Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Video From Early, Story From Late

Carlsbad Bureau 12/30/2oo8

Sometimes a session is so distilled it sits in the noodle like a meatball for the rest of your life. I have a handful like that, most of them from a long time ago, but yesterday evening, the ocean offered me another. I paddled out to one of those magical four wave sessions where no one is out and the tide is working the beachbreak just right, between unrideable and perfectly peeling. As I kicked out of my second wave, the wave that worked the best in that little, fortunate window, the wave where I could do nothing but slot and walk and statue for the startingly long ride, I looked up to see the sun set, painting those silvery vagueries called colors-I-have-rarely-seen. I stayed out for another brace of increasingly dumping, but still semi-perfect waves and called it a day. I must have been in the water for all of fifteen minutes, if that.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Things To Do In Carlsbad When The Waves Are Dead


Carlsbad Bureau 12/29/2oo8 Music by Harry Owens & Montovani
Yesterday initially offered little in the way of substantial surf of any kind. I ventured to Swami's early, as it turned out too early, as the tide brought the waves to nearly lap the bluffs. When I got home, I settled down to a day where "perhaps I'll paddle the coast later" became the mantra. Then things got interesting, then beautiful, then surprising, then downright saccharine. Uncle Rob showed up, promising to explain a picture I found in his apartment of he and Duke Kahanamoku, I ate some delicious home made tamales covered with Theresa's special mole and had a nice long talk with my mother about the state of things. I ventured out just north of G&P's for a surprisingly fun midday surf, then lucked into a second super fun presunset surf a little later at the same unconventional spot. In between, and around, the bounty of Carlsbad made itself plain. This film is a crack-up to me. All the more striking as I didn't even film the fun surfs I lucked into.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Early Evening Paddle

Carlsbad Bureau 12/24/2oo8

Matins


Music: KPBS Wednesday Morning Broadcast


Carlsbad Bureau 12/24/2oo8

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

One California Day (An Alternate Version)

Carlsbad Bureau 12/23/2oo8

Music by Archie Shepp

Monday, December 22, 2008

Holy Man and the Pelican

Carlsbad Bureau 12/22/2oo8

Music: Kronos Quartet playing Louis Hardin

Sunday Morning Church

Carlsbad Bureau 12/21/2oo8

Music: Tabu Ley Rochereau

Saturday Afternoon Grand Street Line Up

Carlsbad Bureau 12/20/2oo8

Music: Judy Garland from Easter Parade

Friday, December 12, 2008

CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED!

With a strong late surge, Antonio stuffed the ballot box in favor of his rad sketch, fending off LouJoe, Angus and the surprising late entry by Alex.
We'd really like to thank everyone who voted for taking part in making this the most exciting Endless Bummer week ever.
But really, thanks to all you guys who gifted us your artwork. There may be some sort of rotating footer art in the making here. . .
But thank you, now go surf.

And for those of you confused by the dates, the competition polling ran from Sunday December 14th through Friday December 19th. The date of this particular posting is irrelevant.


Endless Bummer Blog Title Design Reader Competition
or
Endless Bummer Reader Competition for Blog Title Design

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Official Endless Bummer Reader Contest Blog-Title Design Contest Entries- Please Vote (right there, to the right, right there)

A

from LouJoe
_____________________________________________

B

from chris mueller
_____________________________________________

C

From the Santa Cruz Bureau
_____________________________________________

D


from Tad Wagner
_____________________________________________

E

from the Melbourne Bureau

Alternate "color" version
here
_____________________________________________

F


from the Brooklyn Bureau

_____________________________________________

G


from Mick Sowry

_____________________________________________

TAKE THE POLL TO DECIDE OUR FATE.
Poll closes Friday the 19th of December (click link below to learn more)
The Endless Bummer Reader Blog-Title Design Competition

_____________________________________________
SPECIAL SPOILER LATE ENTRY ADDENDUM!
(vote for this entry in special addendum poll)

H


from alex casimir


Monday, December 8, 2008

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Of Surf Racks and First Snows


This doesn't happen at 'Nofre.
Viva Nueva York.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Announcing the Endless Bummer Top-Of-The-Page Logo Title Design Thing Reader Competition

So I have been perusing some other surf blogs today, kind of renaissance of some serious practice in procrastination, and I notice that a lot of the blogs have fancy pictures or graphics as their blog titles.
(Note: Sissyfish, The Fresh Aspect, and Surf&Destroy.)
(oh, and Pinniped too.)(and the Mollusk NY blog.)

I tried my hand at it and I suck. Antonio would be good at it, but somehow he has priorities and doesn't procrastinate and thus, is busy. So I am starting up a competition to see if any of you (any of the three or four that actual read this thing) can come up with some sort of design for the title.

There are no parameters, save that it needs to be a JPG and not really too big.
(But it can be pretty big I suppose.)
If you have something just email it to me at:
toddy (at-sign-thingy) ok-oh dot com

Competition starts now and stops whenever I get a few.
That is to say, I won't hold my breath for a big selection.
That would be crazy. (and may take years.)(and way too much prodding of anyone I have ever met.)

Ok, Todd.

(oh, and if you are going to do one, leave a note in the comments section saying so. That way I 'll know to wait for it. Because yeah, I know you take a long time with these sorts of things.)(or maybe, on second thought, don't. I mean, that could really be a disaster if after a week there are no comments or nothing.)

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

A trip to Byron Bay & reflections on good times spent in the Bay area over the years...





When I was about 14, my old man (R.I.P) took me & my younger brother on a road trip from Melbourne to Byron Bay, these days people tend to fly alot more,but we took the overland route back then which is about an 18 hour haul through Sydney,then Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie & then onto Byron. You can do it differently if you want, especially if there has been a cyclone & there is a decent swell running you might luck into some epic waves at legendary spots like Angourie or Lennox Head. On one of our many trips up to Byron one of my most memorable moments was meeting famous 70's surf filmography pioneer George Greenough. I think Dad had been in contact with him about a documentary he wanted to make or something, but I just remember driving up to his house which was on a huge property out the back of Byron. I vividly remember thinking it looked like a rubbish dump outside the house,there were old shells of burntout cars,24 gallon drums, huge piles of tree cut offs & other odds & ends. Greenough greeted my father at the front door,then me & my brother were introduced. He looked pretty similar to photos & footage i'd seen of him. He invited us into his house which was one of the coolest & scariest things i'd ever seen. His house was sort of an A-frame open plan deal & there were just shark jaws wall-to-wall, of all sizes, frightening. Greenough explained that that's how he spent alot of his time, shark fishing off Byron, when we asked him if he still surfed he said " I usually only ride my inflatable mattress at Wategoes Beach " Cool. . . so we hung around at Greenoughs for a while & him & Dad had a good old chin-wag then we headed off. . . recollecting on this moment in time gives me a great sense of happiness & I'm glad to be able to share this experience. . . literally. . . with all of you who read this blog. I remember also I told a shortened version of this story to Mike at Mollusk NYC when I bought my Larry Mabile Fish & Mike said that was the best story he'd heard all day while we yarned about different aspects of surf culture over some chicken wings & afew rolling rocks. Anyway, returning to Byron in 2008 was fantastic,it was great to see how much the little town has grown & prospered. There is an SAE institute there now with a massive campus full of up & coming producers,sound designers,editors etc, etc & you can now blow a cool 4.5 million on a beachfront home at Belongil Beach. Even though there wasn't heaps of surf to be had over the weekend it was just good to be there (with Kate) because Byron has an unrivalled beauty from it's dense rainforest canopies overhanging the winding stretch of road around to Wategoes Beach to its smiling locale contingent, never to busy or cool to stop & have a chat to one of its many visiting haoles. . .
I recommend a long & prolonged trip to Byron for anyone who hasn't graced it's shores. . . oh & Happy Thanks Giving Toddy & Antonio. . .
It was only a year ago Todd that we were sitting at your place in Williamsburg watching Kevin perform some weird medi-evil mating dance in your lounge room, swilling copious amounts of red wine & beer, eating that amazing spread & talking to some good people. . . I miss it. . .oh & excellent film from San on Ofre. You got deep in another kinda way. . .hope the fam are well and the boy is getting in the water!

Cheers,

A.

San Onofre State Beach Inspires Some Recollections and Thought Processes That Take Roughly Ten Minutes of Disjointed Footage to Illuminate.

(or adventures in sentimentality through long winded phrasing and confusing math)

Thanksgiving 2oo8
Music by Luke Temple


(Another, shorter film about San Onofre
here.)