(Almost) Free Art

Every spring my good friend Makoto, his brother Vasco, and their friends, spend a few weeks in southern Chile surfing their collective brains out.  When I saw this photo of Vasco emerging from the water with the sunset illuminating a perfect, feathering lip, I started begging Makoto to send me a copy.  I forced the issue when ms. pix and I spent the afternoon at Makoto's house making what we all agreed were the world's best fish tacos.  Makoto printed out the shot as well as another shot of him pulling into an inviting barrel.  Even at a 12x16 size, the detail and colors are amazing (the Canon 5D helps).  Picked up a pair of rustic wood frames at Pottery Barn for under $90 bones.  Presto - instant art on the cheap.  The shots of the brothers Agnoli in surfing nirvana look great in my bedroom.  Next year I'm in.

You'd Better Learn How to Surf...

The real surfers in San Francisco spend the summer waiting for winter. I do the opposite. Got down to what's left of Ocean Beach (El Nino tore apart everything man-made this past winter) for my first session of 2010. The shirtless bros hanging in the parking lot in their Levis reminded me of images from California's surf scene in the 70's.

Was great to get back in the water. Reminded me that fear is a necessary prelude to doing anything worthwhile.

Sartorially speaking, surfing continues to greatly influence fashion. As long as there is some authenticity to it, I think this trend is pretty cool. A new brand that gets it right is Santa Barbara's Riviera Club, whose clothing is inspired by the real-life adventures of SB surfer Bunker Spreckels.