in the 60s and early 70s, and mentioned that I was making surfboards, and he said he had an old Skil planer that had been in storage for 30 years that he would dig up and give me. So, here it is. A beautiful piece of American machinery. Here's a fact, cliched but true: They don't build things like they used to. 

     Look at the abdomen of this large black spider and notice the crude skeleton. I poked it with a stick and it did not budge. I hate it when things like that stand up to me. It's creepy, because it's like they know something you don't. 

Almost through with this marathon post. Minor Threat is one of the relatively few bands from my youth that I still listen to and really enjoy and find relevant. While I still like all Minor Threat, the late period stuff (as late-period as you can get with a career spanning from 1980-1983) is some of my favorite. This song, "Salad Days," is from the Salad Days 7", recorded in 1983 but released in '85. Like a number of hardcore/punk bands' end-of-the-line songs (think Youth of Today "Disengage" and Gorilla Biscuits unreleased "Distance"), this song hints at new musical directions, and also has a tinge of regret and sadness to the lyrics (even if, in the case of "Salad Days", the sadness is a bit sardonic).