Kane Garden

I just finished breakfast on my balcony.  Watching the sets roll in, I enjoyed my new favorite cereal (Optimum Power Cinnamon Blueberry) Seriously, it’s life changing.

When I woke up, I didn’t even have to get out of bed to check the surf; all I had to do was look out my sliding glass door:

I slept with the door open so I could hear the waves and the wind blowing through the top of the palm tree that reaches just to my balcony.  The winds started to pick up yesterday evening after I came in from surfing and they’ve been going ever since.
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I’m here!  I’m here!  I’m here!  I’ve arrived to my home for the next three days – the Seagrove Villas Motel.

The Seagrove Villas Motel – built in 1952
photo credit: www.sowal.com

So…I’m not exactly staying in one of these cute little cottages, mine is more of an “efficiency condo.”  However, I’m on the 3rd floor of the three-story building across the courtyard from these precious little bungalows, and my view of the gulf is AMAZING.
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Sooo…today wasn’t so good. I just think the stars were aligned (against me) and I maybe should have stayed home.

I was already having a tough time walking because I cut my foot on a shell a few days ago when I jumped off my board (I know, I know, I “really shouldn’t do that”). In spite of my aggressive cleaning regimen of hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin, it has still managed to get infected.

So I was already battling that delightful reality when we walked over the dunes to the beach and saw the seriously dumpy waves. Maybe it’s the hurricane in the Yucatan, but whatever it is, the waves are super dumpy right now.
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I think I just had the best ride of my life.

Hurricane Lee was making its way up to Louisiana when we started getting a swell last Thursday.  Many surfers traveled over from the east coast to take advantage of the swell, as the waves were reported at 10-13 feet (what we call “double overhead” in the biz).
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Definitely two of the cutest children on this earth are the son and daughter of our lucky coworker Jason.

He and his wife have been told that they should just “make children for people” – and you’ll know why once you see a clip of their children surfing (and after you get past the whole creepiness factor of that idea).

Ted has had quite a bit of experience teaching kids to surf by teaching both of his children, not to mention me – essentially a child when I’m not having a good surf session. So Jason asked us if we’d be willing to take his 7-year-old daughter out with us one morning before work.
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I’m getting more and more settled into my shortboard popup and we’ve been getting some great footage with the GoPro.

This morning was just one of those mornings when we didn’t have high expectations (the first step to happiness) and all we wanted was a ride or two before we started our day.
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Ted and I are the proud new owners of some of the coolest advancement in recreational technology: a GoPro.

These little puppies are high-definition video cameras that can be mounted to a borage of things like helmets (to capture skiing, skydiving, or anything else that requires a helmet), bikes, boats, but most importantly, surfboards.
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This past weekend was Memorial Day and we were invited out on our friend’s sailboat for a trip to Shell Island.  This barrier island is a hugely popular spot for boaters in the area.  Because there’s limited access there for the tourists, it’s the most local beach around.

We had our boards in tow, so once we arrived at the bay side of the island, we paddled to shore and walked across the island to the gulf.  Jumping off the 50-foot sailboat with our boards looked nothing like this but is was fun navigating through the other boats having their own Memorial Day parties.
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Happy Valentine’s Day!!!  What better way to spend a beautiful February day than to take off from work and go surfing?!

For the love-centric holiday, Ted and I gave each other the gift of neoprene.  I gave him booties and a hood (as he already had gloves), and he gave me gloves and a hood.
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Today was one of the prettiest days we’ve had all winter.  The skies had cleared from days of rain and the temperature had warmed up into the 60s.  I had watched the swell charts all week and a hopeful bump on Friday remained a constant promise.  So I was determined to kick off early and go surf.

Around 2:30, I skeedattled out of the office and grabbed my board and wetsuit.  I decided to take Olive because I had been practicing my shortboard pop-up and was getting better.
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