Up here in Sonoma County, we think about wine a lot. When asked about the impending recession, a local grower told me not to worry. "When the economy is bad, people want to have a drink," he said. "When the economy is good, people want to have a drink." He was old and wearing the crustiest Wranglers I'd ever seen, so I took his word for it. This was not the first time I'd heard this argument.Some of us spend a lot of time up here thinking about surfing, and a similar logic can be applied: we surf to heal, to mourn, to express frustration or anger or fear or love or joy, we surf to celebrate, and we surf to feel connected to something greater than ourselves. A lot of people surf because they want to, but most surfers surf because they have to. It is how we make sense, and it can't be slowed by lagging economies, or falling housing markets, or births or deaths or aging bodies.
So, as another recession gathers energy and surges up behind us, it's our responsibility to put our heads down and paddle, drop in, and point it to the shoulder. And, as we paddle back out for more, it's our responsibility to hoot for the next guy or gal dropping in. What else are we going to do?
Of course, the best way to do this would be on some fresh foam, like this sugary little 5'11" diamond tail. New boards pump money into local economies, support American businesses, and rejuvenate life-giving stoke. The American businesses at work here are Ice9 Blanks, which offers, in my opinion, the best foam available today. They're a sugar-based MDI foam (no petroleum), so their carbon footprint is better than traditional polyurethane foams. They're strong and light and snappy and a pleasure to shape. This board will be glassed with Resin Research epoxy resin, eliminating VOCs, and producing a much 'greener' board than is being mass produced at the moment.Of course, Leslie will do the glassing. Her labor charges are mostly divided up between her lizards, snakes, cats, chickens, dogs, Bob, and carnivorous plants, so you'll be hooking them up, too. Keep it local!
On a less triumphant note, my lovely wife is suffering from a cold right now. This is the sad shopping list tacked to the fridge that greeted me this morning...
