Monday, May 31, 2010

Big Wave At Puerto Escondido!












Puerto Escondido...Ay Caramba!!!

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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Beautiful Day In Port Aransas Today...

Hot, and Sunny for the holiday weekend...no oil in site here....yet.
Today saw a record high for the date at 95 degrees!


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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Surfing Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, New Book By Dan Parker, Michelle Christenson

New Book Celebrates Surfing in the Coastal Bend
Photographic History Chronicles Rich Culture of Texas Wave Riders

Covering a span of more than fifty years, a new book titled Surfing Corpus Christi and Port Aransas will be published on May 24, 2010. The book commemorates the rich culture of wave raiders in the Texas Coastal Bend region.
Tracing the sport’s Coastal Bend origins through more than 200 historical images, the new pictorial history is the first major book ever written about surfing in Texas.
Husband and wife author team Dan Parker and Michelle Christenson are longtime surfers and Port Aransas residents, and both have worked as curators of the Texas Surf Museum since the museum opened its doors in 2005. The authors drew on more than 50 sources of information and photos during their research, and believe they have preserved an important and fascinating part of local history. “We hope the book will promote a better understanding of Texas surfing -- something that's not well-understood by the surfing world at large, much less the general public,” Parker said.
Beginning May 24, the new book will be available at the Texas Surf Museum, book stores and other local retailers, on-line retailers, and from the publisher at www.arcadiapublishing.com.

Surfing Corpus Christi and Port Aransas
by Dan Parker, Michelle Christenson, and the Texas Surf Museum
Images of America Series
Price: $21.99
128 pages/ softcover
Available: May 24, 2010



Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.











Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Hawaiian Surf Reserve Bill Goes Down In Committee
















There are two things one should never witness, goes the old saw; the making of sausage and the making of law.
Recently there occurred in the State of Hawaii a good example of the truth of this adage. The Hawaiian Surf Reserve bill was tabled in committee near the end of the legislative session thus effectively killing the bill.
This measure had no real concrete effect, it would simply recognize some of the iconic Hawaiian surf spots as being important sites in Hawaiian history and as important to tourism and the image of Hawaii around the world.
The bill was introduced into the state senate by Senator Fred Hemmings. Senator Hemmings has his place in surfing history as a noted big wave rider dating back into the 60's and as the World Championship winner in the 1968 World Contest held in Puerto Rico. Senator Hemmings is retiring from the state senate and this bill was to be his last legislative effort.
I first heard of this effort via an email from my friend Drew Kampion, former editor of Surfer and Wind Surf magazines, back in February and I thought it sounded like a great idea. I posted this information on my blog at that time, along with subsequent posts as things developed.
It turned out to be more of a fight than I could ever have imagined! I was among more than 40 people who testified in favor of the bill to the state legislature in person or via email and other correspondence (email for me.)
The bill cleared the state senate but eventually died an ignominious death in the final committee hearing. I really don't understand why this happened but it seems to be a result of purely ugly partisanship. Senator Hemmings is a Republican.
Anyone who knows me knows my politics are anything but Republican but I don't see how that should play a part in a bill honoring surfing and Hawaii's famed surf breaks.
Aloha Fred Hemmings and probably the best thing you could do now is to paddle out and catch a few waves!

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Port Aransas Today...Gorgeous!

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