updates

The last few weeks have been nutty. My cousin Baldiri is staying with us while he takes some intensive English classes in preparation for his PhD. The last time we saw each other was fourteen years ago. We’ve been having a blast and he’s even had a chance to paddle out a couple of times and experience the beauty of Canadian surf, although his feet have frozen both times.

My parents are also in town. B and I live in the city centre and it’s usually quite nice. However, this weekend there was the Tall Ships Festival and the Atlantic Jazz Festival begun on Friday. It’s crazy in downtown Halifax. But with all the family in town we’ve been making some amazing food. Photos to come soon.

On top of everything, B and I bought a house last week! Woo hoo. Now I can have somewhere to store my surfboards and bikes that’s not the living room. Oh, and I can park my car at home instead of walking six blocks in 10 degrees below freezing in a wet wetsuit up icy hills.

Surfing has taken a bit of a back seat lately as the waves are inconsistent and any little bump draws hordes of fair-weather surfers and herds of beginners complete with flying soft tops and crowding on the inside. However, I’ve been lucky since my arrival to get in with some cats that have forecasting dialed and know the spots to go to. Mostly I surf with the good doctor and he is always up for first light sessions. By the time the crowds show up we’ve usually already surfed two hours or more.

On Saturday morning we saw a remarkable red sunrise at the Dog House. The waves we’re less than perfect but I pulled off my first frontside fins free over the lip since I lived in Hawaii. The Doctor pointed out to me a few weeks ago that I seemed to have a narrow skateboard stance. So I tried to surf with a wider stance and it made a huge difference. I had an easier time at generating speed and the wider stance lowered my centre of gravity - giving me more control. I feel like I am progressing really fast right now and it’s a good feeling.

I will be starting a house blog soon to document the biggest purchase of my life. I’ll post the link soon for those of you who are interested.

All photos by Baldiri taken over the last 72 hrs.