SURF CAMP #2 SUMMER SOLSTICE JUNE 20 2008

Leisure Learning Unlimited and my 15th year in business together. This trip though I had cancelled, after sinking the "Sea Cow" this past winter, I lost all of my accumulated equipment of 18 years, but Ted the owner at LLU encouraged me to keep at it. So this surf camp has made a large enough booking to run. First days of summer with the solstice friday nite. And my birthday, I am 9, nine years without any booze or illegal substances. I celebrated with my summer home AA group on the island thursday nite before my surf camp began. I got 3 surf sessions in Thursday, the day i arrived down here, waves were tiny. Friday set up camp and surf 3 sessions, waves are tiny, but good for practice, I am having problems with right shoulder. Later in the morning Carol Blackwell arrives with her birtday boy, her son Chris, he is 20, I help Chris with his first surf session, Carol is going to organized a Women's Club surf camp, so she is inspecting and learing about Tide Guide"s surf camp. Shawn Shultze and a business client of his Chris Gurecky arrive about sundown friday nite. Shawn's 4th season, and he had me build him his own custom Tide Guide surfboard, identical to the one i use, it's beautiful. Later in the nite Jean calls and she and Ted where not able to leave the office early enough to begin the drive down and are tired, so they will arrive tomorrow morning. Real comfortable evening, nice breeze, sounds of the surf. Shawn and Chris stay up late under the stars, sitting in the beach chairs. In the Morning Jean and Ted arrive, but no hurry's here, we occupy the beach chairs and i let this drag on for a long time before surf lessons. Nothing like island time, course i talk the surf lingo, no politics or religion,barf barf barf. We find out important things like, are you a "goofy foot or regular foot", i teach them how to wax the boards i got down for them. Ted is a flight engineer at NASA, and Jean will be entering a hospital in houston as a Surgeon. Chris Gurecky operates a family owned machine shop and is a major supplier for Haliburton, Shawn operates his family owned Airconditioning business. Me I'm retarded, I mean retired, I mean i am the professor of surfing. Yesterday I walked down to Morgan Faulkners surf camp. He operates monday thru friday, and he mostly teaches the young crowd 8 - 16 year olds, Morgan and I get along and its good for the profession that guys like he and i know and respect each other, also i signed another contract with Nueces County this being my ninth year running a surf camp. The gulf is kinda glassy, but some little peaks are consistently rolling in, this is actually fantastic for the beginners, water is ssssoooooo warm and refreshing I love it, during the second session i lead all of us across the glassy surface and we make our way to the outside, probably 500 yards offshore. On a gentle day like this I'll take beginners out here just to sit. It is quite an experience for them, but as a group it makes you feel more confident. It is quiet, I suggest they get off their boards, dangle their legs, put their arms across the deck of the board, rest their chin on the deck, and as a famous surf term states "hang out". Now i do this all the time, but remember, Ted sits all day long in a flight control center and Jean, well she "heals" people, so this jumping off their board at my suggestion must be quite an experience. Out here is where i'll ride big surf i hope this season, this is where the 10 - 15 foot bombs peak up and roar thru. We can see Shawn and Chris 200 yards away, hanging out and its so quiet we can hear them talk. Back Ashore and after watermelon Ted is napping in the shade, on his cot, in the breeze, Jean is next to him studying human anatomy i suppose. Ya know i really could just guide napping camps, Carols son napped for 3 hours yesterday. Waves are nothing to brag about, except for a beginner, so before dinner we all get in another session, I believe everyone has stood up, Chris Gurecky has shared with us that over the past year he has lost a wopping 95 lbs. He is now up and riding in pretty good form, the famous surfboard of mine, I aptly named years ago, the "U.S.S. COUCH POTATO" i built this board especially for waves like today it is 11 feet in lenght, so Chris now is a surfer.
Dinner is new this season, Shiskabobs, i have a butcher friend cut up the meat for me, And guest Chris Gurecky is a home gardener and he has brought this years harvest of red potatoes, okra, onion, tomato. Dinner is great and we all stay up for awhile, but not to late.
Saturday is glassy and beautiful, the eleven foot "U.S.S COUCH POTATO" board is shared by all of us and from camp it appears that the surfer is walking on water, the small waves are just great and easy to catch. This was a GGGRRREEEAAATTT camp............

U.T.S.A. School Kayak Camp Shell Bar May 2008

Kevin, Pat, Kenza, Ruti, and Carlos and Me.

Departed the barn at 3:30 a.m.. Zero traffic practically all the way to the beach. Much better on my nerves, don't have to drive as fast. UTSA are all down there since last night, Eliot Assistant Director of O-REC likes them to mellow into this Tide Guide outing. Karen has roused the campers at about dawn, "No Camping Allowed", Kevin trip leader answers, but Bill said it was O.K.. Oh he did, well he always thinks he can do it his way........ha ha, i already had called Neal her husband on Tuesday, letting him know that we were coming, so its Neal's fault. Excellent weather, and i am relieved since i haven't guided since i sunk my "Sea Cow" this past winter. Eliot is the power behind this trip, helping me to get back on that horse!!!!
We are going primitive kayaking, self propelled. Light S.E. winds, and after one hour on the trail we pull into the sea grass shoreline for lunch. Migratory Wildlife are vacant, no ducks on the wing, now the marine life will begin migrating into the back bays, since water temps are rising. We take our time traveling to Shell Bar, and stop in the middle of Shoalwater bay a couple of times. Either myself or Kevin stand in the shallow water and resemble an anchor, holding on to every ones kayak so the wind wont blow them off, and we talk and rest. Finally ashore at Shell Bar things are inviting. Camp is easily pitched for the next three days, some exploring is done and then "We all settle under the shade canopy and take a wonderful 2 hour nap" wind blowing and just pleasant. I had explained to Eliot that nobody would be raving about the food we ate since i don't have the Sea Cow and the decadent amenities that went down with her. So at dinner just before sunset food is O.K.. Ruti is quiet interested in the celestial kingdom, and tonite the stars are dazzling, and with our nap we stay up, Kevin bought "so mores", you know the camp fire staple. Marsh mellows, chocolate, gram crackers sandwich, I sit quietly just out of the firelight, but Kevin is very thoughtful and feeds me this ritualistic concoction, gag, i don't refuse, but don't ask for seconds. Real enjoyable watching stars and not t.v.
Very pleasant morning S.E. winds light and cool. Basic breakfast, no coffee, since it brings on dehydration. Beach combing in the late morning with Ruti, Kenza, Pat and Myself, walked up the Santo Espiritu Bay front. We found Ruti a Straw hat. The girls picked up to loads of plastic trash, as their environmental contribution. I found two more oyster shell castles i call them, bleached and pretty, i keep a growing collection in my office.
Early afternoon paddling trip, turns into a circumnavigation of Grass Island. This Island is home to one of the pairs of Whooping Cranes during the winter. We stayed on the leeward shore for an hour or more, then Kevin went out through a pass into San Antonio Bay. He played in the small wind swell, then came back and suggested that we go outside and return on this side of Grass Island, it was safe, with winds onshore, so I agreeded to this change in course. He is trip leader for the University and this was a good call, this allowed the students to get some additional experience in the kayaks. Once back safely ashore on Shell Bar, another long nap for all of us under the shade and in the breeze.
Sunday morning we depart Shell Bar very early with a 15 knot starboard aft wind, and it is a cinch to cover the 5 miles back to Welders, I waved at him as he stood on his dock. Thanks UTSA for getting Tide Guide out on the bay again......