25/08: Birthday Planning...with Mother Nature.
8/25/08...day before my birthday, and i have been working closely with mother nature for the past few days to put together something nice, not to fancy, just a little get together with me, John, and a few acquaintances from down here in Margaret River, SouthWestern Australia. The buoys are forecasting a 9' swell with a dominant 16 second period. That means big and good and consistent waves breaking with peeling perfection at multiple reef break surf spots, groomed to a "T" with love from the prevailing winds coming from the North Easterly direction...straight offshore baby.
Looks to be a good year.
We are feeling really on top of our game these last few days...a section of pipe has rusted through on the muffler and the van now sounds like one of those suped-up racing cars that annoys you went stopped next to one at at stop light...yeah, we're those guys. All scheduled up to have that taken care of tomorrow though at a local mechanic's garage here in Margaret River. Conveniently located next to fine breakfast eatery and conveniently timed for the post dawn surf session, when we will enjoy my 32nd birthday breakfast while the van gets its muffler refitted.
Living in the van with John has been a little tight, but not so bad as i had anticipated. He is, like me, a minimalist by nature, but with ONLY 7 surfboards to juggle around the car (one of my boards is getting a broken fin re-affixed in Perth) and not the 8 we would normally have...things are quite cozey. It has been cold, especially the first night we arrived down here from Perth, so we have been able to mummy bag it side by side and not really bother each other at night. We sleep in the parking lot at the aptly named Surfer's Point, and wake up each morning to the sight of the surf, and slowly get our bodies loose and our wetsuits on for the cold morning surf (We are wearing 3/2's, so it's not really that cold, i am just coming off of 2 months in Indo, and John is from Hawaii, so we are both being what we would call, "kind of wussie").
We meet a lot of nice people in the parking lot, locals and travellers alike. John is getting lots of attention with his 5 fin Bonzer boards and his 6'1" self manufatured "balsa beauty". But life in the van is just conspicuous and Aussies are just generally nice people, so lots of conversations are enjoyed around the van and carpark, and we are never bothered by local authority (Though word has it in the summer it can get a bit tense with more patrols, sending the van residents, and there are many, into hiding).
Looks to be a good year.
We are feeling really on top of our game these last few days...a section of pipe has rusted through on the muffler and the van now sounds like one of those suped-up racing cars that annoys you went stopped next to one at at stop light...yeah, we're those guys. All scheduled up to have that taken care of tomorrow though at a local mechanic's garage here in Margaret River. Conveniently located next to fine breakfast eatery and conveniently timed for the post dawn surf session, when we will enjoy my 32nd birthday breakfast while the van gets its muffler refitted.
Living in the van with John has been a little tight, but not so bad as i had anticipated. He is, like me, a minimalist by nature, but with ONLY 7 surfboards to juggle around the car (one of my boards is getting a broken fin re-affixed in Perth) and not the 8 we would normally have...things are quite cozey. It has been cold, especially the first night we arrived down here from Perth, so we have been able to mummy bag it side by side and not really bother each other at night. We sleep in the parking lot at the aptly named Surfer's Point, and wake up each morning to the sight of the surf, and slowly get our bodies loose and our wetsuits on for the cold morning surf (We are wearing 3/2's, so it's not really that cold, i am just coming off of 2 months in Indo, and John is from Hawaii, so we are both being what we would call, "kind of wussie").
We meet a lot of nice people in the parking lot, locals and travellers alike. John is getting lots of attention with his 5 fin Bonzer boards and his 6'1" self manufatured "balsa beauty". But life in the van is just conspicuous and Aussies are just generally nice people, so lots of conversations are enjoyed around the van and carpark, and we are never bothered by local authority (Though word has it in the summer it can get a bit tense with more patrols, sending the van residents, and there are many, into hiding).
