stormy friday, first snow, big surf

yesterday I woke at 6:30AM to change Moe's diaper. in his room it was bright like morning and yet not sunlit. I looked out and realized that the brightness was street lights reflecting off of the years' first white snow. it was a peaceful scene even though the wind was howling at 30 knots.

riding my bike to work was almost like surfing shallow victory at sea beach break. in order to avoid slidin out I had to ride in the tracks left by cars, as the plows were nowhere to be seen. on the road, jumpy morning drivers with trigger foot on the gas pedal, become even more sketchy as snow plus cyclists makes them super fucken jumpy. in the end I made it to work at a decent time and escaped without a fall.

I watched the buoys all day, refreshing the screen even though I knew it hadn't changed since the last time I checked but it was like an itch that had to be scratched. phone calls were made, emails sent, no one knew what the conditions were like. there were few places that would handle the east swell and raging offshores and everyone knows where to go. at 2 PM I made the call. I pedaled home against a headwind that made it seem like a steep mountain grade. my legs burned when I put the bike in the garage. I ran inside and collected my winter gear and two boards. off I went like a crazed crack head with a $10 bill looking to score a hit.

I pulled into the lot and had to park in the back. the place was packed. the bay was sheltered and glassy between sets. the peak looked a little overhead and with 15 plus guys on it. I split and went to the next spot. as I parked JB pulled up behind me. we suited up quickly and opted for our thrusters. we were soon joined by a local head who dominates the area. no one else was out. the sets looked big but it wasn't until we made it out that I realized how big it really was.

I won't go into detail about the session. it's not important to review the details. I can however, say that JH and Blacks and JB and the rest of the crew were scoring. I was flailing. the small thruster that I'd been riding since spring now felt tiny in my winter gear. I kept getting hung up in the lip and getting worked more times than I care to remember -at one point running into shredder X like a nube on a soft top in summer slop. reckomn sometimes you got it sometimes you don't. needless to say the small thruster is gone. the doubt about whether it was big enough or not is gone.

the waves in Nova Scotia are mostly cold, windy and weak. but on those days when the stars are aligned and you are able to bail work...