Surf Board Rack

Healthy Bodies, Activity, Hard Work, No Video Screens, Everyone Included: These are some of the things that I feel or think when the garage door opens and I see all those surfboards lined up against the wall.

We managed to acquire quite a few surfboards now and they were beginning to get a little awkward to store so Paul built this cool rack. Now we have a few around the house as decoration and the rest are here safe and sound.

It makes me happy.

Where is Robin's surfboard?

"Looking ahead to the weekend, forecasters say rain chances increase to 40 percent, with highs expected to top out in the upper 80s.

Meanwhile in the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Fred is spinning off the west Africa coast. However, all computer models predict that it soon will turn to the north and will not be a threat to the Gulf."

We're felling pretty desperate, we may need to make a sacrifice to the surf gods.

We've offended the surf gods. . .

The surf has been up in Galveston all week so we made arraignments to go today; we shopped, cleaned the house, Paul and Robin arraigned to get work off. As the week progressed however, the forecast projected worse and worse conditions until yesterday it said, "Friday, flat" Booooo!

The surf was up on Thursday and will be up again Sunday and Monday but Friday and Saturday when we can be there . . . nope. This has left us wondering if we have not given proper homage to the surf gods (we can't help but be a little superstitious) in any case, we had to give up.

not us

us

So instead of going to Galveston, we are going to mow the lawn, weed the garden and finish getting ready for our party tomorrow night. . . did I tell you we are having a party?

A friend of ours is turning 60 this week. Since I just turned 40, his wife and I, and Robin, planned a 100 year old party. It won't be too fancy but we will have a night with good friends and good food and at least 100 balloons.

You should come!

Wobbly surfing

We left the big kids home (they had to work) and went to the Galveston last week. We missed Rob and Paul but it was so good to get away. All 3 growing kids traded up, in wetsuits this year.

In Galveston things are much more back to normal along the seawall but there are still lots of scars. Where the seawall wasn't present is another story. There the devastation is still just breathtaking; the rebuilding and cleanup has still barley begun.

The surf was really rough and very crowded but Paul looked great! It was so fun to watch.

Gloria used her boogey board. Dan and Sara spent most of their time helping each other on the surf board. They are getting better and better.

Man! I love this face!

Healing

Paul and I just got home from a much needed trip to Galveston.

It has been over month since Ike hit and there is still a ton of work to be done. Lots of buildings are still boarded up but the majority of the buildings still standing are in pretty good shape and about half are back in business. Electricity and water are back on but things are definitely not back to normal.

It was alarming to be driving along a seemingly ordinary, clean road when out of the blue and completely out of place, there is an enormous 75 foot boat laying on the median with the mast cut off so as not to impede traffic. Things like that happened again and again.

This is an example of what I mean about driving along and being accosted by something very wrong.

The streets are clean and street signs are up. Only about one quarter of the traffic lights work so everyone treats the corners as 4-way stops. I like the order that our laws give when things are out of order.

Next to some roads, huge piles of debris are waiting to be picked up and and taken to a landfill somewhere. And as soon as they are, they are replaced with the beginnings of new huge piles of debris that will await their turn. On other roads piles of rock, concrete, and asphalt sit patiently expecting the same fate.

It was hard to find a hotel room as they are all occupied by or being reserved for workers, FEMA, Red Cross, roofers, electricians, etc. One hotel would only give us a room if we were staying for 5 or more days. We felt a little guilty walking through the plush hotel lobby in our swimming suits and surf board while others were wearing hard hats or FEMA badges.

It was an ideal day in Galveston; the beaches were clean, the air was warm, the waves were perfect, 4-6 foot and glassy with off shore winds. If you had clicked here Thursday morning, you could have watched us.

It was exactly what was needed. . . . and now Paul can sleep again.

Christmas 2007 and 2008

We had a great time in Galveston. Santa found us and the waves were fabulous the first 3 days. We ended up leaving a day early because the surf was flat and the forecast wasn't any better. My camera was misbehaving so I didn't get very many good pictures but here was what I do have.

This is the Christmas morning sunrise (can someone please teach me how to add captions?) from our patio.

And Sara and Dan walking back up the beach.

Next year we want to go to Mexico again. Anyone is invited and welcome. Start saving your pennies now. We found a resort/surf school just outside of Mazatlan where we would love to spend next Christmas. Several different planets have to align for us so that can happen, wish us luck!

Why is the top half of this double spaced and the bottom half single spaced?!?

Galveston Oh Galveston

The surf boards are bungeed to the van, wetsuits are packed, house is clean and Santa has been sent a forwarding address . . . we're off to the beach house this morning.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone we love you!

Happy Birthday Paul

Here are a few things you might not know about Paul: (This could also be entitled how Rachel is the exact opposite of Paul:)

He is the happiest person I know. He always appreciates where he is in his life. Whether in school or in the army or in Lindale, Texas, he is always pleased and relaxed and happy and excited with what he is doing right now. He doesn’t waste his time worrying about things; he always thinks positively and is sure everything is going to work out well . . . he is almost always right.

He is the most voracious reader I know. A few years ago I found the greatest list of hundreds of classic books and authors. We went through it once and Paul had read 3/4 of them. More than that he remembered all the stories and characters’ names, some from books he’d read 25 years earlier. It is rare that I suggest a book to him that he hasn't already read.

He is the smartest man I know. Not only has he completed one Master's Degree program and is 3 credits shy of his second, but he just knows how to figure things out. Don't watch any kind of mystery with him because he will tell you "who dun it" at the end of the first scene. (This actually works out well for me because I am usually asleep by the third scene.) I gave him Life of Pi to read last year. He got to page 26 and said, "That's the sentence." then he told me the rest of the story without having read it. He finished it and then told me to throw it away.

He is the hardest working person I know. I've been there while different bosses have fought over him. In college he had two different businessmen ask him to quit school and work for them. In the Army he had Colonels and Generals fighting over his next assignment. He works harder and does a better job than they expect anyone to do and then he stays until the job is done and done right.

He has the kindest heart of anyone I have ever met. He genuinely and sincerely likes people and is respectful and generous even when (I think) they don't deserve it. He naturally knows what people need and freely gives it to them. The only times I have seen him truly sad is when he knew someone needed help and he couldn't do anything for them. (Ask him to tell you his Albania story.)

Someday I will deserve to share my life with this most extraordinary man. I love you Paul.

. . . A Fluid State of Mind

Today was historic as we witnessed the birth of the Lindale Surf Club.

Paul worked on the computer to design the logo and picture for our tee-shirts, while we all sat around him making suggestions. When everyone was happy, we printed it onto iron-on paper and we transferred everything onto tee-shirts.

The next shirts the kids want to make just have one word like carve, rip, pearl.

It is hard to find a project that includes us all, but I think this is going to be a good one.

We have big plans for the Lindale Surf Club, stay tuned.

Does your face hurt?

There was another tropical depression in the Gulf last week and Pauly's football team had a bye so the two Pauls went surfing. The waves were fantastic and they had a great time. They even shot the Flagship Pier! BUT they forgot the sunscreen. OUCH! They used sunscreen the 2nd day but it was too late. They both blistered and all weekend they have looked like they have some kind of disease. It hasn't been pretty. I think Pauly was hoping I wouldn't make him go to school today.

And now for something completely different

Surf's Up!

Did you know that winter is best time to surf? Well it is. Although the water is cold the surf is bigger and more consistent than in the summer. This is especially true for the Gulf of Mexico. During the summer, on the Texas coast, the Gulf looks like a giant lake. There are hardly any waves and surfing is just impossible. The exception to this rule is when a hurricane is churning everything up. We haven't been surfing since spring break. But we are always looking at surf cams and at the surf forecasts. Hoping for a good forecast, otherwise the five hour drive just isn't worth it.


Enter Hurricane Dean.

The surfing forecast was something like this:
Tuesday AM 2-3 feet
Tuesday PM 2-4 feet
Wednesday AM 4-8 feet
Wednesday PM 9-17 feet

We left Tuesday morning to be in Galveston that afternoon. It was so much fun!! Paul , Robin and Pauly all have their own surfboards.

Dan and Sara have boogie boards, and I have a great chair and a good book.

I went out and tried to surf for the first time and got slammed in the face with the end of Robins surf board. I have a loose tooth and very ugly lip. I'll spare you a photo.

Other than my face this was a great trip. School starts on Monday. This was the perfect way to end our very busy summer.