when the surf doesn't cooperate...

... go north. go flat. find the sun, escape the wind, escape the crowds. stay with the ocean.

northern latitude adjustment

another way of taking a self-portrait, courtesy of george greenough.... looking up through the pacific ocean through water, past floating sea weed, back at my sun-burned face after paddling a sea kayak 10 miles...

tiny little white sand islet in the san juan islands. this little speck of land was just a pee stop, really, but one of the prettiest places i've ever stopped to get out and pee...

here we are after our first day of paddling. it was a quick 6 miles from fisherman's bay on lopez island to a little tiny island called blind island. we were basically alone with our guitar, boxed wine, hot dogs and plenty of time to swim in the clearest, prettiest ocean water i've seen in months. this was our first sea kayaking trip and we kept on saying, "i love this sport..." maybe it was the wine, maybe the 80 degree days, the glassy ocean... i think it was all of it these things, combined with a love of the ocean that is always making these new adventures come my way.

i thought i was pretty cool until...

so, you know, living in a fishing town i figured i had better get with the program.

i've been riding my bicycle along the bay lately (the surf has been pretty crappy so i found a part time summer hobby) and a few days ago i noticed hand written signs for fresh tuna. i called a commericial fisherwoman friend and confirmed that indeed, tuna are in. so last night i went down to port dock 7 and scored a 25 pound tuna for 25 bucks. fuck yeah. i made my way home, a bag full of tuna loins, feeling pretty proud of myself for being so smart, so in tune with my local economy, so savvy.... i put some rice in the rice cooker and picked a huge salad out of my garden: lettuce, peas, radishes, nasturtiums. i fired up the grill and got a fire started in our back yard fire pit. i was expecting about 10 people for dinner, so i cut up 10 tuna steaks and then filled a gallon freezer bag with the rest of the tuna and froze it for later in the week.

right as i was cutting the last of the tuna loins, meira showed up with scuba tanks, spear gun and loads of fresh sea bass that she and her boyfriend had just speared. the fish were still flopping as they emptied the bag on the lawn. i thought i was pretty cool until they showed me up. even fresher, even more sustainable.... i love it. dinner was incredible. after lots of beer, wine, food and fire, we got yasmina's dog mojave to play the guitar. a perfect night in newport. xoxoxo

this week in newport...

the surf hovel ocean collective has been doing underwater research with the help of some giant jelly fish and underwater breathing machines. as of today we have found 4 pairs of high-waisted jeans otherwise known as "mom" jeans.

the channel between the jetties in newport is being dredged this week. sand movement always welcome in the surf world. where, oh where will our next great sand bar appear? stay tuned.

metallic-ahhh

surfer's eye view of last weeks final glass-off before july high pressure and wind turned the

ocean to a frenzied mush of weekend warriors and victory-at-sea style waves. fog:love:silver

nye beach center for discovery

this evening at the nye beach center for discovery faron will be giving talks on global warming,

sourdough bread and cycling through newport with a surfboard in tow. faron is a renowned fermenter and scientist and we are proud to have him come to nye beach to share his knowledge.

later this week max will be leading a hands-on workshop about chainsaw operations, trail building, and fire prevention in the wilderness. max is an urban cabin dweller currently living in oakland california. he is known in the bay area for shredding and most notably for dune tour 2010.

next week nellyda will hold a conference for driftwood shack enthusiasts with a special focus on driftwood architecture in the northwest. featured driftwood shack artist captain backelton will present a slide show of recent driftwood shack findings in northern california and the central oregon coast.

check in for our late summer discovery center activities:

*diving apparati in the 18th century

*wrestling giant squid

*bear charming in the jedediah smith redwoods

*nudity

thank you for your continuing interest in the nye beach discovery center

please contact captain backelton with inquiries, workshop sign-up or complaints.

keep it simple

this must be the place

home... is where i want to be, but i guess i'm already there,

i come home, she lifted up her wings, i guess that this must be the place...

i cant tell one from another: did i find you, or you find me?

there was a time before we were born, someone else said "this is where i'll be."

-the talking heads