culture clash

I'm B-A-A-ack.

From the sublime...

to the ridiculous...

When I opened the shade on the plane in the morning,

it was clear that it had snowed in the mountains.

Aside from that shock, re-entry was gentle;

the first day back here was 65 degrees.

Joke's on me.

Now it's 14 and going down to 15 below zero tomorrow night.

I'm humbled and holed up in the studio.

P.S. This my blog, so I get to make amends.

Both of these places are ridiculously sublime.

instead

Sorry, it was a NO GO on Thursday for the Eddie.  The judges judged that the waves were big enough but not consistent enough. If the conditions kick up again before February 24th, they'll call everybody back from around the world and do it.  As all the invitees said, they don't care where they are or what they're doing, they'll catch the first plane and be here.  No matter the cost. After all, it's the Eddie. 

Lucky for us, all of the world's best Big Wave riders were already here, all jacked up and nowhere to go. Apparently, word got around that there were monster sets up here at Sunset. By 4 o'clock, they all (40 or so) were here with 5 PWCs (jet skis) and began tow-in surfing.  For the next 3 hours, we got to watch the most amazing athletes do the most amazing things (vocabulary fails me here) and still live to tell about it.  It was absolutely breath-taking.

Instead, though we'll probably never get to actually see the Quiksilver, we did get to watch the best surfers in the world do stuff that was too crazy even for the Eddie.      

  

front row

I brought my sketchbook, 6 canvases, acrylics, 3 brushes, charcoal, a value strip and some red acetate for viewing. I haven't even done as much as a thumbnail, no notans, no nuthin'. I'd like to think I'll produce something, and I will. BUT... 

The computer models are all showing that the biggest swell of the season is coming and will be here by Thursday. The predicted 40-foot waves will guarantee that "The Eddie" will be held in Waimea. Meanwhile, today and tomorrow the Sunset Open is being shown on a live streaming feed for a $10,000 prize. Watch 80 great watermen surf elimination heats. It's also being broadcast on Time Warner so we've got it on the big screen, on the computer, on the iPhone and right off the porch. Front row. Take a look; the feed   

right time right place

Life ain't easy, but it always gets you to the right place at the right time.  Being mere mortals, we can't plan it.  It's in the lap of the gods.  Lap dogs.  Heh.  

In spite of that basic truth, I find it to be no small miracle that we got here to Sunset Beach 24 hours ago, and today the rumored return of the most legendary surfing event in history is riding what the National Weather Service is calling a extra large swell from the North Pacific directly toward the North Shore of O'ahu.  If it does indeed arrive here as forecasted on Thursday January 20th, it will mean that The Quiksilver In Memory Of Eddie Aikau will be held two years in a row. That link will take you to my previous post about the Quiksilver, where you can learn more about the contest and the coincidence.  Both are really quite phenomenal.  

Hard to believe, but for once, hyperbole fails me.  Like everyone else here, I'm waiting for the waves.  The moon will be full, the tide will roar up the beach and the surf will be stupendous.

 

stormy weather

I hope our scheduled trip to O'ahu is well-timed,

and the current storm will blow over.

Aloha.

This is my photograph.

I took it with my Sony DSLR from the porch of our house

on January 25, 2009.

day's marsh

Day's is a lobster/clam shack along Route 1 in Maine.

My husband lives on their lobster rolls when we're back there.

While he ordered his umpteenth,

I slipped out back and took some pictures.

I did this pastel when we got back.

Dissatisfied, I put it aside a few months ago.

Thought I'd go back to it, but that can drive you crazy.

Better I should shoot it and let it go.

There are more pictures,

and there sure are more lobster rolls.

dog sledding

gracey

Sweet Gracey was our chocolab. She died of bone cancer at Christmas 3 years ago. She was a rescue and had, as they say, issues. During the five years that she lived with us, she gifted me with patience and a more profound understanding of dogdom than I thought possible. She also led us to our next rescue, Garrett the Great, a dog of such excellent disposition, smarts and humor, he was clearly meant as a reward.

During the last year of her life,

she snoozed behind me in the studio while I painted this.