through a webcam, darkly

The past week inna instagram stylie. Normally looking at a surf-cam is torture, less so when it's 14° out, with a wind chill factor of -6°. Thanks to the most excellent Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Shop webcam for letting me gleep their images.

Essex Mass has a prime example of Shingle Style Architecture. It's a quintessentially American style from around the 1880-1890's - amazing stuff.

Gyros at the Ipswich House of Pizza - regional classic don't miss it!

Pete Seeger: 1919 – 2014

Respect

Perpetual Ocean - amazing animation of ocean currents

Watch and give thanks!:

"and the crooked places will be made straight"

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

First Surf of the Year and It's a Good One

After missing the last swell from the previous week a cleaned up windswell and mild(er) temps made for a fun afternoon. No bad feelings about missing the prior week's banger, with a wind chill factor of 8° and loads of closeouts, I'll live to fight another day. But that was then - it all lined up, along with my schedule for good afternoon. This winter rubber plus holiday slacking really drove home the importance of physical conditioning. It took all afternoon to get dialed in, at which point my muscles were smoked. Still, hooking into fast, chest high hero waves always satisfy. Note: look carefully, these waves are a little bigger than they's seem at first glance. Surf buds Eric and Spencer are drawing some pretty high line as they speed left. Some wanker did my motor at my home break. I was too happy about the waves to really care. No rain? No problem; this time tomorrow it will be fixed.

Motorcycle Monday - Bultacos Rock

Bultaco was a Spanish manufacturer of two-stroke motorcycles from 1958 to 1983.

The origin of the Bultaco motorcycle company dates back to May 1958. Francisco "Paco" Bultó was a director of the Montesa motorcycle company founded in 1944.



Setting up shop in very primitive conditions at an old farm owned by Bultó, things developed quickly. In 1959 Bultaco held a press day and launched its first bike, the road-going 125cc Bultaco Tralla 101, named after the Spanish word for whiplash. Just two months later Bultaco entered its first Spanish Grand Prix taking seven of the first ten places.


Although they made road and road racing motorcycles, the company's area of dominance was off-road, in motocross, enduros, and observed trials competition.

Perhaps the most famous Bultaco model is the Sherpa T, a trials bike, which revolutionised the sport in the 1960s. At that time trials was almost exclusively a British sport using big heavy four-stroke machines. Bultaco dominated the World Trials Championship in the 1970s, winning the title eight times, and winning the Scottish Six Days Trial four times.





Bultaco's premier model in the USA, the Pursang, was an excellent handling and powerful 250 cc competition model that could readily compete in virtually any type of speed-based off-road competition. In later models this was expanded to 125 cc, 360cc and 370 cc Other models, such as the Sherpa T (trials), the Astro (flat tracker) and the Matador (trail bike), provided more targeted approaches to specific types of races.



Bultaco motorcycles were mainly powered by single-cylinder, air cooled, two stroke engines, but they also made water cooled versions. The rider was required to mix the oil and gasoline manually. Built in Barcelona, Spain, Bultaco motorcycles were exported throughout the world, but their largest market ultimately became the USA, allowing aspiring racers to purchase legitimately competitive motorcycles without modification.

Due to industrial unrest and market pressures, Bultaco production closed in 1979. The factory reopened in 1980, but closed again in 1983.

MotoGP star, Sete Gibernau is the grandson of the founder of Bultaco, Paco Bultó. Legend has it that Mr. Bultó asked to be buried "with his Bultaco t-shirt and his moustache properly waxed".

catchin' up

So what has been happening for the past month or so?
Well first off merry Christmas and happy new year, belatedly.

Frankly not a whole lot. Home ownership keept me super busy with broken water heaters, blizzards, and the like. There’s no sign of this nonsense every letting up, so I better work it into my landscape and get on with life. That said I love living in Ipswich, so come on by, friends, the door is always open.

So just a few tidbits to get caught up.

Christmas: it’s my house, so that means a REAL tree, and opening presents on Christmas morning, NOT Christmas eve. It also means big, colored, old school lights. Little white lights – I banish you to the ‘80’s; get thee hence!

New years – it was so bloody cold that I was stoked to stay home and watch the Three Stooges marathon. Back in the Dana Hersey/WSBK Channel 38 days it started at 6 or seven and went through to about 3. Marathon means marathon. This year’s Stooges marathon was a glorified Kelly’s Roast Beef infomercial, with a few Stooges episodes sprinkled in for good measure. Lame.

And then the Babylon Blizzard – I don’t know why I call it that – but it was hefty, with a deep freeze follow up.

All the best for 2014, here’s to more of this in the coming year, because it was conspicuously absent in 2013.


 

That is all, carry on.