That's me jumping (age 21). I'm wearing an old-fashioned wool bathing suit underneath my first wetsuit, a vest from the Dive 'N Surf shop in La Jolla, Calif., in 1956. This predated O'Neill's wetsuits. I sent my measurements to Dive 'N Surf and they mailed me the cut-out parts along with a can of Black Magic glue; I glued the edges together and then glued strips over the seams.
This was an improvement, but we still tried to stay dry as long as possible. On certain swells, we'd jump this 6 to 8 feet down to the water and if done properly, the upper body would stay dry.
Chris Thompson is a filmmaker working on the story of Northern California surfing during the 50s and 60s (a far cry from surfing in the warmer Southern California waters). Recently I loaned him a bunch of my old photos, which he scanned; this is one of them.
Maui's finest watermen including Kai Lenny, Jesse Richman, Robby Naish, the Porcella brothers, take on Jaws… Windsurf, kite surf, tow in, SUP and all while Dan maneuvers his Hughes 500D (helicopter) like a DJI Phantom to get the shot nobody else dares to get. From Dick Ryerson via Bob Kahn
"Imagine if the art you spent hours making was destroyed soon after completion. For 44-year-old San Francisco-based artist Andres Amador, who creates sand-paintings up to 100,000 square feet (~35,000 M2) in size, this is a reality. Amador received a BA in Environmental Science before joining the Peace Corps and then starting a regular career, but it was a visit to Burning Man in 1999 that changed him. He quit his job, and in 2004, in the hours been low and high tide, started doing sand art.…" http://www.boredpanda.com/sand-paintings-earthscape-andres-amador/ From Anonymous
Chris Thompson just sent me this trailer of his documentary, and it knocked me out. How rare it is these days to have someone that gets it. This is the real stuff. Rod is power personified, jeez was he rolling here, the Van Dykes, my lord… If you know any old surfers, send them this.
What fishermen call "bait fish" (anchovies, herring, sardines, grunion, and smelt) have been abundant of late, attracting both fish and birds (which were swooping and diving this day last week). Can't see them that well here, but the right third of this scene is dense with birds. Hey, gimme a "hard copy" of this photo, so I can see what's going on.
This is the most vital, vibrant time of my life. A lot of things are falling in to place, or about to.
I look around these days, at the garden, or the book production process, or attempts to gather, hunt, or fish for food, or my workshop—and think, this is pretty good. A lot of it a long time in the making.
The book SMALL HOMES continues to unfold before my eyes. I'm in daily touch with, typically 4-5 contributors (as many as 25 emails in some of the folders), getting large enough photo files, editing text, doing pasteup. Not in any special order -- well actually, in the order in which it comes in.
I'm really excited about getting a new iPhone 6 (s Plus) (hoping tyo make my way through the AT&T maze so as not to pay full price -- I have another year to go on my present contract). I think Instagram will be perfect for my daily photos, I may be wrong, but it seems Instagram is replacing blogs -- at least with the millennials. BTW, there's a good article on this age group (11-33-year-olds)by James Wolcott (an excellent writer) in this month's Vanity Fair. I think I can get a journalistic flow going this way, and use blog for the writing impulse-- like here (and link them together).
We're revamping our website (being built in SquareSpace as we speak by Sean Hellfritsch) and it's lookin elegant. By the end of the year, we'll have a completely different looking internet "presence." It's important for us because we have so much"content" -- maybe 15,000 photos, a good portion of these on homes and building. We're also going to redesign theshelterblog and make good on my promise of getting mostly original stuff there, rather than recycled material that's already been posted (much of which, however, is great and worth sharing).We're going to build it, with the hope they will come.
I'm negotiating with publishers in Russia,China, and Brazil about foreign translation rights for our book Stretching (now in 24 languages).
Got my (12' Klamath aluminum) boat with15 HP 2-stroke recently rebuilt Evinrude motor working well and improving my lame backing-up-of-trailer technique.
Going to build a sleeping platform. I got really excited yesterday laying it out -- 10'x10', -- just putting 4x4's on pier blocks, 2x6 joists on top of them made me realize that I miss building. This is gonna be fun!
The Monarch butterflies are back in greater number than years, there are big flocks of quail patrolling every corner of the garden, a beautiful young fox appeared this morning, scaring the chickens, and them scaring him too. At the beach yesterday, windy, high tide, I got 3 weathered 2x4s, 3 bird skulls -- each a different bird -- a lot of dead birds the last month, big bag of seaweed for garden, and check out this bit of avian skeletal artistry, what is I believe the sternum with cortacoid/clavicle still attached by one remaining tendon.
To tell the truth, it's a great relief, not feeling the pressure of getting out a post every day. Almost 5,000 of 'em -- time for a change
My main focus these days is on the new book, SMALL HOMES; I've got over 50 pages roughly laid out, am in daily contact with a slew of contributors. I figure making books is how I can reach the most people, the best use of my time right now.
We're plotting a new online strategy. Right now, I'm thinking of doingTwitter and Instagram, with occasional blog posts. Right now there are 5 steps to getting a photo out there: 1. Shoot photo. 2. Load into MacAir. 3. Fiddle a bit with it in Photoshop. 4. Find Wi-Fi (or be in office) 5. Post it
My intention is to shoot photos with an iPhone 6, post on Instagram right then. If this works out, I'll be able to communicate way quicker. Right now, am waiting to see what Apple's got coming with the iPhone 7, maybe the 6's will be cheaper.
Found a nearly deserted beach yesterday, clothes off, warm sand, swimming, the only time I've experienced NorCal water so warm was the last El Niño, so unusual to be in this ocean and feel comfortable. Gathered a big bag full of purple/green seaweed for the garden. Like my neighbor, surfer/fisherman Andrew said the other day (down at the beach), "We're so lucky."
Saw this beautiful painting by Bill Holm* last week at Fort Ross. The Russians brought the hunters, most of them from the Kodiak Islands, to hunt sea otters at Fort Ross in the early 1800s. The kayaks were made of sea lion skins, the parkas (said to be waterproof) of sea lion intestines, the hats resembling birds.
"…The Kashaya Pomo called the Alaskans Underwater People because their boats sat so low in the water it seemed as if they were coming out of the sea. The iqyan (kayak) they developed is still studied today and its design is incorporated into modern shipbuilding. The Russians called these skin boats baidarkas.
The Alaskans were expert sea hunters. They honed their skill over thousands of years while living on isolated islands and waterways. RAC sent Alaska Natives along the coast to hunt for otter and fur seal pelts. They traveled great distances by kayak, including the Farallon Islands 35 miles southwest of Fort Ross across the rough open ocean, where the Alaskans stayed for months at a time. Alaska Natives used a spear with a detachable point tied with sinew to an air bladder made from a sea mammal’s stomach. After the animal is speared, hunters track the floating bladder, waiting for the animal to come up for air.…" -http://www.fortross.org/native-alaskans.htm
For those of us living in the Southern Hemisphere, our beach holidays are fast becoming a distant memory and I thought we could use a few visual reminders, and I'm sure our friends in the North have been dreaming of a beach holiday, to get through a long winter, so .....
.... I have compiled a post of enticing beach and beach house pictures for you to enjoy, wherever you are in the world.
A driftwood lamp and some sea green bottles lend a coastal vibe.
White washed wood - perfect for a beach house.
Must-have holiday reading.
Blue striped slip covers - perfect for sandy bodies.
Muted colours and natural fibres.
Window seats for sea gazing are imperative
Beachy bathroom
The colours of sea and sand brought indoors.
Doors flung open to let the sea air in.
Bedrooms must be airy and comfortable
Shaded outdoor area for lounging and dining
Early morning beach comforts.
Just calling for an afternoon nap...
Maybe even a morning nap...
Inviting guest room for friends.
Dining with sea views.
(Bath)Room with a View
Dappled shade and endless views
The colours of beach sand
Perfect for breakfast.
There are no words....
The colours in this bedroom perfectly reflect the surrounding view.
Another gorgeous bedroom...
...and another.
Beach picnics, preferably with wine included, are compulsory.
Add some beachy brights...
....or let the view add the colour.
So keep dreaming and your day at the beach will come.
Till next time
Sharon x
Image source: 1,2,3 Tumblr, 4. 79 Ideas, 5, Charming Spaces, 6. Pinterest, 7. Tumblr, 8. Unknown, 9. Coastal Living, 10. Dust Jacket Attic, 11&12. Tumblr, 13. Casa Decorada 14. Tumblr, 15. HGTV, 16. My Paradissi, 17. Home Design Ideas, 18. Tumblr, 19. House Beautiful, 20. Via Kevin Kelly Interiors, 21. Pinterest, 22. Via Kevin Kelly Interiors, 23. Jane Coslick Blog, 24. My Home Ideas, 25&26. My Luscious Life, 27. 79 Ideas, 28, Traditional Home Australia, 29. Treasures of the South West, 30-36 Tumblr, 37. Amanda Nisbet Designer, 39. Tumblr, 39 Pinterest
We are in the grip of a cold wet winter here in Cape Town so I decided a virtual beach holiday was just the ticket. Here are some lovely beachy pictures to get me in the mood. You might be lucky enough to be having a real beach holiday - if not, feel free to join me on my imaginary one.
So as the sun sets on my little dream beach holiday - I bid you adieu and wish you a wonderful week.
Till next time
Sharon x
Image source: 1. Pinterest, 2. Green Like Bathwater, 3. Tumble 4. Charming Spaces Tumble, 5. Zsa Zsa Bellagio, 6. Simply Pix, 7, 8. Tumblr, 9., 10. Casa Decorada, 11. Plum Pretty Sugar, 12, 13. Zsa Zsa Bellagio, 14, 15 Charming Spcaes Tumblr 16. Cakestands and Buttondowns, 17. Crush Cul de Sac, 18. Dyig of Cute, 19 Google, 20. Molly Golly, 21 Nicety Live Journal, 22. Casa Decorada, 23. La La Bonne Vie
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