Lord, Please Keep Them in Your Thoughts

{ WEDGE } from Brecht Vanthof on Vimeo.

Like a Boss

Sunday—Spend two hours on the mat during the first big SW swell of the summer.
Tuesday—Surf
Wednesday—Surf
Thursday—Surf
Friday—Surf for close to four hours

And that is how you spend the week celebrating the arrival of the second half of your life.

Like a boss!

When "Go!" Means "Snake that Dude! He Won't Catch that Wave!"

I tend to be a polite surfer. I wait my turn . . . most of time time. I share. I really do expect that when someone is paddling for a wave, he's going to get it.

Then, reality rears its sometimes homely, yet often comely head.

One of the things that's interesting about being me (and Lord knows there is so much—just kidding!!) is that people in the water always remember me while I rarely remember folks unless I've seen them and/or talked to them a few times. I wonder why that is? No, it couldn't be that I'm the only me in the lineup. Yeah. I don't exactly blend in. Wait until I break out the light blue wetsuit again! Blend in? Me? NEVER!!

Is this post making you think of Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On"? It ought to—I am just rambling in no particular direction at this point!

As I was saying, I think, was that sometimes people say things to you in the water, and those things mean more than what you think. Today, a wave approached. A guy turned to me and yelled, "Go!!" Well, I didn't go. I looked at him, pointing simultaneously to the guy on my other side who was paddling for the wave. The wave that was ready to be ridden. The wave he didn't even come close to getting. That's when I looked at the first guy and went, "Oh." The first guy then smiled and said, "Yeah."

So, let's replay this conversation as if we'd been speaking freely.

Surfer #1: (Sees a rather nice wave approaching and turns to me) Hey, you should really just go ahead and paddle for that even though you're just paddling back out from your last wave.

Me: (Pointing to a Surfer #2 to my right) Yeah, but it's his wave. He's been waiting. I just got a wave. It's bad form to look at those who've been waiting and snake their waves. That's not my style.

We both watch as the surfer to my right paddles for the wave and doesn't even come close to catching it.

Me: (Looking at Surfer #1) Oh!! Well, I thought that dude was going to catch that! Damn! That was a nice wave. I could have had that! $#%^!

Surfer #1: Yeah. I told your happy ass to take that wave. That guy ain't catching shit. Haven't you been paying attention?

The moral of the story? Watch the surfers around you. Know when "Go!" means you have permission to be a snake.

The end.

Seriously, Frothing L.A. Crowds?

 

So, don't ask me why I'm still at home when there's swell in the water!

Find Dane Peterson's Surfboards

Dane Peterson has had all his boards stolen from his house... keep your eyes open and ears to the ground... lets catch the pricks who did this.... list of boards below..... spread the word.
The list of stolen boards is as follows. Any help in getting this out to the world is greatly appreciated.

1. 9'4" Paul Gross - displacement hull squash tail, clear volan glass single fin

2. 9'4" Scott Anderson "Dane Peterson Model" single fin diamond tail. Clear deck with black spray paint and the words "cement dick", bottom has brown based all hand painted artwork by my brother.

3. 9'3" SouthCoast square tail single fin. Marble resin swirl deck with black, blue, maroon and glitter. Double pinkie, black bottom and rails with a custom painting from nose to tail drawn and signed by Alex Knost to myself.

4. 9'4" Klem Bell oldmal. Glassed on single fin. Recently restored in original condition browned from the sun but clean and a great rider.

5. 9'4" Dane Peterson hand shape. Hand signed #3 on bottom, but this is the first longboard i have ever shaped. clear with a thin light purple "glue line stringer, glass on fin, and two songs hand written in black ink on the deck either side of the stringer.

6. 6'2"-6'6" 70's single fin. Challenger logo, baby blue tint bottom and rails, with a clear deck. Very distinct tail repair done to this board.

7. 5'2" Pearson Arrow quad fin. Ugliest board you have ever seen as it was hand painted by Zander Hartman with marroon, yellow, and black on the deck, then yellow and green on the bottom.