Mike & Jen Stark were stateside so we met in Seal Beach for dinner. They live in Shanghai, China, and are in the USA for a mixture of work/play. Dinner was great (thanks again, Mike!) and the conversation was even better. Topics: reminiscing about the France 1998 barge trip (best vacation ever!), stock investing, emerging China, surfing vs. sailing, and good times in Syracuse.

I got an invite to Shanghai! Score! Road trip, I mean boat trip? And we agreed we need to get together more often when on the same continent.

New Ride!

Picked up my new surfboard this evening. 9’6” long, 23” wide, with lots’ of nose rocker. I am stylin’

US Open @ Torrey Pines

I scored two US Open tickets from work, so Corrie and I joined the 42,498 others at Torrey Pines on Thursday. We searched for the best available bleacher seating and settled on the fairway/green 17th hole. Great place to see the approach shot and putting. With practice, the bleacher crowd got into a rhythm of standing to watch the approach shots and sitting for the putting.

I estimate that 15 to 20,000 people were following the Tiger, Phil, and Scott Adams trio. As the Big 3 were playing thru the course, we could see the masses moving hole to hole. We waited 3+ hours for the Big 3 at 17. What a zoo. Pity for the trio following the Big 3; because everyone was leaving while they continued to play.

After the Big 3 finished 17, Corrie and I walked the course and saw the other golfers. Actually saw a 3-put – Hey, I can do that!

Corrie won a golf bag with the longest driver (340 yards!) at a driving range simulation game.

A friend suggested I start a blog if for no reason other than to have an online diary. Thanks, Karen, wish I took your advice years ago. Here I am at Witches Rock in November 2007.

Bill Holden Rememberance Party @ Doheny Beach

Corrie called, saying Bill Holden will not be finishing my board I asked for. Bill passed away on February 2, 2008. M-A-N-Y of Bill’s surfing friends met at Doheny for a celebration of Bill. Lots of boards.

Yes, that's a pegged geiger counter!  Only to be surfed at San Onofre.

Steve recalled an incident with Bill. They were walking a beach when a stranger asked Bill about his Holden t-shirt. Where did he get it, and can he get one? Bill explained that he was the Holden of Holden surfboard, and the shirts aren’t sold in stores. So Bill ripped his shirt off and gave it to the guy! After everyone finished laughing at that story, Steve asked the crowd, was there a person in the crowd that did not know Bill? A man stepped forward and said Yes. So Steve ripped off his shirt and gave it to the man.

RIP Bill.

Gordon, Wendy, Benjamin, And Christopher Visit!

It’s a rare treat that family visits. But they are always welcome. We covered the beaches (of course), the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and the glider port.

Upon arrival, everyone piled into the rental car to got to Del Mar beach for a walk. Surprise, surprise, the kids managed to increasingly get wetter, wetter, and wetter.

An amusing incident happened at Birch aquarium. We were at the outdoor pools, where water creatures can be touched. Benjamin asked a docent, "that’s a bat stingray, isn’t it"? The docent said, "No, it’s not". Benjamin looked quizzical then skipped over to his dad. Wendy overhead another docent tells the first docent, "You were wrong, that IS a bat stingray".

Lots of fun to the point of tiring out kids and adults. This is a really good pic since later I put Christopher on my surfboard in < waist-deep water. Christopher rode on his belly quite well until the wave pushed the board to the side and he went under the board. Gordon was there to pluck him from the water but the damage was done. He just got wet but it was unexpected and got scared. I still have nightmares about this.

Bill Holden Board #2

After going to Bill Holden’s 75-birthday bash, I thought a (morbid) thought – maybe I should get more boards made. I really liked the 9’ he made so I asked Bill to cut another. We bantered back and forth on colors and settled on this.

It’s an emotional board for me. Thanks Bill.