Hobart "Hobie" Alter (October 31, 1933 – March 29, 2014)

Thanks Hobie!

cruise by the old hood

Near where I grew up as a kid. This skiff has been sitting here in the same spot - ageing to perfection since before I was born. It belonged to Bob Binney, neighbor and nice guy. That's a long time. It will probably be removed to make way for yet another McMansion or Starter Castle, so it was nice to see.

call me old school:

March Half Frame Madness

The miracle of film.
Well, actually the only miracle here is that my local CVS still provides one-hour film processing.

God love 'em.

Musclecar Monday: 1961 Chrysler 300G and the "300 letter series"

The Chrysler 300 "letter series" were high-performance luxury cars built in very limited numbers by the Chrysler Corporation in the U.S. from 1955–1965. Each year's model used a new letter of the alphabet as a suffix (skipping "i"), reaching 300L by 1965, after which the model was dropped.

The 300 "letter series" cars were among the vehicles that focused on performance built by domestic U.S. manufacturers after World War II, and thus can be considered one of the muscle car's ancestors, though much more expensive and exclusive.

Amazing video - so nicely done!

Europe 24 from NATS on Vimeo.

Waves, Sunshine Sneak Through Cracks in Winter Armor

The usual suspects in the usual places still pumping the satisfaction.  Feeling the warmth of the sun through that rubber despite the offshores is a sure sign that winter's starting to break.

A sure sign I'm getting settled in:

Surprise fun on a spectacular afternoon

The swell was not supposed to fill in until tomorrow, but but the earlier the better during a drought. As the vernal equinox approaches, the light has a warmth to it, which is needed when the water temps are still 38°. This 9'4" Hansen - the partnership board (more on that later) rocked. Friends said it was waist plus, but after I paddled out on a pre-leash era board, some occasional head high sets swung through. Such a fun board - cranks a meaty bottom turn, then take the hike and rocket down the face.

Long-range weather forecast: no likey.

The weather for us: a big shit sandwich and we all gotta take a bite.
colder than average for the forseeable future

3 Feet High and Rising - it's been 25 years? (!!)

March 3, 1989:
Along comes De La Soul with their positive style making them an oddity beginning with the first single, "Me, Myself and I".

Their positivity meant many observers labeled them a "hippie" group, based on their declaration of the "D.A.I.S.Y. Age" (da inner sound, y'all). Sampling artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, Hall & Oates, Steely Dan and The Turtles, 3 Feet High and Rising is often viewed as the stylistic beginning of 1990s alternative hip hop and especially jazz rap.

"An inevitable development in the class history of rap, De La Soul is new wave to Public Enemy's punk," wrote critic Robert Christgau in his Consumer Guide column's review of 3 Feet High and Rising.

And for what it’s worth, that worthless rag, Rolling Stone magazine gave the album three stars (what? just 3?) and concluded that it was "one of the most original rap records ever to come down the pike, the inventive, playful 3 Feet High and Rising stands staid rap conventions on their def ear."

Looking back, when Three Feet High and Rising was released 25 years ago today, the hip hop world was changed instantly and permanently, says the surfer.