Bad Pictures of Sun-drenched Surfboards

     Frank's got a fish, finally! The pictures I took were bad, because I didn't adjust for the direct sunlight shining on it, but the board came out pretty good. Can't wait 'til Frank surfs it, maybe Sunday. And I can't wait 'til I surf it, either.

     Frank, of GraveYard Atlantic fame, did all the artwork for the board. It came out pretty nice, although not enough skulls, in my opinion.

     If I post too many pictures of Henry, too bad. He's the most handsome dog on the planet. Lucky for him he is, or else he'd probably be out of here by now.

Hail Moon!

     Great swell we just had. It felt good to get to the beach super early again, high with hopes of magnificent surf. Sometimes it happened, sometimes not, but it was mostly fun. It also felt good to ache from surfing actual waves again, at least "actual" compared to the swells we've had lately: these waves had some power, especially the first couple days. Now it looks like another coming maybe for next weekend, which is wonderful news. If only I could get ol' Frank's board done before. We'll see...

Ground Cherries and Past Glories

        One of the more interesting things I've grown in the garden this year are those colorful things up there: Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries. These little things fall to the ground when ripe, but they come in a little paper sack that keeps them ripe for up to two weeks. The taste is somewhere between a cherry, a grape, and a sweet cherry tomato. They are delicious and never really make it into any recipes. They look pretty awesome too.

    I have let the garden evolve into a semi-organized, semi-wild state, which I like the looks of. The fact that some things just meander through the garden also makes for some nice surprises, like discovering this volleyball-sized Oh So Sweet! watermelon I didn't realize was growing until two days ago. It's like finding out you have a 1 year old child at home of whom you were previously unaware.

     Kind of like that mini-Simmons hovering back there behind SF 010. Where did it come from? Will it see the light of day? Surprises lurk around every corner! BEWARE!


     Now for the "Past Glories" section referenced in the title of this blog. I hadn't forgotten about this video, but just haven't thought about it in a while until I came across it while transferring files to my new computer. I made it for a film theory class using a flip video camera, and then someone in another class was putting on a film festival-type thing and asked if I had anything I wanted to submit. I added some sound and made up the title and then it showed at the film thing, but, sadly, I wasn't there to take my bow. Starring my lovely wife in the final years of her acting career. Dig it!

It is September,
The month in which I was born;
And I have no thoughts.

-Richard Wright


      September swells are coming. Even though it's not officially Autumn yet, it's starting to feel like it is. The change from Summer to Fall always gets me full of life. SF 010 is on it's way to being done, SF 011 is almost finished being shaped, and there are two more potentially lined up. Prime surfing, cycling, hiking, and pretty much anything-you-can-think-of-to-do-outdoors season is coming up. Hot today, but cooler weather comes (to stay?) tomorrow. Excited.



Pat informed me about this band, which I have since really been enjoying. Some really nice jams here.

Back at it...

     Up until about two weeks ago, I was without a computer of my own for a while because my laptop, which had been with me for about 8 years, finally died (maybe "was killed" would be more correct: it fell off the couch). As a result, I wasn't using the computer much, and as a result of that, I didn't really update this blog at all. But now I've got a new computer (which is like Heaven on Earth compared to my old one), so I figured I better post something on here, before I lose my vast following to another extremely popular blog.
     Also, now I've got something surfboard-making-related to blog about. Above, you'll see Strange Flora 010. It's for Frank, and it's about time he gets himself on a fish and finds out what surfing's all about.

     It's a quad, as seen above, with the dimensions being 5'5 25/32" x 20 3/8" x 2 3/8". I would have preferred it if he wanted something about an inch wider, and with big glass-on keels, but that might be pushing it for ol' Frank. Anyhow, it looks like it will be a really fun board, and it feels really good to be shaping again.

     Also, I'm back at work (after about 3 1/2 months on the DL), which is where this bird visited us. He smashed into a glass slider and was stunned for about 10 minutes, but he eventually got better and flew away.
     Back at work means back to surfing as well, and it's been really, really good to surf again for the last half of the summer. Now, for the real waves of Fall!

The Invincible Eagle! (Fourth of July Made in USA Bonanza and Victory Garden Update)

     As Henry sullenly reflects on all the sacrifices that have been made to make this great nation of ours what it is today, I've decided to take a more lighthearted approach to commemorating this Fourth of July. I realize, on the morning of the Mighty Fourth, that I have not made quite as many "Made in the USA" posts as I intended to, so like any good American, I'm going to clump a bunch of them together to get it over with, so I don't have to do more work.
     Don and I went backpacking a couple weeks ago, and as a result I got to try out some of the made in the USA things I bought before I cut my finger, with the intention of doing a good amount of bike camping and regular camping this spring, but didn't get to until now (at least not in the Great Outdoors). So here:

Therm-A-Rest NeoAir Sleeping Pad (Made in Seattle, WA) - This amazing little sleeping pad weighs just 13 oz., rolls up to the size of a 32 oz. (which are also made in the USA), and is a very comfortable (and warm) 2.5 inches thick when inflated. Sure, the self-inflating pads are a little more convenient when it comes to inflating, but the 1-2 minutes it takes to inflate this one is fine with me. Also, you can roll this up inside your sleeping bag stuff sack, inflate it, and it will make a great camp stool.

Wickers Wool Blend T-Shirt and boxer briefs- Wool shirts are generally expensive, and wool shirts made in the USA doubly so, but these Wickers wool blend shirts, which are 50/50 wool/Viscose rayon, and available through Sierra Trading Post, are extremely affordable. STP has different sales all the time, and I think I got mine for about $16. When we were backpacking, we went from flat ground to fairly steep, long climbs in the 85 degree sunshine, and once those climbs began, we were soaked in sweat after about 2 minutes, and when I say soaked I mean soaked. But the wool/rayon blend wicked the sweat away from me, kept me cool, and after the climbs were over, dried very quickly. The shirt also stayed very comfortable for the duration. They also make boxers out of the same material. Wickers wool things are a great deal for doing outdoors things.

Wiggy's Sleeping Bags - Like most made in the USA things, Wiggy's sleeping bags are more expensive than their Chinese counterparts. But Wiggy's has been around forever, they are rugged and durable no-frills bags. They are filled with Lamilite, which supposedly retains its loft forever and will keep you warm even when soaking wet (there are videos of people outside, in the soaking rain, with temps in the mid-30s, who still claim they are warm). I have the Ultra-Light, which is good down to 20 degrees (probably lower), and weighs 3 1/4 pounds. I could never really justify the price of this, which is generally around $140, for the amount or type of camping I do, but I found it very lightly used on ebay for less than half that. The backpacking trip was the first time I used this outside, and I realized, after lugging it for miles, that it was completely unnecessary for the temperature, but it was comfortable to lie upon.

I think that's it for the backpacking and camping stuff, at least that's all I can think of for now.

 One pint in my stomach, 23 pints in the bags, and 26 miles back home to go. It's blueberry season again, and Sunday morning I decided to ride out to Hammonton to pick up two flats of blueberries, which, of course, are made in the USA, and once you get hooked on Jersey blueberries, it's hard, if not impossible, to go back to imported blueberries in the off-season. The price is $15 dollars a flat, which is a little more than last year, but still pretty good. I devoured a pint immediately. More made in USA tie-ins:

Lone Peak H-100 Handlebar bag - (not my bike above, but it's a better picture than I have. Also, the H-100 is the bag in the middle of the bottom) This bag is a great bag. It's got really heavy duty construction, a convenient quick release bracket, tons of room, and has a really classic design. This bag is really all you'd need for most commutes, but when I combine this with the basket on the back of my bike (Wald, also made in USA), I can carry tons of stuff. The one downside is the price has gone up about $10 since I bought mine, but you can find them pretty reasonably priced on ebay lightly used. I also have a H-75 that I may be selling, if any of the two people reading this want to buy it. It's slightly smaller, but not that much and a great bag in its own right. Lone Peak also makes some other great bike bags, all of similarly tough construction.

Jandd Mountaineering Mini Mountain Panniers - Like the penny-pinching, but still economically-domestic minded self that I am, I got these on ebay for the price you'd pay for Chinese panniers of a similar size. They were (and still are) in great shape. I like these because they are smaller than full-size, but still have plenty of room for a lot of applications, plus are expandable to hold even more but retain a smaller size when you don't need it. Plus, they perfectly hold about 10 pints of blueberries each, and more room for other things in the external pouches.

That's all I want to do for this Made in USA section, because I want to get to the beach, go in the made on Earth ocean, lounge in my Chinese beach chair, and catch some made in Outer Space rays.

Now, for the Victory Garden update (it's really just my normal garden, but isn't every garden a Victory Garden today?)

 The square foot gardening method I have adopted keeps things well organized, and allows you to grow a lot in a little space. The tomatoes are growing non-stop this year, some have outgrown the 7-foot-tall trellis already!

 I love growing squash and zucchinis because not only are they delicious, and usually produce a plentiful bounty, but the leaves often grow to near-mutant sizes!

Some cherry tomatoes, which are just about to start ripening, and once ripe, will probably never make it in the house.

Mr. Waltham Butternut in his infancy.

Although this is a Chinese variety of eggplant, I can rest easily knowing that by growing it in the USA in my Victory Garden I have helped to defeat the Red devils on the other side of the world. JUST KIDDING!

 Fifth delicious zucchini almost ready for picking.

I planted two varieties of carrots, one called Danver's, which are traditionally shaped, and one called Paris Market, which are round. Unfortunately, I think these were the former. They still tasted good though.

Chioggia beets. None of my beets got too big, but the nice thing about beets is that even if they completely fail, the greens are still usually plentiful and very delicious when sauteed or steamed, so you still get something out of it.

That's it! Happy Fourth of July! Hooray for American! Down with the Hun! Long live Freedom and Victory forever! May England forever wallow in the filth of defeat and a faded empire! Hoorah!

If these don't make you love our country, then get out (I don't know why someone chose in the first three to have an awesome space photo, other than to imply that the USA is the King of the Universe, and Sousa is its soundtrack!)

Go to the Beach!

  
     If you haven't been in the ocean in a while, get there, because last weekend I was at the beach and the water was perhaps the most beautiful it's ever been, and with this NE wind blowing like it has been, I'll bet it's warmed up another 5 degrees. I'll find out tomorrow. What the ocean have to do with the picture above? Nothing at all, unless you count both the beauty of the ocean and the fully-defined tiny features on that nickel-sized dead bird both as marvels of the natural world. And I do, so here they are together.
     Jeannine and I saw The Avengers on Monday, and it was really fun. I love summer movie season, when all these big, fun movies unleash an onslaught of sensory overload. I really can't wait for Batman. Also, if you are lucky enough to have seen Moonrise Kingdom already, let me know how it was. I bet it's really good.
     
     Speaking of big and fun, the new Japandroids album, "Celebration Rock," is just that. I've listened to it a couple times, and it is some great summertime rock and roll. Really like the song above, "Continuous Thunder," which is the last song on the album. Check it out.

MADE IN THE U.S.A.

    
     In this interview with author Elizabeth Cline on NPR, a fact is mentioned that Americans each spend a smaller percentage of their income on clothing than ever (3%), but are still buying at least one item of clothing a week,  because it's all cheap garbage that falls apart so easily. The general emphasis of the interview, and her book, is that we should buy less, but buy better quality. She says that anyone born after 1980 doesn't know what quality is regarding clothing, and that if you go into a vintage store, you will quickly see the difference in quality in the older clothes. She says that we are basically wearing rags today.
    So buy some American-made clothes, spend a little more money, and get something that will last a lot longer.
     Today, another sock! That's right, Smartwool! While Smartwool doesn't make their clothes and other things in this country, it does make the socks here, which is something. And what socks they are! I got a thin pair of Smartwool socks this past Christmas, and wore them all through the winter, and even though they were thin, my feet were kept warm. And the nice thing about Smartwool socks (or any wool socks for that matter) is that they wick moisture away from your skin, which keeps your feet drier. This is also a benefit for summertime socks, of which I own a couple pair of thin no-show Smartwool socks, because the moisture-wicking keeps your feet from getting clammy and smelly in the heat.
    Now I know that these socks are more money than "normal" socks, but it's worth it. And if you look around for closeouts and stuff like that, you can usually find a pair of Smartwool socks for about $6 or $7 a pair. Even if you have to pay a little more, it's worth it.
    That's all I have to say about this installment of "Made in the U.S.A."