what would you do? (no money vs. no surf)

ventnor, margate, longport, all the towns on absecon island are nice little towns. brigantine is as well just north of absecon island. well minus atlantic city other other municipality is nice. ventnor has a real urban feel, and look to it, and it may sway you when you first get there, but it's really a nice place, and the crime statistics are EXTREMELY low for being the next city over from ac. i wouldn't leave your board in your car anywhere in ac unless it's in the parking garage at one of the casinos. even then i would be a little iffy.

 

Thats life tho. Well all go through the motions. Sometimes a lot more stoked than others...

One of my chefs today invited me down to Baja later this week to catch this big South swell that coming. I gave him a detailed map of where to go to get perfect DOH shacks. A south swell magnet. Long story short. I feel like shedding a tear, because I didn't think twice about saying "No bro, im out. I got too much going on with the new wife, and work etc. I am just going to paddle out in OB etc... blah blah"...

I am officially an old peice of sh**. 5 years ago, I dont care if there was 200 dead bodies stacked up in front of Calafia, I was going... Now, im like, thinking of 100 different priorities that come before DOH shacks... Thats never good. Never, ever, ever good. The surf will be good right in my neighborhood, but there is nothing like those old school surf trips. packed into a pickup. No chicks. Just you and the homeboys, riding down the mexi coast looking at empty points, over and over.....

We all had that care free time in life. But balancing life and surf is much more rewarding and much more difficult than dropping everything you are doing based on the ocean.

Swells come and go. I don't want to be like some of my friends. 35 years old. Single. Still surfing all over the place. But just alone in life. Just alone. Get when the gettings good, but handle ya business first...

Life is too short to miss out on swell, and travel and life...

But life is also too short to be a broke, bummy ass beach sleeping surfer your whole life. Cause at the end of the day, the only person on the planet who gives two sh**s how well you surfed that swell back in 2010, is you. Your mom dont care. Your wife dont care. Your friends think your a loser for surfing all the time anyway. No one understands but us anyway....

 

Well said, Zach... My kid was in a horrible car accident during the peak of the Earl swell, and I missed an epic day. I spent 8 days and nights in the hospital, and didn't even care, because my priorities have changed. I couldn't even think about surfing. There was a time when a bad thing in my life would send me straight to the water for escape. I've moved beyond that. You don't think you ever will, but it just happens.

 

kids

LBCrew - here's hoping ur kid is doing A-OK.

 

Definitely, my best wishes to you and your fam LBCrew.

 

The real fun starts the 1st day your little one drops in on a nice wave. Seeing them get stoked is even better than getting stoked yourself!

 

true...

 

what a pro. i love how knee high waves for us are shoulder to overhead for little guys like him

 

Thank you all for your well wishes... my son has come home after three weeks in the hospital and it doing fine. He's 14 years old, and in great physical shape to start, so that helps a lot. He was hit by a car on his bike on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch on a Saturday night. Really bad accident, but according to the doctors, no serious long-term effects are expected. Just needs time to heal at this point. It was really scary for a while there... a life-changing experience for sure. Makes you realize you can wake up one day and somebody you love might suddenly be gone, without you having had your chance to make peace with them... tell them you love them... say goodbye.

But thank you for all your concern. My wife and our three kids are back together, and are tighter than ever.

 

That's great news! I wish your son a speedy recovery. All the best to you and the family.
And I'm glad your back doing those daily DP reports on that other web site