wetsuit

There was really no surf forecasted for this weekend, but I was anxious to get back out on a board after returning from California.  So when I first opened my eyes this morning, I called the local surf report hotline.

“Good morning Panama City,” the voice on the recording called out to all the hopefuls dialing in.  As my head was still resting on the pillow, I heard the best few words I could have asked for, “It’s a beautiful day out here on the beach.  Grab your long board because the sets are coming in clean.”

WHAT!!  I sat up immediately.

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I’m here!  I’m here!  I’m here!  I’ve wanted to see San Diego for years now, and I’m finally here!

I’ve accompanied Ted out here for a week-long conference and we arrived yesterday.  In the late 90s, I visited much of the California coast but I didn’t go this far south.  This is unfortunate because I’ve been told by many that it’s my kind of place.  The whole organic/locally grown movement, the wide variety of outdoor rec opportunities, and for so many other reasons, I would totally fit in here.
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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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We just got back from a trip over to Jacksonville to visit Ted’s family and there have been reports that the surf was going to be on today.  Between my new board and the booties my dad and stepmom gave me for Christmas, I was ready.

When we got to the beach, I saw a lineup unlike any that I’ve seen before.  There were probably 30 guys in the water, many of whom were doing some seriously impressive “shredding.”  This refers to the cuts that shortboarders make back and forth across a wave but there has to be enough wave in order to pull this off.

Today, there was definitely that.
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What a day to give thanks!  It’s unseasonably warm for late November and the sky was the deepest, clearest blue today that you could ask for.  The water temp is now somewhere in the mid-70s, so it was perfect for our new wetsuits.

Ted’s daughter came in town for the holiday and our family dinner at my parent’s didn’t start until 3:00.  That gave us plenty of time for a morning session before we needed to get in the kitchen to prepare our dishes.  So we loaded up our boards and drove down to the state park.
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I made it half-way through the fall without a wetsuit, and if it were left up to me, Thrifty Thelma, I’d see if I could push it to Christmas.

However, as the weeks went by, Ted noticed that I was shivering more and more during our sessions so to the surf shop we went.
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