Kissin' and Tellin'

Show of hands—how many of you have been kissed while sitting out in the lineup? Little did I know I'd be one of those who could raise my hand when asked that question. The kiss, a peck on the cheek, caught me totally off-guard. I remember laughing out loud when it happened because I was just that surprised. Would it be safe to say that this man, an older guy (as in older than I am) who was saying nice things to me throughout the session, has a little crush? Who knows? We'd met before so he was not a total stranger. At one point, he got off his board and motioned me over. I thought he wanted to try the mat. I was pushing the mat in his direction as I kicked closer to him. Before I knew it, he'd planted a kiss on me and started laughing. Since he wasn't a stranger or a freak, I burst out laughing as well. I'm not sure what to make of the whole thing. Admirer? Friend? Both? Kissing bandit?



In the end, it didn't matter. There were only three of us out trading some waves with size. I rode my mat because, well, it's what I do at this spot. Every time I show up with a board, the crowd and the kelp make me rethink my choice of wave-riding vehicle. Granted, it was relatively empty yesterday, but the fields of kelp got more of my attention than the waves did. Oh, wait! Now that I think of it, I hadn't taken a board with me anyway. I wasn't even sure if this spot was breaking. The cool thing about riding mats is that you can always easily have your equipment with you. When you find a wave, you don't have to run back home to get a board. My mats and fins are always in the car. Now that I think of it, I hadn't even expected to get wet. I just went to the spot on the off chance something was there. And something was. And I had two mats from which to choose. And down the trail I went. And out into the water I kicked. And I will let the pictures speak for themselves.


See all of that kelp? Ride a board through that? No, thanks! The mat makes the kelp a non-issue. The mat is the game-changer. You folks on surfboards, don't mind me. I'll sit right over here in the kelp getting the set waves, the rights, the lefts and the laughs.

With that said, I may just take a board with me to surf this spot tomorrow. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll ride it. With the mat, I'm guaranteed to have a ball.