ben(getting love)

Tom sent me a little love from Florida.
I know how to eat.
If I could just figure out this surf thing!

PS: This stuff will knock your your socks off, but it is oh-so good!

ben(to florida)

Last weekend I travelled to Orlando for the Surf Expo Trade Show. This is the show that we go to and check out next years summer clothing, windsurf gear, SUP and surf stuff. While it is fun (and a lot of work) to see the new gear, I was a little disappointed in this years show. I was looking forward to seeing some new SUP boards and gear, and there really wasn't much. Maybe that is a good thing, but I was hoping to see some more. I did get to see a lot of friends and I had a nice time hanging out with Jane from Boardsports School in SF, so that was all good. Now I have to get serious and start writing next years orders for the store. Oh boy!

I left the show Sunday and spent some time at Calema Windsurfing and then over to Cocoa Beach to hang out for a while, before heading to Melbourne to visit my old college roommate Tom Price and his family. His kids are growing up fast, and his oldest daughter was already off to college. Man.... it just seems like yesterday that she was a little baby running around Hatteras butt naked, playing on the beach . Tom took Monday off and we drove down towards Sebastian Inlet looking for some waves. The tide was all wrong and the there was nothing going on, so we ended back up near his house and surfed there. Tom got a bunch of short rides on his new retro fish, and even I got a couple on his 9' long board. We went back to his house for a dip in the pool. After a quick swim we headed up the road to Da Kine Diego's Insane Burritos . Very funky place with flip flops nailed to the wall and surf stickers every where. That damn burrito must have weighed 5 lbs, but it was tasty!

After lunch, Tom I stopped at the Longboard House in Melbourne. The shop has the most incredible selection of surfboards I have ever seen. They have this balsa board with mother of pearl inlays that is way cool. It is tagged at $20,000, but still way cool. If you could afford it, would you surf it? There were a ton of other beautiful boards, and I told Tom I had to leave before I did something stupid like buy one.......and I own my own surf shop! We hung out a little longer and then I headed back top Orlando for the flight home.

As always, it is fun to go places and spend time with friends, but it is also good to get home to Annapolis, Sarah, the Chesapeake Bay, and East of Maui.

Tuesday morning 7:30 am, 45 minute SUP session in Annapolis harbor, not exactly Florida, but still pretty darn good!

Aloha

five for fifty

Today is my 50th birthday. Thanks Mom and Dad. It doesn't seam like it was very long ago I was a little kid riding bikes around the neighborhood. Several weeks ago I decided that for my birthday that I was going to do a 50 mile bike ride to celebrate. My buddy and business partner Mark agreed to work for me on his day off so I could play on my Birthday. Many thanks ( I think).

If some is good, more must be better, so I started thinking about what else to do. I came up with five for fifty.



#1. Go for a 50 minute SUP session. Oops, I went out and and paddled for an hour and a half.

#2. Go for a 50 mile bike ride. Except for the flat tire 8 miles from home, I had a great one. Ended up with 53 1/2 miles.

#3. Get a massage. I thought it was at three, turns out it was two. Oops (again). Nancy was kind enough to wait for me, and even kinder to give me a $10 discount for my birthday.

#4. Go windsurfing. I got home from the massage, grabbed my gear, and you guessed it....I got in a 50 minute twilight sail. Sweet!

#5. Play then eat. Sarah and I celebrated our birthdays (hers was the 3rd) with dinner at the Chart House. I had the Filet Mignon, she had Prime Rib. Not like I had any extra room, but somehow I managed to choke down the complimentary Mud Pie.


All in all the first 50 have been pretty damn good. I have been blessed with many special people in my life. Some of you I still see or at least talk to from time to time, some of you I have just met, some of you I have not seen in many years, but you all are part of me, and I thank you all for being my friends and the part you have played in my life.

Peace and much love,
Mark

labor day luau

Mark and I closed East of Maui on Monday for the Third Annual Labor Day Luau and Surf Safari.
A rough count looks like we had more than 30 people join us for the party. We had a great day on the beach with plenty on food, friends and even a little bit of wave action. When Sarah and I first arrived the tide was in and the waves were small, so Mark and I ventured out on the SUP's. We paddled a good distance up the beach to give us some elbow room. There were a number of crash and burns, but we got a bunch of rides too, including what was was probably the longest ride I have ever had in my life. FUN FUN FUN! We came in and chowed down on the subs that Danny from Three Brothers had brought to the party. YUM!










The tide changed and the waves picked up a bit and it was time to grab the longboards and paddle out. Danny was catching a ton of long rides on is big Infinity. Mike Meer finally got his new Takayama wet and was totally stoked. Even I caught a few waves on my 9'6". The happiest camper had to be Anna K. Not only was she wearing her beautiful new engagement ring, but her fiance, Josh got his first ride on his Joel Tudor. Way to go Josh. (Both for catching the wave, and catching Anna. You done good.)










Tammy's daughter Amanda wanted to give surfing a try, so L-Go volunteered to take her out and giver her some pointers. She never got to her feet, but she got a couple rides on her knees. If she keeps at it, she will probably out surf us all by next Labor Day.


Keeping with the theme, let's play then eat, Mark fired up the grill and everyone chowed on burgers and dogs. We watched the wild ponies completely destroy an unattended food basket just up the beach. The herd decided they were ready for burgers and made an advance towards our little party. We formed a human barricade around the food, and L-Go guarded all of our boards with an paddle. The ponies continued down the beach looking for an easier target. After the excitement was over, Mark's brother Matt grilled up some pound cake and then topped it with a pineapple, jalapeno salsa.

We cleaned up the food and carried some of the boards and gear back to the car. I went back out for one more short session on the SUP, and got a couple more rides.

Everyone else had to head home, but Sarah and I headed up to OC for a little go-kart racing. We split 2-2. We might have to go back to the beach for a tie breaker! It is not like I was hungry or anything, but since the ice cream place was just across the street...........MOCHA MADNESS SUNDAE. Coffee ice cream, hot chocolate sauce, and chocolate sprinkles. Oops, I forgot about the whip cream and cherry. MOO! I think I'm going to stay off the scale for a few days.

Thanks to everyone that came for making it such a great day. We missed those who couldn't make it. Don't forget to mark the calendar for the Annual New Years Day Snowboard Trip and Chili Party. In the winter we play in the frozen snow, and in the summer we play in the unfrozen snow.











PIC'S: Mark & Mark, Danny in cruise control, Josh and Anna, Amanda and L-Go head out, MB wipeout!

the end

ben(reading blogs)

I have some very cool friends. The list is long, and I am a very lucky man. Some of my friends have great blogs, and reading theirs is what inspired me to do my own.

Jason Berry is one of my windsurfing customers, he is also a film maker. His company Gripped Films has produced "Off Road To Athens" and "24 Hour Solo" both award winning, full length mountain bike films. Jason has been in Alaska filming for the Alaskan Wilderness League in an effort to protect the Tongass Rainforest. The pictures and the stories about the shoot on his blog are amazing. I can't wait to see his finished project. In the meantime check out
www.jason-berry.blogspot.com, it will blow you away. While there is no one answer to the problems facing the environment, if we all try just a little bit, maybe we can make a difference. I'm sure Jason will.

I saw this on a bumper sticker in Hood River.
"the world is run by people who show up"

ben(home)

I love to travel, but I always like coming home to Annapolis. It is not the quaint little sailing town that I moved into over 20 years ago, but it is still a pretty cool place to live. I was off from work yesterday, and I felt like I finally got my grove back after last weeks trip to Oregon.
Yesterday Mark Saunders, Mike Dant , and I did a road ride in the morning. Sarah is still nursing her injuries from last weeks crash, so she did a short loop with Tammy and Kevin. The six of us left Eastport together, and we all got hung up in the Annapolis 10 mile run. Once we got clear of the race, Saunders started hammering (something about burning up chocolate cake) , it was all Mike and I could do to keep up and it didn't take long before we lost Sarah's group. About an hour in, Mark had to split so he could go to work. Mike and I rode out to Crownsville and back to Severna Park together. I finished up solo at just under 46 miles.Sarah threw together a couple of sandwiches and it was off to the boat. Iwindsurf was not calling for much breeze, but once we we out in the bay it was blowing in the upper teens. We sailed over to the east end of the Bay Bridge, then down the bay to Thomas Point Light, and then back home. As we were heading back up Whitehall we saw one lonely windsurfer ripping it up. I was envious that I was not out with him, but Sarah and I still had a great afternoon on the water.











It is pretty cool that I live somewhere that I can ride in the morning and sail in the afternoon.
If it would just blow like yesterday all the time..........

benboarding

Last week I traveled to to Oregon for the 2009 Starboard Dealer meeting. I saw some old friends, and met some new ones. I saw some places I have not seen in a long time, and I saw some places I have never seen before. I didn't want to leave, and I couldn't wait to get home.

A week ago Monday I flew into Portland. I met up with Kevin Thornton ( a former employee and old friend) for a quick lunch. I have not seen KT in 10 years. He looks great. Must be something about the Oregon life style. Unfortunately, he had to get back to work and I had to get on the road, so our time together was much too short.

I arrived in the little town of Netarts Oregon late in the afternoon. I checked into my cabin and headed down to the beach for a quick sail. After a short session on the 2009 Starboard Futura, I grabbed an SUP and promptly sliced the end off one of my toes with the paddle blade. The water in Oregon is freezing and my feet were numb, so it wasn't until I got back ashore that I noticed blood pouring out of my toe. Not good. I bandaged myself up, stopped the bleeding and managed to hobble around the rest of the week.

The week went by fast. We had a couple of early morning Stand Up sessions including a clinic with pro Ekolu Kalama. The mornings were spent with product presentations, and the afternoons with demos. The evenings were spent dining, enjoying sunsets and just hanging out.


In addition to catching up with other dealers I have known for years, I had the pleasure of meeting Jane and Rebecca, the owners of Boardsports School in San Francisco . Two very special ladies, and great dinner companions. With their sidekick, Kipps, meals were always entertaining. Thanks for your company.










Friday morning, I bid goodbye to my new friends, and after a short sightseeing drive along the Oregon Coast, I headed east to Hood River. For those that don't know, the Hood River Gorge is one of the top windsurfing meccas in the world. Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a heat wave and there was no wind. Story of my life.

Saturday morning I woke up at 5 and drove up to Mount Hood to go snowboarding at Timberline. There is something really bizarre and fun about going boarding in August. The mountain is open from 7 until 1. The snow started out soft and got softer every run. I rode hard and by noon my legs were noodles so I called it a day.





I cruised around the mountain and the lodge for a bit taking pictures and then headed back to Hood River. Still hot, and no wind!

Keeping with my tradition of let's play then eat, I ended up at a little Italian restaurant called Abruzzo. I had a Scallop , Pancetta, Artichoke, and Leek pasta dish that was to die for. The sign over the bar said "Good Friends, Fine Wine, Mellow Music, and Something With Garlic". I was by myself, and I don't drink, but two out of four was still pretty damn good.

Sunday Morning, I had planned on meeting up with some friends for a mountain bike ride on the Washington side of the river. Unfortunately, some last minutes things came up and they had to bail. I ended up renting a road bike and had a nice ride from Hood River to Rowena and back. I rode out to the Hook and met up with Andy Brandt, (owner of ABK windsurfing schools). It looked like it might get windy, and Andy graciously set a board and a pile of sails aside for my use. I returned the bike to the shop and drove back to the Hook.










By the time I got back the wind had filled in, and I rigged up a 4.5 and a 100 liter board. The board was too big, but "sometimes you just have to dance with who you brung." The wind kept building, and I sailed until I couldn't hold on any more. After I had de-rigged and put my gear away, I climbed down to the inside of the Hook to check out the windsurfing lessons. Much to my suprise, a young lady walking by called out my name. The young lady turned out to be Emily Kao the daughter of one of my old customers and windurfing friends, Dave Kao who had moved from Annapolis to Hood River several years ago. Dave and Emily are both teaching for Big Winds. She told me that her dad was sailing at the Event Site, so I headed over to find Dave. He invited me over to thier home for dinner. He and his wife Tamara have rebuilt a beautiful home in Hood River that overlooks the river. The only thing better than the view of Mt. Adams from the dinning room table was the food. Tamara is a excellent cook, and I dined on Salmon with some sort of a ginger coating, eggplant, and sesame noodles. Outstanding! It was great to see them, and they seem very happy living in Hood River. I hated to leave, but I had plans to get up early and head back up to Mt Hood.








Monday morning, 5:15 (oh my god it is early) the alarm goes off. Quick shower to wash away the cobwebs, grab my snowboards and gear and head off to Mt. Hood. 6:45, climb into my snowboard pants and start to put my boots on. 6:48, bolt of lightning shoots out of the clouds. 6:49, haul ass to the lodge. 6:51, downpour. I ended up hanging out a the lodge for over an hour and 1/2, while the rain continued. It is pretty funny to see a bunch of skiers and boarders hanging out in their snow gear and wearing flips flops. At 8:45 the mountain was still on stand-by, with no word on when and if they were going to open. I changed back into shorts and drove back to Hood River. Mountain wins again!










I packed up my gear and met Tim (from Ezzy Sails) for lunch. I headed to the Hook and met up with Dave and Emily. Dave hooked me up with a Naish 95 ATV, a 130 something and a 5.5 sail from the Big Winds rental fleet. It looked like the wind as building, and after being over boarded the day before , I opted for the ATV. Bad Move! I blasted off the beach, slogged out from behind Wells Island, drifted out to the middle of the river to where the wind completely died and the board did a U-Boat imatation and DIVED.....deep. Wind, gone, done, nada. Long swim home. River wins again. Mother nature- 2, Mark- 0.

My flight didn't leave Portland until 10:30, so I wasn't really in a hurry to get back. I took the senic highway and checked out some of the waterfalls. Pretty cool.

As I said at the beginning, I didn't want to leave, and at the same time I was ready to go home.

Sarah picked me up at the airport Tuesady morning. I wish she could have been with me, seen the cool places, done the fun things, and met my new friends. It would have made what was a great trip even better.
Turns out she had done a "superwomen" over the handle bars of her road bike on Sunday after she locked up the brakes to avoid a car that ran a stop sign. She is a little banged up and has some road rash on her shoulder and face. Lucky she wasn't hurt worse. Maybe some mellow music, and something with garlic will make her feel better.

Aloha,

PICS (FROM TOP) Netarts, Sunset,Kipps Jane & Rebecca, Mt. Hood Helmet Head, Mt Hood, Ride to Rowena, Emily Kao, Mt. Hood Storm, Falls.