Breathe Baby Breathe...

On a day like today that started with an incredible surf but then got swallowed up by a million deadlines and hurdles, this image of Hannah stolen from our amazing weekend reminds me to relax, and take it all on in strides. Big Breathes...1,2,3...

Lucky Ladybugs

After four days of incredible weather and really fun surf, I do feel lucky! Today it was 80 degrees in Venice just a couple days before December so when the lucky ladybugs landed on my board, it all made sense...

I'm thankful for my cousin Jeff Kubasak, the Common Genus, who flew in from Portland just in time for Thanksgiving Dinner (even though he's vegan) and handed me this retrospective of his drawings and 'zines from the last two years wrapped up in the form of a book. Secretly disguised behind this perfectly glossy cover are Jeff's musings and a freshly drawn turd just for me (his signature)...

visit common genus for more copyrighted fresh turds...Copyright © 2011

Hmmm. This post feels fueled by greed, but really it's just a holiday shopping list...probably stuff I won't get, but it doesn't hurt to daydream a little...

On my list:
1. A reclaimed wood cabin with long flat deck to just sit and stare into the beyond, perfectly perched above a flawless and empty winter wave.
2. Two perfectly yellow geodesic dome tents. Does anyone know where I can find them? This image was from apatchofskye's Instagram post (always inspiring).
3. I often consider purchasing a vintage Patagonia fleece pull-over at the Rose Bowl with those silly prints on them, but the fits are either horribly wrong, or there is a big stain on them. This new Patagonia Synchilla® pull over is new and probably fits well, and it looks like a throw-back, a few decades past. And yes, it's mens!
4. I can't wear vee-necks anymore...not tees and especially not sweaters. So I've been pulling out my crewnecks and looking for new ones. You can find the two above at my favorite vintage store in Paris.
5. Kelty Vintage Day Pack...we'll be stocking them at the VSTR store in Malibu when it opens next month!
6. The wave above is what I see from the view on my hypothetical deck in the woods. The surfer slotted in that little pocket is me.
7. And finally, I saw a beautiful wood surfboard with a see-through glass fin on Instagram, but when I looked for it, it was gone. This is one of the things that is both good and bad about Instagram. If you like something, click on the little heart so you can keep a record of it in your profile. Otherwise, it's gone. Thanks to Hew Bennett for turning me onto Cultivate Modesty. A beautiful blog with incredible taste level. I didn't find my board, but I found a lot of other things that fuel greed like these three beautiful sleds above in Baskin-Robbins colors...

A burst of necessary ENERGY.

A spark, a trigger...

Katsuo DeSIGN feels FINE at seeLINE, tonight!

Tonight, my favorite Katsuo Design www.katsuodesign.com is showing with other great artists including Ed Fella, Johanna Jackson, William Lemon III and others in a show called Ground Control at See Line. (seelinegallery.com) I'm going early. Show starts at 5pm.

INSTAGRAM KILLED FACEBOOK

And it's seriously pulled my attention away from this blog as well. I'm addicted...come and find me under the same name, Bonfirebeachkids on Instagram. Join now!!!

EN TU CABEZA...

I've been walking around all day with a dumb smirk on my face...just like this guy. I bought this painting from Katsuo Design a few years ago, and now I know why! Good buzz in the air... transition... change... inspiration! And Katsuo has a show next Thursday here.

And while we're posting invitations...Saturday afternoon, Geoff McFetridge with Heath Ceramics

A seven-week show where artist Geoff McFetridge's hands meet clay, for the first time, with Heath Ceramics. The show will feature one complete custom-painted dinnerware set with service accessories for six people, all featuring Geoff's iconic line drawings; hand-carved teapot and cup sets; custom hand-carved vases in both one-of-a-kind and limited edition multiples; Pottock Prints tablecloth, napkin designs and wallpaper; and a series of drawings, paintings and prints.

APOLIS: COMMON GALLERY

TONIGHT...AND CLICK HERE.

I watched Kelly win his 11th world title twice...

Yes, mistakenly crowned on Wednesday due to a miscalculation of total heats won after tie-breakers. And then in classic surf fashion, the tour committee said "we messed up" and took full responsibility. Duh! What a bunch of idiots. Same as sayin' just kidding after handing you the trophy...so after accepting the mistake, they did a "do-over,"awarding Kelly his 11th world title today. A feat only matched by my other sporting hero, Coach John Wooden who won 10 national championships with UCLA, and one as a player at Purdue. But they got all those championships right the first time - UCLA did not have to play twice to beat Kentucky in 1975. Simple math, and now we have computers, but we still pulled the stereotypical surfer move and got it wrong on the world's stage. Still doesn't overshadow the super-human / supernatural accomplishments of Kelly at 40 years of age, as I sit here typing with my bad back. I feel like it was just yesterday I popped Kelly Slater in Black & White into the VHS player, but that was actually 20 years ago. Good show Kelly. Thank you.

Secret Spanish Guitar Fantasy

Gay Sailors unite...Thanks Woodie. Put on your wall here.

Channeling D. Hynd... Spooky Hallow's Eve Finless Zombie slides with friendly mammals. I shall be released!

So this weekend, the surf was tiny. And the positive thing about the Pacific ocean looking like a lake Michigan, is that it pushes you to improvise for fun factor...thus pulling fins out of boards, and inviting a few friendly mammals along for the ride...Doug, Mal, a school of dolphins and a big ass lion seal, and Mark caught it all on film. And we kept getting buzzed by crazy little beach birds that skitter just inches above the water in flocks of hundreds...each time their trajectory changes, their wings flash the colors of the sun, sky and water. And the water was extremely clear by the way. This happens, when there is next to no surf to stir up the sedimentary layer of garbage on the Venice beach floor. And when it's this clear, you get to see the sharks swim up before they bite your toes off...