"In 2007 my most marvelous mother printed out the Myspace page I had made to show myself to the world, the page I chose to represent who I was at the time and the things I cared about. SHe put it in an envelope marked "do not read until 2010." Well its 2012 and it just happened to reappear in her office. Sentiments have changed little, though I can't deny that I have changed a lot. This is what I wrote "About Me" unedited.
What I need is a beatdown. You know, to come up gasping a little. To get disoriented. I need to feel my heart race as I push myself over the lip into a backless pit. To feel scared and giddy at the same time. T0 be anxious about getting tossed around under water. I need that unchecked power that comes with being a winter masochist in neoprene. I need all that. My lungs are bored with freeway driving and TV shows. They've been sedated by late nights and leisure. They long to be stretched to the point of popping. They need water like they need air, but the winter has hardly delivered. No rain, few waves and no near drownings. Just bright unadulterated serenity and beauty. It's been neighbors smiling and asking, "God, how beautiful has it been?" while I scowl and beg for a thunderclap. Looking for anything to wake the sleeping Northern Pacific. Any whisper of a storm. Because when the stillness ceases and mother nature roars back from her coma with unrelenting rain and wind I'll find my comfort zone. I'll trot down to greet her with butterflies and a thick leash. Only then, when all the dog walkers, jogging girls and potato chip riding pussies run for shelter, will I get my beat down. And when I do there won't be anywhere I'd rather be."
I met Miles years ago through an interesting string of events and emails, when be purchased what was the first board I built to be sold to a customer unknown to me. I built boards for a couple of years for customers that I met through word of mouth before I let a board go for "stock", and when it did it was in the form of a brand new board that I placed for sale in the used room at the Beach House. On that info board's card I wrote a few paragraph explanation about the board, where it came from and it's intended purpose. I wrote that the owner, whoever it may be, is asked to contact me with feedback on the board via email and to keep in touch as he/she got to know the board. It was the second board that I had shaped that later was named the O.G., a greenough-kneeboard-templated hull that had a rather unique bottom shape and template and has become outrageously popular with intro-to-hull-guys. I wanted to know if the board worked as well for a stranger as it did for me, so the second one was built to a test subject as I saw it.
Miles bought that board, and months later after numerous trips and adventures, he wrote me a detailed email about his experience with the board so far. Years later he is still one of my closest friends, and hoarder of a small pile of surfboards built throughout the years. It made me very happy to read his recent blog post.
3 comments:
really cool
Really cool story. I believe I bumped into Miles at Rincon on my first trip, that I had been salivating for 20 years. I've met some really cool people on my SB trips, including you Ryan!
Had the pleasure to ride one of your OGs, a purple-railed flextail if I remember right. That thing was rad. Had that hull feel but would do full on roundhouse cutbacks and turn right back around and link up with the high line.
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