Going, Going, Gone

Going!

Going!

Gone!

Each time I get on the mat, I can feel myself moving steadily along that learning curve. Today was the day that I was able to recognize the need to extricate myself from the whitewater if I wanted to keep riding a wave that was trying to swallow me up. For whatever reason, that part clicked today and I was able to get back into this wave without much hesitation. I eventually ended up in front of the wave, looking right . . . and kind of going right . . . but not so much.

My goal now is to learn how to easily direct the mat. I'm not skilled enough yet to make that inside rail set and hold. I made a valiant effort to do so on a larger wave this morning. Instead of getting that inside edge to catch, I flipped over and lost the mat. As usual, I came up chuckling. Riding a mat, as those who do it will probably attest, is both fun and funny. Whenever I get tossed, I think it's the funniest thing in the world. Then again, I always laugh when a wave tosses me from my surfboard. There are numerous pictures of me grinning from ear to ear as the surfboard and I go our separate ways. I even laugh after I get worked.

In other news, the guys at the place where I take my car to be worked on are still shaking their heads about me, I think. Instead of you making an appointment with them when it's time for your car to be serviced, they voluntarily mail you a card telling you when they expect you to bring your car in for service. In other words, you don't make an appointment with them. They make the appointment for you. Well, I've had that card for a couple of weeks. I had every intention of being there on Monday at 8:00. Then word came of a combo swell headed this way. I didn't even bother to lie. I sent them an email on Friday telling them I couldn't make the appointment because of the surf. Period. They responded with an email telling me they'd switched the appointment to Wednesday at 8:00. I was fine with that until I realized the swell is still with us. So I called today to reschedule. Danny knew right away: "Don't tell me. There's surf." Yep! I'm not giving up my car, the only one that can transport a surfboard, until I've had my fill. He gave me an appointment for next week. He was still laughing when he hung up the phone.

Halloween? Surfing in costume? Again? Why not!