Sunny Cove Blow Hole - Santa Cruz, CA

The recent storm and huge surf created a Blow Hole at Sunny Cove in someone's driveway last week. It was quite the scene at this multi-million dollar home in Santa Cruz, CA.
I also drove by the some of the other beaches on the Eastside that were pretty washed out.The ocean will always win if you build it this close to the ocean (and on top of a giant cave in this case).

Bridge School Concert Beginner's Guide

Neil Young Performing "Heart of Gold"

While it has taken me awhile to get a blog post up these days, I definitely wanted to share thoughts on my first Bridge School Concert from a newbie's perspective. After many years of SXSW and ACL, I was looking forward to the cooler weather, and returning to the place where I caught my first concert back in the 90's for Kamp KOME. Here are my takeaways:

• If you are on the lawn, get there early, and try to sit in front of a projector screen. Will make it easier to find your spot later in the dark, and nice for watching the show. Bring a larger blanket so that you have room to layout during the show.
• The line takes foreeevvver to get in. I would have gladly paid the get in VIP line for the small fee they charge. I think it was like $5, well worth skipping a long line.
• You can bring in water, but they take the caps (not sure why). You can also bring in any food you want. Seems very easy to sneak booze in, from a flask in a pocket, to beers and wine hidden under false bottoms, to hollowing out bread and putting a bottle of vodka in it, you should have no problem sneaking booze in. Can also put it in a blanket or jacket that you are holding, seems like at concerts they almost never check anything other than your bags.
• If you don't bring booze, prepare to pay. We didn't, and the $16 beers and $48 bottles of wine hurt. Also having to get up and navigate through the maze of people downhill and uphill gets tedious. Much better to bring your own in this case with your food. Side note, they have security patrolling the crowd in the daylight hours, so it needs to be kept on the lowdown or wait until dark to keep the booze out. Saw a bunch of people get their booze taken.
• If you are on the lawn, go to the far bathrooms, not the center ones by the concession stand. Smaller line as most don't realize that they are there.
• Bring a flag, glowstick, or something to find your blanket/chair on the lawn for once it gets dark... especially after a couple of beers it can be crazy trying to find your spot. It isn't as bad as the chair maze you have to navigate at ACL, but definitely a challenge to not step on anyone's blanket and make your way back to your marked off space.
• It gets cold on the lawn.. not sure about the seats, but bring lots of blankets and warm clothes. Other than Jack Johnson, I was most likely the only person wearing sandals and shorts. I was pretty much frozen by the end of the night. Bring lots of layers and extra blankets (or tequila).
• There were too many bands and breaks in between sets. I would have been happier with less bands and longer sets. Was amazing to see Neil Young perform "Heart of Gold" and "Harvest Moon", Jack Johnson, Arcade Fire, MMJ, and Fun. also put on a good show.
• Overall it was a great show, that went very late, with lots of breaks. Can't beat the music you get for your buck on this one all for a great cause. We will for sure will be heading back to a future year at Shoreline.
• Here are some videos I captured to remember the evening, nothing fancy, just memories for me :).

Mat McHugh & The Seperatista Soundsystem - San Francisco

Mat McHugh & The Seperatista Soundsystem

I have been a fan of The Beautiful Girls for as long as I can remember (not sure how I discovered them many years ago but I am glad that I did...), and after catching Mat McHugh solo and acoustic a couple of times in Austin, I was pumped to catch him with a full band at the Independent in San Francisco. The new "grown up" Mat McHugh (aka Mat McHugh & The Seperatista Soundsystem) has not forgotten what I loved about The Beautiful Girls, and that is that bass (lots of bass at the show), guitar, rhythm, and some horns can make you dance your ass off one minute, and make you feel the raw emotion and internal reflection of love, life, pain, and happiness the next.

While I truly enjoy all of TBG/Mat's music, I have a special connection to La Mar (the ocean), as it helped me get through the unexpected passing of my mom 7 years ago. I couldn't help but feel the pain in my heart watching Mat perform it live and plugged in (with horns!), and I have shared this song with so many loved ones who have lost someone over the years (and it has helped them sturdy up their heart as well).



As a fan of "good" music (my friends always say I have a great taste in music ---- plus I DJ'd my own wedding that featured a lot of TBG), I especially appreciated Mat's reference to "grassroots" music, and couldn't agree more that good music should be shared with friends and family to help keep music alive that isn't necessarily a top 40 hit. Sharing good music with friends and family is what I strive for with my music (along with keeping me sane), and nothing makes me happier than sharing the stoke that comes along with finding a good artist or sharing a good artist with a friend that you would almost certainly never hear on the radio. Cheers to the "Grown Up" Mat McHugh, and I will continue to share his good vibrations that help keep me moving at my own pace as I grow with the sounds of music.

Elephant Seals at Año Nuevo State Park

Stoked to spend some quality time recently with my Pops while supporting a good cause on a beautiful day in Northern California. One of my favorite places on the planet, aka Año Nuevo State Park, hosted "Seal Adventures Day", that benefited the Coastside State Parks Association, where we were able to spend several hours watching the elephant seals mate, fight, and makes lots of cool sounds. I was really stoked on all the friendly volunteer docents, and the park ranger who told me about his surf sessions at the reef by the mating grounds that is one of the sharkiest places on earth for great whites. Good times! Taken January 26th, 2013.

Where did you go?

Insert token blog post explaining why you haven't posted so long, and insert how you are going to push yourself to "write and post more" here. Not really, at this point I am taking the time to reflect and look back on this fun transition period of my life. What a whirlwind couple of Months the end of 2012/beginning of 2013 had in store. From working to volunteering, surfing to house hunting, San Francisco Giants torture to Jack White on a not so silent night, San Diego New Year's eating and sleeping to soon not be sleeping with a baby boy due in March, I have a feeling the ride is just getting started. Cheers to not knowing where this world will take you, and for now I'll just try to keep my head from spinning and find solace in not having to worry about RSVP'ing to SXSW this year. :( Live Happily Ever Now!

Danny Boy! Sharing in my love for the Giants!

So Stoked! We're having a boy!

Sorry Jack White, Tigers were no match for our world champs!

Pretty cool to watch Kelly Slater surf in Santa Cruz

Nat Young hometown favorite! Stoked that he made the tour.

Was packed for the cold water classic

Kelly Snap goes boom.

Took a trip to China Town.

Bath salts lookout.

Cable car fun with wifey on babymoon in SF

Of Monsters & Men at Not So Silent Night

Youngster I was

Grandpa was in town for the holidays. Talking in person vs. our daily call

Jack White can play guitar. Sorry about your Tigers.

Zombie Squid Apocalypse.

Not getting sick of these

Not landlocked anymore

Stoked to speak at Capitola's City Council Meeting for Surfrider

Future Giants fan almost here!

Museum of Modern art in SF

My favorite dog in San Diego!

Our new house in Santa Cruz

Logging HQ

Until next time...

Surfrider Foundation Santa Cruz Chapter

Coming back to Northern California I was super excited to hook up with the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, and I am so stoked on the great group of activists that I met so far and all of the amazing things that they are doing with chapter. When I first became a member of the Surfrider Foundation back in the early 90's, I always was passionate about protecting the beaches that I loved in Santa Cruz, and it is such a cool feeling to come back full circle as an adult and to be able to be an active member of my hometown chapter again.

Since I've been back I've made it to several beach cleanups, and attended some great events, and met some great activists! I am stoked super stoked at how welcoming the Santa Cruz Chapter has been, and if you are in the Santa Cruz or Bay Area I highly encourage you to get involved! You can like the facebook page, and check out the Chapter's website for more info, and I look forward to many more years of protection and enjoyment of our oceans, waves, and beaches!

Baja 2012

The hurricane crew was running on one vehicle "play it safe" skeleton crew mode down in Baja Sur, and for the first time in many years in Mexico I avoided personal bodily harm. I did not fall off of a cliff, get stung by a stingray, get stuck upside down on a 100 foot waterfall, fall down a flight of stairs, get robbed at gunpoint, roll a truck, get attacked by bees, or any of the other semi-disastrous occurrences that plagued me South of the border. Instead, great surf, great times with great buddies, and made some great friends. I even avoided the multiple scorpion attempts to sting me on the final day of the trip which has been known to be the most deadly (i.e. only pinch me vs. getting the stinger around to my hand), and decided against the last day of the trip "token shower" and managed to avoid the huge snake in the cantina bathroom. What more could guy ask for? How about a video inspired by the OG Magnus Frennmark? Soundtrack includes The Dirty Heads, Mason Jennings, Miike Snow (remix), and Foster the People (remix). Live Happily Ever Now!

Majestic Big Sur

Big Sur is one of those places that makes you realize how unimportant things like phones, tv, and other normal everyday what we think are "problems" are in the grand scheme of things. It was fun camping with lifelong friends, and being "cold" for a change. Let's just hope that nobody falls in the river because I bet those shoes would smell bad... Live Happily Ever Now!