Adventure in the Pacific

 

         The surf and warm sun had worked me toward a meditative trance when a flash of red, ripping through my view had me ambling for the camera.

        The kite surf rig was in free drift. We had noticed a couple aloft just up Highway 1 north of where we parked to walk across a bench of land to the beach.

    In a moment I saw the rest of the gear, the pilot, ocean swimming in a steady surf. I thought he must be exhausted as he alternated between a back stroke and breaststroke. We wondered if we should alert beach rescue as we trained our attention on him.

        He stood up, saw his rig traveling south in a stiff breeze so it was back into the swim.

        He caught a kind of break- the rig was headed toward a cove further south.

        He was able to walk the shore watching as the gear moved toward a landing. What he may not have expected was playing the game of chase amongst a few elephant seals snoozing on the shoreline. 

        I thought he must be drained. Keeping the kite aloft while surfing would be demanding enough. The extra output of ocean swimming and then a long beach walk may have been more than he bargained for.

    The frame below is from his relative position as he came ashore. The rig was heading for the cove at the end of the beach in this shot.

        If you look carefully you can see it nestled to the left of the frame below.

        Below he has his back to one of the larger elephant seals who is letting loose with one of their snort roars.

        Sorry for the soft resolution and fuzziness of the shot, but it places the red rig in the collection of molting elephant seals.

In the frame below you see him at the far right retrieving something. 

        In the shot above a couple of the elephant seals appear to be taking an interest in that new red visitor to their domain.

            I was trying to decide what to do as we hiked back to our car, thinking I'd drive up to where I had seen the other rigs.

        We met a guy in a wet suit heading toward the beach. He said he was there to help a friend. I told him we had been a bit worried as his buddy had been stroking and chopping hard in the surf.

        "Oh, he's not happy, I can tell you that," he said smiling.

        "That's a lot of hard work for a sport" I said.  He just chuckled as he continued his long hike. 

                I suspect the story will be told a few times.

          Stay safe.

          See you down the trail.

A GAME OF LOVE--SHARING THE BIG BLUE and BAN FOOTBALL?

STRANGENESS ON THE COURT

   Cambria Tennis Club play cancelled Monday because of strangeness on the courts. Locals haven't seen this substance for quite a while. Measurable rain in September! Remnants of a tropical storm delivering a small gift and we hope a signal of the rainy season which begins next month.

    Glad to give up play for rain and oh how we hope some of this rain gets to the tragic fires burning upstate.

     A Game of Love

   In case you missed it, a real life fairy tail played out at the US Open Tennis Championship this weekend. Flavia Pennetta, ranked 26th defeated her life long friend and unranked player Roberta Vinci. That's the stat. As Chrissie Evert said, she's never seen such a happy scene after a match. Vinci came out of nowhere to upset the famed number 1, Serena Williams to get to the finals.

    The charismatic and charming Italian women, roommates when they were young, wowed the tennis world with enthusiasm and delight. Upon being presented the US Open Trophy, Flavia announced that a month ago she had decided to retire at age 34.  

     It was her first major championship and she is the oldest US Open Winner. You can't make up a better story line. Hope you can get a chance to see video of Vinci and Penetta in the trophy presentation. Their smiles and antics will make you smile.

     On the men's side the #1 Novak Djokovic beat #2 Roger Federer. I'm a fan of both men, but had hoped the 34 year old Fed could manage another win. He's won 5 but still plays with a grace and elegance that is unmatched.  Even Djokovic said he's the greatest player of all time.

HEADS UP

    We victims of traumatic brain injury pay close attention to the latest research on details of legacy affects. In the last couple of years we all have duly begun to pay attention the tragedy being inflicted on football players after years of serial concussions.

     A good friend and one of the more studied and wise people I know says as "anti-American" as it may seem, it is time to outlaw football, until and unless it can be proved that new helmets and rules can prevent what is now common place-serial concussions and the damage they extract. 

    A couple of high profile NFL suicides has further opened the door on what is one of those obvious issues hiding in plain view. By the time a kid has played junior league, high school and college football, he has rattled his brain thousands of times. 
     Will Smith stars in an upcoming film the NFL would like to see go away. We are told the story line has been tweaked a bit to soften the blow, but Concussion is on path to create a new public awareness-long overdue.

SUMMER COVE

sharing the water

   One of the many Humpback Whales that have summered near the shore from Cambria to San Simeon.

         Sea Otters have become cohabitants as well.

     Tourists have taken to the San Simeon Cove too, sans wet suits.  More evidence of the warmer than normal currents.

   See you down the trail.

PATIENCE and GOOD BYE DAVID

THE GRACE OF A FISH STALKER

 The agility, skill, patience and beauty of a seine fisher working a craggy point on Kawelia Bay on Oahu's north shore. 

   Minutes would pass with barely a discernible motion while the eyes were tracing the game.

     I watched, transfixed for a couple of hours of this ballet like action which resulted in several captured fish.

GOOD BYE DAVID

   I sadly note the passing of David Odell, a California friend and one of the true gentlemen of this age.  David was an intellect with a range as wide as his worldly travels. Though journalism and documentary work puts one in a league of travel and world travelers, David and his beloved Betty were the two most widely traveled people anywhere, certainly that I've met There are few places they have not been.  

   David was also a wise counsel and a true peacemaker. His skill and grace served him well and made him a perfect member of boards and there were many he served.

    David and Betty were in Bali when he collapsed. 

    In December of 2012 I posted about David's decision to retire from active tennis.  Here is a reprint.

DAVID HANGS IT UP
First Published December 21, 2012

     An era came to a sad but noble end today. I think of it as a ghost of Christmas future.  

     A tennis partner quietly announced at the net as we were shaking hands at the conclusion of a match, that he would no longer be playing. David said he could not trust his balance anymore and he didn't want to take another fall, as he has twice this year.  David is an octogenarian.

     I didn't play tennis until we moved to Cambria.  My court sport in Indiana was basketball, but wanting to stay in shape I began as a late aged neophyte on the tennis court. It took months of some awful play before I was worthy of joining into a foursome.  David, Phil and Janos were the first group to ask me to sub from time to time.  They were also the first group to ask me to join as a permanent player.

     I play three days a week in three different foursomes now, but the Friday morning 9AM foursome on Court 1 was the "mother's milk" of my tennis play.  David, Phil and Janos allowed me to learn and grow and they are a delightful group of guys. After our play, we always end up at Lilly's coffee deck for wide ranging conversations and a good dose of friendship.

      David and I were often partners and there would be times he wore a frustration at what had departed his game. But there were also those times when his wicked cross court shot, or a hard hit liner would do the job and was evidence of a man who had great game.  He particularly enjoyed, as I did as well, when we would rally back from being down and win the match. We both would leave the court with more spring in our step.  He remained a competitor though he knew his days of being an excellent player were history. He loved the game and he continued to play.  

     David was also the picture of a gentlemen competitor at all times.  He evinced a great sportsmanship and integrity.  He is also a true gentlemen in every other regard.  A class act if ever there was one.  As well traveled as anyone I've met, even among other globe trotting journalists, David is a great joy in social settings.  We hope he will continue to join us for our post match coffee.

      Our buddy Phil has been on medical leave of recent, though his love for the game is pushing him to get back on the court as well.  In my few years of play I have come to know that love of the game and can understand how tough it must be to hang it up.  David will now take up lawn bowling, of which there is a tough league in Cambria.  And he may join the ping pong matches.

      I am indebted to Janos, Phil and David.  I will miss David's enthusiastic narratives and droll humor as we play. And I hope at some distant match, holiday season or other wise, I can leave the game with the same class and gentlemanly style as David.

      And for the record David's quick returns and well aimed shots earned us several points today.

      Goodbye friend!

      See you down the trail.

     

IMPRESSIVE POWER and SOME SELFIE HUH?

BIG WATER

    It was no drought buster, but Central California got soaked the last few days. The 2-5 inches of rain was appreciated. The big story of the storm was the high surf.

       Piers were damaged in beach communities to the south. A few boats were beached and a wave smashed a window at a wharf restaurant giving a few people a scare. One worker was washed out of the building but walked out of the surf below the pier.

     Cambria's famous Moonstone Beach, all but disappeared  under the heavy surf.

    Massive drift wood pushed around like tinker toys.

OSCAR

    Did you watch the telecast?  What do you think? Wonder how many calls to pizza shops, Ellen prompted?  What a group selfie eh? Despite all of those famous faces, it looked pretty much like anyone else's-though our's don't crash Twitter.

    Did your choices win?  
    BTW we saw The Great Beauty this weekend. No wonder it's a winner.  I'd like to hear what some of you think about it-especially boomer men. 

    See you down the trail.

SEAL TEAM STEEL-YOUR NEWS IQ AND IT TAKES A VILLAGE

SEAL COOL

    REEL NOTES CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

    A couple of extraordinary things struck me in an otherwise excellent film, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks, who seems incapable of anything but masterful. Hank's acting when he portrays Captain Phillips in shock, and the extraordinary low key cool of the real navy personnel who play acted their real life roles, are more than worth the ticket.

     Hanks emotional volume and visceral acting in this act were stunning. 

      As the operation drama reaches a peak, the screen fills with military and medical staff who are the real deal, apparently getting a pass to portray a role. They evince an élan. It is all about mission-efficient and in control.

     You see technology and intel being brought to conduct in the planning and execution of the operation. These touches are an additional layer of film making skill.

      The film is an enthralling adventure.  There are present issues with the real Captain Phillips' navigating and some of the Phillips' behavior was directorial interpretation. Though not unimportant, they do not affect the storytelling or power of engagement in Greengrass' film. For his part, Hanks has such a facile way of digging into a character and making them live he trades on credibility and you believe.   

 LOW DOWN ON LOW INFORMATION 

     How do you define a low information voter?

     If the recent work of Pew Research is indicative "low information" might be giving too much credit. Is stupid more appropriate?   How do you measure up?

     Link here to take a quick News IQ Quiz.  You may have your own editorial comment after you've seen your results and those of fellow voters.

LOCAL COLOR

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

    We treasure village life.  

    The simple pleasures are magnified, as when the grounds of the Cambria Historical Society became the gathering center for a Harvest Market-a kind of tag sale, ice cream social and music venue.  For those who do not know our village nestled in Monterey Pines between the Pacific and the Santa Lucia mountains, here are homespun autumn snapshots. 

a desert that is an appetizer

    See you down the trail.