A California day.

Today was one of those days. Though it’s the 11^th of March and winter still isn’t officially over it was in the eighties. One of those ‘not a cloud in the sky’ kind of days. There wasn’t much in the way of surf but you can’t resist going down to the beach. I surfed anyway…. blue sky, blue ocean, warm weather small but ride able on a 9’8”.

These are the kind of days you live for when you’re a beach nut. If it’s a weekend ok then you don’t get much done around the house. If it’s a work day, you suck it up, but if there’s surf on a work day and the weather is like today then…Aloha, I’m going surfing.

The summer right out of high school was rough for me. After I had sold my little surf board business I got a job as a draftsman. Yeah, an architectural major my first year at college so a drafting job made sense but, not for the surfer. Setting indoors on really nice summer days knowing the beach is just waiting for you….I called in sick a lot. Sometimes if I went outside on a break in the middle of the day I’d get sick and have to leave work. After I got to the beach I felt much better. I didn’t make it through the summer at that job.

It’s irresponsible, it’s a disease, you can’t help it.

My shaping bay at Morey-Pope was on the beach side of the building. The bay door was always open and I had a pretty good look at the Ventura pier. If it was a nice day I had a hard time shaping because I could see out side. Take a lunch break and go down to the Point. There was no point in going back to work. If there was surf…forget it. If it was a nice day I hardly ever made it past 2 O’clock.

I guess I’m lucky because the beach in Ventura through out the year does not see that many nice warm sunny days, especially with surf to go along with it. In the summer we get that marine layer and won’t see the sun for days or even weeks at a time. Lucky thing, other wise I’d probably be a beach bum.

D.R.

In the tropics almost every day is warm and sunny.
Me and my son.