Thanksgiving: A Paddlesurfer's Special Thanks

Thanksgiving is a great time to stop and realize how good you've got it. We should all focus on appreciating what's most important in life; family, friends and the good health that we've been blessed with this year. There may be, for us paddlesurfers, a couple of additional things we're thankful for- here's my list:

This Paddlesurfer gives thanks for:
1. Surf shops with extensive fin inventories, and the employees who tolerate me fondling them (the fins, not the employees).
2. Carbon fiber paddles- light, strong, ugly- the workhorses of our sport.
3. My first stand up board, the venerable Sean Ordonez shaped Big Red. The double vacuum bagged, hammer blow resistant, armor plated, twelve foot battleship that absorbed my first clumsy paddle strikes with nary a whine, whimper or ding- the board that sent me on my way.
4. Five minute epoxy. Stick the handle on your paddle, seal a ding or encapsulate a dead scorpion- this stuff does it all.
5. Breakfast Burritos (preferably from Los Panchos but any Alberto's or its many derivatives will do)- especially with pickled carrots, bacon, eggs and potatos- for $2.65? What's not to be thankful for?
6. Custom welded, free standing, SUB racks- clean, efficient storage, loved by me and my boards.
7. The breakaway fin screw- without it, that submerged Baja land mine would've eaten my finbox alive.
8. Sunset Cliffs: Clean rights and lefts all protected by a high tide line that cannot be broached... a paddlesurfer's dream.
9. XM ClearGrip: Going waxless never felt or worked so good.
10. The Maui Crew, the Oahu Crew or those Peruvian fishermen who paddle the reed bundles- whoever the originators of this sport are- a huge thank you!
11. The hand shaped custom stand up board- and the craftsmen with the skills to shape them. Most, in the words of T. Stamps, "Make boards not money". Support these guys.
12. My hot water outdoor shower- no sand in the drain, no tar on the floor, no squee-geeing the glass enclosure and nobody telling me that I can't brush my teeth in it... a marriage saver.
13. Lilly, my dog, who never tells me that I have too many stand up boards.
14. Stardust Donuts. Location: Palm and 7th. Hours: Whenever they damn well feel like it. Calories: Millions. Satisfaction: Complete
15. My all aluminum, single speed, beach cruiser with custom order, extra large, front basket and MULE stand up board trailer. Fours sets of tires, two new chains, two new seats and one set of fenders- still going strong after five years of daily use. Gas $25/gallon? What, me worry?
16. Hard angle south swells, the sand bars they create and the lefts that rifle down 'em!
17. Daily light savings time: but only when we "Spring Forward"!
18. Spidey: Wisdom, experience and a cool digital camera- always happy to see that guy on the beach.
19. The PSJose Crew possessors of loyalty, humility, sense of humor and extra large, pliable, hyper-functional Livers, well maybe any three out of those four qualities.
20. The friends and surfers who tolerated me "playing through" on my giant board- thanks for the patience, smiles and kind words. When you're ready to cross over to the dark side, let me know!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh yeah,
21. Being Born Goofy Foot