surf camp

buenes noche

hello to everyone. sorry, i haven't blogged in awhile but i've been busy with surf camp. bryan zinski flew in ten days ago, then jason and john two days later, and from there it was full surf camp mode when the waves were good. i had the boys up before dark on the good days and on the small days we surfed, snorkeled, ate, and had a steady supple of beer flowing. what else do you expect of surf camp at quez, cora, and sienna's crib?

here's some shots that zinski snapped before our first session at double overhead empty table rock.

these shots are from tres palmas. z shot these couple shots from the hill. it's amazing that we have these cause z was more amped to surf than a 15 yr old grom on his first tropical experience. he defenitaly held it down all day from surfing a slabby right to solid tres.

my homie, enda, from ireland gets the bravado award. he snapped his leash box the first session at tres and had to swim most the way in. after that we went to my house and he found an old gun on the bottom floor, spider webs, dust, and all. he cleaned it up and preceded to talk off on one of the gnarliest ones of the evening session. (except for the cleanup we took on the head). the thing was a mutant just thick, huge, and steep. the young irish lad didn't hesitate, he simply turned began paddling and took off on a solid twenty footer (face that is, ten foot back). when i saw him paddling i said outloud, "he's f ing nuts'', but he made the drop. he also went over the falls on a giant set earlier in the day that we tried to catch together.

the place is scary but one of the most beautiful places on earth. the water color, fifty foot depth, monster swells, and long paddle all add charachter to the mysto outer reef. i can't wait to surf it again.

quez

TRiTS!!!!!!

As we were finishing our delicious dinner Jacques made us we started talking about desserts. Which ALWAYS follow a great meal. We have some cookies-n-cream in our freezer...that will do. Our Irish lad Enda was saying he didn't have ice cream in a long time. And I asked him if they have chipwiches in Ireland. He replied "chickwiches?" nooooo "chip-switch?", noooo CHIPWICH! Two delicious chocolate chip cookies with a thick layer of creamy vanilla ice cream in between, not to be out done by the chocolate chip layer on the perimeter of the ice cream. Delicious. We have not found them in Puerto Rico, yet! I will definitely be on the prowl...gonna be doggin the ice cream man TOMORROW. Anyhoo, Enda is heading out to Costa Rica in March and we are trying to get him prepped for moving out there. (Jacques and I are "seasoned vets"). First thing you do when you get off the plane...go into a store and bee-line it to the freezer section and purchase a TRIT. It shits on the chipwich..trits eat chipwiches for breakfast. Ok, let me calm myself down because my heart rate goes up over these things. Details: the trit is similar to the chipwich but more like a delicious distant cousin. The cookies are a cross between a graham cracker and a sugar cookie. The ice cream is more of a sweet, sweet custard. And the three (or four) dollops of rich, gooey chocolate on the bottom are the icing on the cake. They are $1 (when Jacques and I were there) and I could eat them everyday, all day for the rest of my life. I would be 500lbs, but my big fat smile would never leave my face. Yum. I wish they had trits in Puerto Rico. Enda, eat as many trits as you can because you will miss them if and when you leave Costa.

did you know...

Baby powder removes sand ridiculously good?! Sprinkle a little on ANYplace you want the sand to be gone. I guess cause it's more fine than the sand... it buffs it right off. Quez and I use it everyday on Sienna. BONUS! It takes the moisture away and smells fresh too. Meaning less diaper rash and a happy, clean baby. That makes me happy :)

middles: isabela, PR

we took a little road trip to get outta Rincon for a day. Me, Jacques, Brian (our guest), Enda and Sienna all took the 45 minute drive to Isabela and the boys surfed while Sienna and I played on the beach. Waves were small but the boys were out solo until about 6 other people paddled out. My beach baby loved playing with her coconut and checking out the small planes flying directly over our heads. If I wanted to throw a coconut at them I could of, they were SO CLOSE. At the end of our day at the beach Jacques excitedly goes "what the hell...?" pointing into the water "what is that in the inside?" "it's a pufferfish!!!!!" and books it to this dead pufferfish, completely puffed out tumbling onto the shoreline. It was hilarious! It was bigger than a volleyball and looked really angry, eventhough it was dead. I wonder...did it die pissed off? Or did it die then expand? Something to think about...meanwhile, enjoy these photos!!

all for $40 bucks!!

today we got new brake pads, an emergency brake and our oil changed for $40!!!
"OP" is movin up in the world and she is safer to drive.

Coquí! Coquí! Coquí!

Once you get to Puerto Rico and night falls you will hear the Coquí. Sounds like a bird (maybe an insect) but, it is a frog (an inch long) making the sound, as the name suggests…coquí (kooo keeeee! kooo keeee!). The mascot of Puerto Rico. Indigenous to the island. These tiny lil frogs make a lot of noise! The sound stands out even during phone conversations. A couple days ago we were chatting about how there are not a ton of Coquí frogs near our house. But if you try and talk on the phone in other places the person on the receiving end will say “what the heck is that sound in the background?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWaOx65TPWk  Listen for the coquí. Soothing. Supposedly there is a “war” against Coquí in Hawaii. They have tried to exterminate them from their island. They are loud and you will be surprised to hear it from a TINY amphibian! It’s a mating call, all they want to do is get laid. Can’t kill them for that?! And how did they get to Hawaii? ...we love the coquí, it puts the baby right to sleep. And that makes me happy. you won't believe it until you hear it sooooo, COME DOWN AND HEAR SOME COQUí FROGS!

 We have many visitors coming these next couple weeks. We will be updating regularly. Can’t wait to see everyone from Jersey!

haiti

a beach in haiti that is maintained...

I did a post about Haiti the night I found out of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. I have since taken it down. My blog cracked jokes "say a prayer for us" for the following day because we would be in the water on the beach (...frolicking in the sun with our water bottles, full bellies and healthy lifestyle). Screw us and our lifestyle. Save ALL your prayers for this impoverished country. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the capital and surrounding areas of Haiti have been completely flattened. Aerial pictures looks like someone came with a bulldozer and demolished EVERYTHING. Disease, malnutrition, starvation, lack of water and medical needs were concerns BEFORE the earthquake. The people of Haiti have had it bad and just when things may have been starting to look up, it all falls down.


In college, I always gravitated towards Haiti. Cultural studies, intercultural communications, global awareness, etc I found myself wanting to know more about Haiti. How could the third largest island in Caribbean be looked over and through so much? There was so much potential (and still could be). As I remember: it was the first nation colonized in Latin America, rebellion from the French credited Haiti to be the first black-run nation and the only nation born of such a slave revolt, once was a lush island with tropical forests framed by white-sand beaches. Devastation from HIV/AIDS, political corruption, lack of education, medical attention (and attention in general) Haiti just couldn’t make it to it’s feet. Lush forests are non existent from the need of wood for fuel and cooking. Lack of a sanitation station (garbage) has littered the beautiful beaches and polluted the water. Seemed Haiti was just too big of a problem for the world to deal with and now it is just screaming for help. Hopefully the world will not ignore these screams and come to those in severe deprivation.

With the shock and more bad news to come I hope that Haiti can get back on it’s feet. Hoping that the help will stay with them for a long time to come. This poor, poor nation has been knocked down once again, hopefully to come back stronger than before. Only time will tell.
My thoughts go to everyone that has a connection to this nation.
Mom, fill me in on your student’s families, my heart bleeds for them. Xoxo.

I have donated money to Farmville to be able to plant white corn in honor of Haiti.
If you’re not a farmvillian here are some other sites to donate
 https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=197&hbc=1?ref=main-menu
www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake
https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=6680&6680.donation=form1

a beach that is NOT maintained...

where the water meets the land...there is trash

seatle visits pr

i've been working the past few days, and it's been freezing for pr. mainly cause it's been rainy, windy, and gray for the past three days. it's all good though, i've got a vest that has kept me toasty during lessons and free sessions. it'll probably feel warm for those of you heading down, but i'm starting to get a bit soft (as bird would say) living in the tropics.

anyways, i'm online checking the surf and enjoying a hand rolled cigeratte especial con una copa de rum. aqui es algunas mas photos de domes. lo fue hace dos dias con olas asi asi, pero con un poco de suerte yo recibe estes photos. espero que todo esta listo para surfear olas tan grandes y duros si tenemos un swell grande.

here's a few shots of fellow south jerseyites getting a few sickies. nick and brian.

thanks to frank for shooting, and to the whole crew from jerz that got cora and i all buzzy the night we chilled.

quez

pools

what's up everyone?

here's some shots from pools the otherday. two of us surfed for hours with nobody and who says pr is always crowded. get amped boys. hope its fun when you get here.

quez

oh and cora's been ripping domes plus being a bomb mom while i make those dollars pushing tourists into waves. holla

domes

she's already amping to get out there.

domes has been the only spot as of late. everyone's been saying its flat, but cora, sienna, and i have had a few awesome days at the beach. we've got this crip shaddy spot on the side where we chill at. check the pic of sienna kicking it.

the surf's been chest high and super fun for all levels. cora's been smooth flowing, and i've been trying to do tricks. the amateur pics don't do it justice.

the locals have been kinda agro lately, at domes atleast. peoople have been getting kicked out or forced to surf down peak. i don't blame them for regulating it's what we need to have done in the summer when we get invaded by shoobies.

i'm bout to head to the beach for a snorkel swim session with the girls.

finally trying the snorkel gear, thanks dad

stoked the upper crews heading down and can't wait to see the family.

sienna after a long day at the beach.

quez

skype you!

My parents got us a webcam for Christmas!! Now we are skypable, skypatible...whatever, we can sykpe now! I've tried it out with my mom and we skyped for an hour over a couple drinks. It was real cool, being able to see and hear her, it's just a different experience. It was late at night, Sienna was sleeping so we scheduled another sykpe date when the baby was awake. This past Sunday Sienna and myself skyped with my Mom, McKenna, Colin, Auntie Em and my Dad & Uncle Chris (popping in and out). I just point the camera at Sienna and everyone talks to her. She was confused at first but then interacted with everyone. She kept pointing at them and poking at the computer. It was super cute. This morning I skyped with my sister, Aunt Paigers, before she went to work. Short but sweet, but love to see her pretty face. We are going to skype again later tonight. I want Aunt Stephanie to start skpying so Sienna and Lily can see eachother, I just know they will love it. Sienna will be a professional sykper in a couple more tries. Soooo, LET'S SKYPE IT OUT!!!

how cool is this??

...i think i want a pick up truck!

sleeping beauties

here are my two babies.

one on the airplane.

one in the car.

chin hairs

The other day I found TWO grey chin hairs on Jacques!!

This is NOT a thing he should be ashamed of. ...he's not even 30 yet!! He's got a good body, full head of curly locks and stamina like a 15 year old! I took a picture but it seemed to have "disappeared". The hairs have also vanished (and my tweezers were moved). Hehe.

I said I wanted to blog about it and he said "you won't". I did, and let's see how long it takes him to see this post. :) love ya babe xo.

buenas tardes de puerto rico

hello everyone,

i hope all is well. i'm sure those of you making the voyage down are excited to get out of the cold and into tropical paradise. the waves have been firing since my last post. today is the smallest it's been and domes was still head high and rippable. another swell is on the way for tuesday, stoked.

i hope it gets big enough to surf my new favorite spot, table rock, aquada. the morning i went to chambers after my last post, and saw it wasn't doing it we went to table rock. the place is intense. it's a huge table ledge that goes way out and the place rifles big perfect right tubes infront of the rock ledge. my first session it was big probably occasional triple over head sets. i stayed in the channel for a while before i got my courage up and got a couple. i wish i had my semi gun. the next day i surfed it and it was way overhead and just perfect. bummer i didn't have anyone with me to shoot, or even my camera. oh well, i'll get again. anytime it gets big i'm there.

besides surfing perfect waves all over northwest pr, i've been cooking for my ladies on the regular. last night i made some bbq chicken that even caesar would have been impressed with. i can't wait to have the family and friends over for dinner.

in the mean time here's some surf shots to keep everyone stoked to come visit, while the snow's falling in jersey this is what i do in my sparetime

sienna laid on my board on the inside and loved it. she's the bomb

quez

¡Feliz Día de los Tres Reyes Magos!

Hey guys!

I have been meaning to post about Christmas here in PR (and in New Jersey). I had lots of pictures in Jersey and a video of our Santa (in PR).. I uploaded it to my computer but have seemed to lost it. Santa is equipped with a parade of three pick-up trucks. One throws candy, another blasts music and finally Santa is on the back setting of fireworks. When I was explaining the parade we witnessed in front of our house my nephew Colin said "it's like Christmas, Halloween and 4th of July all into one". & that pretty much sums it up. The energy of the island beams through their Christmas parade. We loooove it!!

Tonight is a special night for the children of Puerto Rico. Anoche es el sustantivo dia los Reyes (correct my translation, i'm so-so!!) Tonight is the eve of the Day of the Kings. This tradition has been carried here (in PR) BEFORE Santa visits on Christmas Eve. Kiddies place grass, hay or straw in a box under their beds for the kings "camels" aka horses here in Puerto Rico (no camel's on the island!!). These treats are meant for their rests between children's homes. If a child is good for a year they get presents, if a child is bad they get coal and/or dirt. Very similar to our cookie, milk and carrot days!! :)

..it is one of the most festive days in Puerto Rico. (so THATS why everyone still has their Christmas lights up!!)

we placed some grass/hay under Sienna's crib tonight. She was a great girl this year so three gifts await her tomorrow. :) We're loving this parenting thing!!!
Happy Three Kings Day!

¡Feliz Día de los Tres Reyes Magos!

chambers

the swell down here finally got big. i surfed sandys left this morning. it must have took me a half hour to get out. i contemplated taking turning around and taking a denial, but finally made it out and got a few. we drove to gas chambers after. i want to say we scored (my friend andy and i) but we mainly tried to avoid bouncing off the cliff that was looming ten or so yards infront of the take off zone. you can't see it in the pics, but it was definatly sketch. the tide was high which kinda killed it, but no worries cause tommorrow it'll be bigger and dead low tide at 6 a. m.. i'm so excited i don't even want to sleep right now. i love this wave!!!!

and really? this guy isn't even looking at this spitting spinning dream right in front of him