"I went to Alaska this time": Vicki charges the icebergs, survives 31 degree water.

My friend Vicki is an adventurer- she's got a go-for-it spirit that I really admire. In the last couple of years she's paddled with manatees, cruised around Turkey with an inflatable stando and explored the waterways of Europe. She's a cool girl- check out her latest caper (words are Vicki's, slightly edited by me):

Yeah Vicky- love the life vest, strobe light and all!

"So I planned to paddle Mendenhall Lake in Juneau Alaska lake with a bunch of kayakers, but when they heard I was riding an inflatable sup they said I was a liability and could not provide a ride, wetsuit or life vest for me. I had to improvise, hence the bright orange vest I stole from a cruise ship."

You're definitely not in So. Cal. anymore...

"Luckily, I brought some booties but had no wetsuit. So I a 30% chance of surviving should I fall into the 31 degree water- assuming I could get help within 10 minutes. It took me about 2 hours to paddle all the way across to the glacier due to the layer of ice on top of the lake. You can see it in one of the pics (and I hugged the coast the whole time  like a pussy). I had to break the ice with each stroke and I could hear it crack for what sounded like 30 seconds out in each direction."

Looks like ice to me... think that water is cold?

"Fortunately, there was a lone kayaker out near the glacier to take my pic, and provide me some company as I periodically warmed my feet on the rocks so they didn't go numb. And there was a beautiful waterfall.  I think I am going to paddle the Everglades next :)"

Paddle Alaska? No problem, dodge an iceberg here and there- no biggy. 

 If you want to catch up with Vicki and get involved with her global SUP trips (she's got a fleet of blow up standos) contact her by email: vicki@supcoronado.com

Here comes the Loop!

All in: I sent in my registration for the Loop race yesterday. Nothing left to do but show up and blow up- or blow groceries. Check out the route:

The course is advertised as 11.35 miles. My GPS put it at 11.7 but that just could've been due to my zig zag paddling technique- specially designed to throw off any would be drafters. Or extend the agony.

Course Overview: The first three miles of the course is open water out to the marker buoy at the tip of the Zuniga Jetty. Out there, you'll be looking at Point Loma and if the south swell is still running you're going to see some sweet little right hand peelers at Ralph's, the surfspot tucked inside of Point Loma. At the marker, you take a right hand turn and start blazing for the narrowest part of the San Diego Bay, the channel right off of Ballast Point. Watch for boat traffic coming out of Spanish Landing as you squeeze through this spot. 

Next, you'll see San Diego's downtown on your left as you paddle along North Island Airbase towards the Coronado Bridge. This is the widest part of the bay and you'll likely see bigger ships moving through here; tugboats, aircraft carriers and destroyers. Don't get too distracted by the music playing through your headphones- those big ships are deceptively quiet and if one "sneaks" up on you, the blast from it's horn may trigger a sudden flushing of your bilges. 

Finally, you'll wrap around into Glorietta Bay and head towards the finish line. You'll have to make a decision before you bend towards the finish line. You'll need to decide when and where to cut through the moored sailboats and yachts. The final approach to the finish line can be tough as you're heading almost directly into the wind for the last quarter mile. At this point there's no whining and complaining allowed- suck it up and finish strong!

Race Review: Moonlight Beach Paddle and Swim, Encinitas Sports Festival

First of all, I'd like to thank Dan Van Dyck and his whole crew for a well organized, smoothly run race. I really liked the use of the chip timing (you wear a velcro strap around your ankle that triggers a timing device on a mat at the finish line). As you know, I'm always the guy who has some type of problem with results- sometimes I'm there, sometimes I'm not.  The chip timers are pretty much fool proof which means I sleep better at night knowing I'll be able to check my time. Here's a couple shots and commentary- check it:

Here's a shot of one fired up competitor... and a whole bunch of stand up and prone paddlers getting ready to challenge the windy, slightly stormy conditions. This was a tough race, the chop and swell was a little more gnarly than it looked like from the beach. In addition, there was a solid south westerly wind that was in your face for the long southern leg. There were lots of guys falling, cursing and grumbling- I like races like that!

The tents were up, the coffee hot and brrrr... we were cold.

The boards and competitors kept coming- all told, I think there were close to a hundred competitors. Not a bad turnout at all.

Here I am at the finish. After chasing Brendan Light for six miles, I almost had him in the surf zone. Brendan was stuck in a big hole between waves and I could see the look on his face as I bellied a wave right up to him. I yelled at him, "Go! Paddle in!" as I frantically tried to beat him to the beach- he ended up beating me by 17 seconds for fifth place in Men's Open Stock.

Boga Race Board: light, stable and pretty darn fast (didn't some Nor-Cal kayak guy smoke a bunch of people at the Dana Paddle Race on a board just like this?). This one looked good- I'm going to have to paddle it sometime.

Best part of the race? Finishing! Check out the mats... you run across them and the chip on your ankle triggers the timer- no yelling out numbers, no missed numbers... sweet! Here I am, like a cow heading to the barn, wondering where the cold beer is.

A level of clarity.

I get a lot of  "Dude SUPing sucks" and "your blog's stupid and you're an idiot" screeds in the p.net email inbox. Fortunately, every so often, mixed in among the knee jerk yappings- I receive a jewel. One of those comments that mean something. Or maybe it's an observation that contributes to the conversation or brings a level of clarity to what's going on here or in my life. Got this one today- check it out: 

Heh. It's so weird how I was *all* pumped up about kiting five years ago, then discovered SUP, and, um, well, all my kite gear has become dusty and obsolete, while my stand-o equipment becomes newer, lighter, and smaller. Not to diss kiting at all, just to underline the incredible, it-takes-over-your-life power of standup paddle. Now I'm tooling up to race. WTH? If you'd told me ten years ago I'd be putting my effort into anything that'd take me out of the impact zone, I'd have said you were nuts. Reality, as always, is broader than our imagination...

Wow. I told this guy or gal (and you can go back and read it all in the comments section of the last post) that he/she pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one. In fact, it's inspired me. I need to tell you,  my reality has been so much broader than imagination that, a few years ago, I would've called the life I'm currently living fantasy.  Except it's not and it's blowing my mind. Here's a couple examples:

1. Racing: I have never raced anything in my life. No track teams, BMX bikes or bullfrogs. My heart rate was like a Muddy Waters', blues progression- cool, steady- languid. Pulse spikes were limited to super model sightings and close out Puerto sets (um... that one actually is fantasy because I don't have the balls to paddle out at Puerto but I can imagine that the old ticker would be redlining).

Fast forward to the Present: Let's just say that racing and I are heavily involved. I train for it (weekly, timed paddles, interval work, a weight lifting program, built in recovery and carb loading days). I plan for it (thank you Google Calenders and the Eaton race website). I've even got a racing work ethic: Get there early- gotta nab the best parking. Leave late- gotta quaff the after race victory beers. And celebrate my small victories (and I do mean small... if you saw the 4th place trophy for the Seaside Slide you know what I mean).

Perhaps most telling is this: My good buddy, Captain Ron, told me that I'd knock a couple seconds off my mile if I wore one of those skin tight, East German, Olympic iceskate racer suits. I said that was ridiculous... that's where I draw the line. At least until the Battle of the Paddle.

2. My waist line: Dude, I was fat. I was at least 235lbs and probably more like 240. The low point? I asked a fellow racer what I needed to buy to be faster, his answer: "You can be fat or you can be fast- you can't be both". That was a gut punch- and, believe me, there was plenty to hit.

Fast forward to the Present: Ever heard of a "fitted shirt"? I do fitted shirts now. Look at the masthead of this blog- that was me at 235. See those blue/gray trunks? Can't wear 'em anymore, they fall around my feet. My shopping cart looks like the inside of Pacquiao's refrigerator (I know because I saw it on "Cribs") all good, healthy red meats, bright colored vegetables and acres of spinach. Who would've known me and Pac-man, eating like brothers.

And guess what?  I AM faster. Unbelievably, I've staked a spot on the forward part of the finisher's  bell curve. I'm on the positive side of average and on the good days (identified as the races where two or three fast guys decide not to show up) I can even end up in the top ten. What kind of fantasy world put's me in Ricky Martin's old rayon v-necks and occasionally in sight of open water? Not one that I would have predicted just a couple of years ago.  

The point is this, the crystal ball is never set for any of us. Best of all, the power to determine what's in the future lies in your hands. All you've got to do is reach out and grab a hold of something good. In my case, I lucked out and wrapped my fingers around a carbon fiber paddle- little did I know that decision would put me on a path to some great changes in my life. I hope the same has been true for you.

Wow, the fuse just got lit... summer goals.

Did a quick scan of the calender today and realized how soon I'm going to be done with work and into my summer vacation. Wow. I'll be competing in three races (Moonlight Race, The Loop and the Hobie/Hennessey's race) and then I'm out of here for a week of surfing. Crazy how time starts flying by. Time to set goals for the summer. Here's what I've got so far:

1. Compete in ten California races between June and October.

2. Improve my time in the Chainsaw Massacre (a local six mile race here in Coronado) which will mark my first complete year of racing. I'm hoping to beat 1:30.

3. Complete the finish work on the 14' wooden dory that I put together last summer. I need to finish sand the outside of the hull and varnish it.

Remember my little project? Well, there she is- waiting for adventure.

4. Do a five day surf/paddle/windsurf trip to Punta San Carlos (a remote point eight hours south of the border).

5. Spend a week paddling my dory and stand up board in some of the beautiful rivers and lakes of northern California/Southern Oregon.

6. Learn how to shoot a 12 gauge properly.

7. Row my dory out to Point Loma with my surfboard, a lunch and a six pack. Surf, sleep in the sun and row it home.

8. Learn how to do a nose ride 360 on my longboard stando.

9. Do one kitesurf/paddle trip to San Quintin (I spent four years kiting before I started doing stando... since then, my kites have gathered dust... I wouldn't mind pumping up my 12m and getting reaquainted if the conditions were right).

That's what I've got going on this summer. And you?

Not like the first time.

Once again, my mind is preoccupied with visions of left hand point breaks peeling through cobalt blue waters. I can practically feel the warm afternoon winds and taste the sopes con pollo that I know Saundra and the girls are warming up for me. Yep, the tickets have been purchased (First Class baby!), the housing booked and I'm stocking up on hard bricks of tropical surf wax- mainland Mexico here I come. Again. 

The place is definitely a great spot for stand up paddling but you've got to tread lightly when you come down with a stand up board. Things have changed since I first came down to surf the point, it's definitely not like the first time I was there. Surfers coming from the states have had to adapt to the "new kid on the block" and a lot of them bring their biases across the border with them. What this means is that you're more likely to get a couple of hard looks as you walk across the sand to the water and you may have to deal with a comment or two out in the water. Interestingly, it's not the locals who care too much about what you're riding as long as you obey the rules of the line up and know how to handle yourself and your board. Generally, you get the most grief from older surfers and, ironically, the loudest ones are almost always on big old long boards themselves. I don't want to bum anybody out and I don't want to ruin anyone's surf trip just by being in the water so I always try to be extra sensitive about my impact when I travel with my stand up board. Here's a couple of things I do to ease relations in the lineup. 

1. I don't stand up paddle the point in the morning. I concede the best part of the day to the prone surfers and won't surf the point until most of the dawn patrollers have come in. I make it a point to paddle out on my regular surfboard and catch a few with the "regulars" out there. I like for them to see that I'm capable of surfing prone as well as stand up. It's funny though how much more entitled you feel (and brazen) when you're out there battling it out on your belly- in most cases I think I've got better manners when I'm surfing stand up. 

2. When surfing the point on my stando, I'll paddle in if there are more than two of us out there. A point break can get clogged up pretty fast by three stand up paddlers. I don't want to be part of a continuous cycle of waves ridden by stand up paddlers at the expense of the prone surfers in the water- so I leave. 

3. I rarely paddle to the top of the point. Remember, everyone is sitting facing open water that means that inside waves further down the point may be going unridden and unseen. If you surf a little on the inside there's a great chance that you'll become the invisible surfer. Give the inside a chance, you'll be surprised at how many waves you'll nab right under the noses of the mob. 

4. Give away a bunch. Purposefully pull off a wave even when you have priority and hoot someone on the shoulder into it. Be generous and cognizant of who's getting waves and more importantly, who isn't- those are the ones you want to give 'em away to. 

5. And finally, a guideline to live by: Know your limits- if you can't control your board, DO NOT paddle into the thick of things. If you're still learning to surf- stay away from the peak. Earn your spot out there and keep it by being skillful, respectful and mindful.

Have fun and travel safely!

Carbon Fiber Race Board for Sale: The Black Beauty!

Kiwi's selling off his custom Stu Kenson racer, The Black Beauty. This board is a proven winner in the California race series- the board is super stable and blazing fast. If you're looking to paddle in the stock class races and want a board that you know is fast- this is it. $1200 or best offer. Contact kiwii1@pacbell.net Check it out: 

Inside Scoop: The Coronado Loop Stand Up Paddle Race

Anybody else out there going to race the Loop in Coronado? I'm looking forward to this one even though I know that the net result is some serious pain. How do I know? I'm feeling it right now. I'm wallowing in that all over soreness that knocks the crap out of you. 

Kiwi and I practice paddled the course today. This will be my first time ever racing in the Loop and Kiwi's fourth. Since I've never paddled it before, I didn't want my first time to be on race day. When you wait until race day to get out and run the course you deal yourself an instant psychological blow- the unknown is scary and when you don't know where the end is, the race seems to drag on forever. That's why, if possible, I always try to pre-paddle the route. I'm especially fortunate to have a paddling teammate (we're both from Imperial Beach so that automatically puts us on the same team) who's done the race a few times- Kiwi passed on a couple of tips that he earned through sweat and agony. Thanks mate! And, no, I won't share them with you- well, maybe over a few beers after it's over.

If you don't know about the Loop, here's some basic information about the race. First of all, this is a race founded by prone paddlers- our vertically challenged paddling brothers. What that means is that there won't be many stand up paddle divisions (this is my general rule of thumb- if the race is put on by a prone paddler, even if there are twice as many stand up paddlers in it, there will be limited divisions for the stand up guys and gals). In the case of the Loop there is only Stand Up Mens and Stand Up Womens divisions- no age group breakdown and no board type breakdown. What that means is that somebody on an Unlimited stand up board will probably win- those of us who race stock are going to be lagging behind those eighteen and nineteen foot monsters.

Secondly, the Loop is an eleven mile race that somehow comes out to be 11.7 miles- be ready especially if you're one of those types of racers who hangs onto every tick of the GPS mileage counter. This is definitely not your four to six mile sprint-type race you'll want to get into your groove and pace yourself for the long haul. If you're like me and your weekly distance practices are between four and six miles you'll find that the distance starts to affect you around mile eight, definitely come prepared with fluids and food.  In the course of those eleven miles you'll be paddling open water and flatwater so practice in both types of conditions is recommended.

Finally, approximately three quarters of the race takes place inside of the San Diego Bay. Depending on the direction of the tide, your trip past the various twists, turns and narrows of the Bay can be a fun little downhill run (if the tide is flooding) or a grueling slog uphill on a watery conveyor belt doing its best to push you back out the mouth. My biggest piece of advice is to go paddle the Loop a couple of times so that you figure out where to be depending on race day conditions. Nothing is more helpful than logging data points out on the course- even if means a trip to the land of Ibuprofen is in your future.

Chili con CARNAGE at the Paddle For Humanity

I was stoked to compete in the Paddle For Humanity this past weekend at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. All of the usual suspects were there blazing through the six mile course making it look easy (the poster child for that is Christina Zur who paddles like she's sleep walking while she goes zipping by...  her technique, truthfully, is mesmerizing). I huffed and puffed it and finished in an hour and ten minutes. Couple of observations about that: 

Nice turn out, nice race, nice day.

1. Wow, get off your race board for a week (I was up in Santa Barbara corralling rambuctious seniors on a school campout) and you are going to feel it. I swear I was pulling a gill net behind me out there.

2. I'll take credit for a little progress- my first completely open water race was the Chainsaw Massacre not quite a year ago. That race was 6.5 miles the Paddle For Humanity was just under that (6.45 on my GPS). My time at the Chainsaw 1:33, my time at the Paddle For Humanity 1:10.... hmmm is it possible? Am I getting faster?

The morbidly fascinating part of the race was the finish which involved surfing the small 2' Doho rollers into the closeout section. That section sucked up and whomped onto the cobble encrusted sand- it was like watching a train wreck. Except we were wrecking three thousand dollar carbon fiber race boards. The crowd loved it, the ding guys loved it... I loved it. Check out some damage:

Carnage asada...

The WHOMP getting ready to do its thing.

See that little cobblestone bank? That's the cheese grater. The cheese grater had magic attractive qualities for loose boards.

My new 12'6 Tim Stamps Race board more photos of the shape-out.

Check her out from a couple more angles:

Tough to photograph such a long, totally white object- Tim brought her out from the shape room to have a look at the curves in different light.

Here's a shot of the bottom... lots of stuff going on there.

The footwells with the spine running right down the middle... kind of like a steel I-beam construction to keep her stiff.

All done and ready to go to the glass shop- you can get a little peek at the foil of the board and how the nose curves blend into the rest of the board.

Another bottom shot... there's a lot of fine tuning that goes on before the board can be called completed... I didn't understand much of what was going on but it sure looked cool.

Tim calls this nose, "the Concorde nose".

One more shot of the bottom of the hull.

Tim Stamps 12'6 Stand Up Raceboard: Big and boxy

This is a big board for a big boy. When you're solidly in the two bill category (I'm 212lb right now) you can't effectively race on a board made for a guy weighing a buck eighty. That's where this baby comes in:

No big deck cockpit and a big, wide, square tail. I've spent enough time following fast boards out there to see how cleanly the water comes off those boxy hindquarters- kind of fascinating actually. Next time your out take a look at how the water sheets off the different tail shapes. Granted, a lot has to do with how the rider is trimming the board but still, it's worth taking a look even if it does mean all those ahead of you are smoking your a#$.

Tim Stamps Custom 12'6" Raceboard: My new stock class racer!

Here's a sneak peek at my new raceboard:

I was stoked to be able to hangout in the shop and watch Tim shape my new raceboard... this thing's getting me excited. Check back for more about this board.

Just a cool one from down south...

I want to go back... 

The local guys didn't even surf in April because March was so outstanding they were satiated... I can only imagine how that much feel. Please send me back.

A new board in town: The Easter Egg...

Kevin told me that's what they've been calling this one- I think it's going to stick. Check out Pat's new, Brett Bender shape, the Easter egg:

This one came in at 9' x 29". Cool paint job.

Really cool tucked under edge on the rail of the board- almost like a chine. I'm going to find a way to finagle this off of Pat for a little test drive.

The board is really light, it was made to be a zippy little noserider- I think the mission was accomplished. Can't wait to see it surfed on a clean day.

Adventure! But first...

So this is how I spent most of my Easter:

Repacking hubs with fresh grease... sound fun? Not so much.

By the time you read this I'll be hundreds of miles up the coast, pulling this little beauty, dreaming about peace and tranquility. Or not- the twenty kids I'm taking up past Santa Barbara may put an end to the peace and tranquility part of the scenario- but hey, it's for a good cause and we're creating memories here.

How cool is that little trailer? I'm packing five trashcans of firewood, four coolers, ten pounds of pollo asada, ten pounds of carne asada, forty eight top sirloin hamburger patties, fifteen pounds of lunch meet, eight loaves of bread.... man it just goes on and on. Oh yeah, six stand up boards, oars and leashes... because you just never know if the little right point in front of the campground might decide to flip the "go" switch. You never know.

Mainland Mexico Surf Trip: A couple more photos

Just zeroing out the SD card on my camera- found a few more photos from our trip (planning my next one already...!).

I snapped this photo sitting at the restaurant, this was on the last day and you can see that a pretty good set is coming through the point. The waves here are really long, they're not the most powerful waves but they throw up all kinds of sections with little curves and kinks that you have to work through if you want to get the most out of it. I really like surfing here- it's a fun wave.

Here's the drying rack of our second story deck. The surf spot is literally steps away. When you're done with a session you hit the shower that's right in the front yard, climb the steps to the deck and ditch your wet trunks for some dry ones. If you're smart, you hang 'em up to dry- if you're really smart you tie 'em off like this so that the wind, or a curious iguana, doesn't take off with 'em.

This guy would show up in the morning on his horse carrying his surfboard. He'd tie off his ride and go for a surf, take off and then come back in the evening for another session. The people in the little town behind the surfspot are, in general, really friendly. The local surfers are stoked- the kids who surf here all the time really have it wired. I waited 'til the last day and caught this guy coming out of the water, walked right up to him and gave him a little regalo; six bars of tropical surfwax that Chad had left over- it's gold to those guys, expensive and tough to come by- he was stoked!

Welcome home: Was I really just surfing 200 yard long roping left-handers?

Jetting around globe is a trip. You can be surfing crystal blue, head high, Mexican peelers with girls in bikinis in the morning and by six that evening you're fighting the urge to push a lowered Tercel off the edge of the 405. Blink once, surfing bliss. Blink twice, it's a gray April, Southern California afternoon.

Best memory of this trip: "Hey, thanks for yesterday". Me: "What?". Girl: "You probably don't even remember do you?" Me: "No..." Girl: "You shouted me into that wave- the first and only one I caught that afternoon. It was great!" Me: "Oh yeah! You were on the Harbour longboard, right?" Girl: "Yeah! Thanks!" Me: Smile.

In surfing, share.

Mexican shopping list on the stairway of death

Last day down here- making sure the pantry is well stocked:



This is way gnarlier than you think- shoulders blown out by surfing everyday, five rum bubbas clouding your frontal lobe and then you're supposed to get the left over booze from the guy upstairs? Are you kidding me?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wondering about the Absolute Trip 12'6" Race board?

Happy to say it seems to work. Ned Johnson of Paddle board Orlando took a 2nd place trophy in the Water Monkey race in Tampa, Fl. today. They say he dominated the whole race out front then fell on a buoy turn got passed by 5 guys then hunted them down and went on to get 2nd place. I do not have the times yet but I am stoked. The board did everything I wanted it to but a side by side comparison of the Bark 12'6" its faster but did not have the glide of the Bark. So back to the shop last week. I tested the drag and the glide determined it was a weight issue "to light". I added a 3lb hot coat, re sanded the bottom and am hearing its blistering fast now. Apparently it works. 1st race, 1st trophy. Not Bad....


I tested it in the surf last week and it actually surfs pretty good I was catching swell outside and bringing them through no problem. Even went down the line. Pretty crazy I like it. Took it in the flat water with the PBO guys and I was on the Bark pulling hard on my paddle trying to catch my board and snapped my favorite paddle. Anyone have a fairly clean "Power ex" paddle they want to sell? I need a clean blade.

Peace,
Capt Ron Neff

How to eat a mango: Surfer food... mainland edition.

Esmerelda, the owner of the house that we're renting dropped off a bunch of ripe mangos and papaya. I'm not a fan of papaya, it tastes kind of like puke in my opinion. Mango, especially the little yellow variety that they have down here is something else- I love those mangos! Here's how you peel and eat a mango:



You need a sharp knife and you need a ripe mango- I prefer these little ones. The big green and red ones are okay but these are the best. In the states I've seen them called champagne mangos- grab a couple ripe ones.



Next, make a rum and coke to get in the mood- four count rum, handful of ice cubes and some coca cola (in the States I'll go with 7Up and spiced rum down here- clear rum).



The first slice is just to the side of the middle of the mango- you're trying to avoid the pit in the middle while producing a nice thick slice off the side. In the photo above, we'll be eating off the bottom piece of mango.



Take your knife and cut a grid pattern into the mango- easy now, don't cut your damn hand open- we know you've been drinking!




Now, flip the mango inside out and you'll have all these little mango nuggets fully exposed and ready for you to mash your face into- I like to sprinkle a little salt and chile on the mango... try it, you'll love it.



You get two slice off each mango, so after you're done macking the first side, pick up the mango and shave off the other side and repeat the first steps.



You also get the mango on either side of the pit. To get that part, you just peel the skin off the thin middle slice and jam your face into it.



If you're doing it right, then you should have mango chunks all over your face... and the rum should make you happy. In my case, check yes in both boxes.

Final note: If you have any papaya left over, throw it away.


Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

When you least expect it....

Well the surf didn't quite build into what we thought it would. Isn't that always the case: When you expect great waves- you get mediocre surf... and when you don't expect it, when everything is a bonus, than you score. That's what's happening right now. We had two SUPER fun days at "Up the Road" and a couple fun sessions at "out in fronts"- if we had to leave right now we'd consider it a success. But, I'm still crossing my fingers for a couple more stellar mornings!



If you want to go low-budge, you can live in one of these right on the point... but be ready, the mozzies know where the easy meals are.



Every time I come down here there's some new animal hanging out at the cantina. Last time, it was a baby deer named Chico (don't know what happened to Chico) this time it's a little pack of Lab puppies.



Heres the view off the front porch. If you like it hot, humid and tropical, this place is it. Check out the little surf shower steps off the beach.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad