Fall Frenzy

           Surfing has been such an awesome experience and has taught me so much about life. Last night I was watching I Am Legend and in the movie, a woman says, "It is much quieter now. If you listen you can hear the voice of God." That is how I would describe surfing. Although there are times when it isn't quiet, most times it can be a place of tranquility and utter bliss. There are times of great joy when you catch a wave that you want to last forever or spending time with others at the beach. There is also the fear of the unknown (and sometimes known) wildlife that swims beneath you or not knowing when you will get your next breath. It is humbling and brings about a recognition of how small and fragile we are.
           It seems like I am constantly learning life lessons when I am on the water. For instance, one can learn patience while waiting for a wave that is worth catching. You can learn how to be decisive by choosing a wave, even when you don't know whether it's going to be worth it or not. Learn to overcome fear and anxiety, that shadows over most of us, by surrending them to God as you enter the water. Surfing is not the only way that God has blessed me to be able to experience these things, but it is definitely a way.
           This fall I decided I needed to work on my surfboard because after a few years of use, it started taking in some water. Even though it is an epoxy board, which is supposed to be more durable than a polyurethane board, it is not bullet proof (especially when it flies off the top of your car when your going 55 MPH). After doing some pretty extensive repairs on the rails of my 7ft Walden (which went great!), Jason (a coworker) gave me a 1980 Grizzly board that he has had for years . Although the graphics where radical and amusing, they had to be trashed if I was going to fix the board properly (see photos below...sad ). It was literally a trash board... his buddy found it in the trash... Since the board was damaged all over and considered a total loss, I decided to use it as a learning experience. Hopefully after this process, i'll have another board to ride and share. :) Here is the progress that has been made so far...

           Here is what the board looked like when it was received.

           I started stripping off the old fiberglass to bring it back to a foam blank.

   After reshaping the nose, tail, rails, and... pretty much the entire board, I had to fill in some holes with polyurethane resin and sand it to make it ruff.

After getting the board smooth, the next step will be to fiberglass it. I'll let you know how it goes. :) I also bought a $10 board from a flea market, which will be my next project. Pretty exciting stuff... to me anyway.