All Hail the Old Guys

Buelo and the Master of the Court

This last trip out to California I had a nice long chat with my son's grandfather. We sat on the deck, watched the afternoon slop turn into early evening glass, and he told me about going up to LA to pick out good balsa to take to Phil Edward. This was in the late 50's. Buelo would drop off the raw balsa 4x6s, with redwood for a stringer up at Phil's place in Oceanside and come back later and pick up a new board. Altogether, he said he must have had Phil shape him and his friends a dozen boards.
As the stuff out in the water improved, I have to admit I started feeling the tug to paddle out. Buelo pointed out to some mush and said that Phil used to come down to Tamarack every now and again and paddle out and rip whatever crud was breaking.
"Boy, the speed he'd get, on something no better than that, he could do things on waves I'll never know how."
Then he said I'd better get out there.
No pressure.