Endless Summer Surf

The West Coast of South Africa has many great surf spots: Noordhoek, Long Beach, Llundadno, Big Bay, Melkbos, and many more. One of the best, however, is Elands Bay, also known as the Jeffrey's Bay of the West Coast. It was made famous in the surf movie, The Endless Summer. Well I will be visiting this weekend on a surf tour run by my friends at Surf Emporium in Muizenberg. We'll be leaving on Friday afternoon and coming back to Cape Town Sunday afternoon. Elands Bay is only about 100 miles North of Cape Town and a surf is planned when we get there. We're staying in a B&B on a real working ranch. Elands Bay is also known for its hiking, wildlife observation and pre-historic cave paintings. Our guide and Coach will be Karel Lewy, an ISA Level 2 coach and Naturalist. Really looking forward to the trip! Also looking forward to using my new board and making plenty of images!

http://www.vensterklip.co.za

Ice Bucket Challenge Self Portrait - 244/365

I made this image immediately after my ALS Ice Bucket Challenge video. Luckily it was warm in Cape Town that day, but as usual, the water was Ice Cold so I needed neither a bucket nor ice!

Ice Bucket Challenge Self Portrait

Steak in Cape Town - 239/365

Great steaks in South Africa. At this restaurant in Cape Town you select your type of steak, size, and thickness! The Famous Butchers Grill.

Storm Over Lion's Head - 238/365

When I go into town, I sometimes frequent the other Virgin Active Gyms of which I belong. I was at the one in Canterbury Square, in Cape Town when I saw this storm developing over Lion's Head and Signal Hill, both part of Table Mountain. I really like the combination of the storm, dusk, and city lights. It was made with my iPhone.

PoppyCock is My Crack! - 237/365

PoppyCock is EVIL, but oooohhh so good. Got this bag in the post and ate it all the same day in one sitting. I really did plan on spreading it out but alas it was not to be. I remember being in the States and knowing what grocery aisle it was on and intentionally avoiding the aisle so I won't not be tempted to buy it after seeing it! Hi. I'm Carlos. And I'm a PoppyCock addict!

My Most Relaxing Place To Be - 222/365

My most relaxing place to be is on my surfboard out in the water. As I have stated before, time does not matter and the focus is on the here and now. It is a pure state of being in the moment. Rocking gently in the water up and down with the smaller swells and knowing that the larger ones that you will attempt will come in due time. No need to try and anticipate because you are not in control. The power of the ocean is incredible and you absolutely have no influence on it. You must be resigned and willing to surrender to the power. I find it very spiritual and relaxing to surrender completely in that way. If I had known that I would experience this the way I have I would have resumed my surfing way before getting to Cape Town. I am so glad I've been able to experience this again!

Walking into the Fog - 221/365

Walking into the Fog. There are not many mornings in Cape Town when you encounter no wind at all. There is usually always a breeze. This was one of those morning where it seemed that if you followed the footsteps onto the beach you would disappear into the fog. Rather eerie. As if you are walking to an unknown whiteness.

Not Every Post Is Art LOL! - 211/365

An interesting thing about my blog is that it is evolving into some general information that I discover while I'm here in South Africa. This is a typical 220 vac plug. It would be OK if this was the ONLY type, but noooo! There are many and not all items fit into each one. So if you are going to travel here don't believe anyone in the States that they have a STANDARD South Africa plug. The good thing about 220 vac is that your appliances last longer. The bad thing is that if you latch onto it you're dead!

Comb Your Board Not Your Hair - 210/365

This is a comb to scrape through the wax on your board to rough it up for extra grip and/or clean and put on some more wax. My friends at Xpressiononthebeach gave me this. It acts as a a business card for a unique company in Muizenberg, South Africa called Wawawaves. They make old style traditional wooden surfboards, and some with a more modern flair. Very interesting site with some surfing history at www.wawawaves.com

Amarula! - 209/365

I love this stuff! It's really the only thing I'll drink other than beer LOL! Amarula is a cream liqueur from South Africa. It is made with sugar, cream and the fruit of the African marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea) which is also locally called the Elephant tree or the Marriage Tree. It has an alcohol content of 17% by volume. It has had some success at international spirit ratings competitions, winning a gold medal at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Brewer's & Union Bern Stein 196/365

If you don't know it already, I'll let you know up front that I am a beer snob. No Bud or Miller swill for me. In the wine producing paradise that is Cape Town there is a surge in craft breweries. This is but one of the beers that I like. Brewed locally by Brewers & Union in Cape Town. Funny story is that they have an outdoor pub in town with all of their beers and serve great burgers. It's called "& Union". They can't use the "Brewers" part because the part of the building that they rent is owned by a local church.

Moonlight over Cape Town 195/365

I made this image just outside of my place in Cape Town. It was evening and the sky was clear except for this beautiful moon. A beautiful moon lit night.

Going Out for a Surf in my Backyard- 193/365

I spend a lot of time surfing on the weekends, and one of my favorite time is when I can go right out my door and go straight into the water. No traveling, or hassle, but I do miss seeing my friends in Muizenberg. As I've said before, it is very meditative for me just being out there on the water. Maybe that's why surfers and surfing in general is so mellow and laid back. Never really grasped all of this in my earlier days of surfing. Road-trips and girls were the order of the day then. Will never forget those days, with Hector, Jimmy, Willie, Lee, Bobby, Shelly (he didn't like Sheldon), Joe, Pepe, Billy, and many others. Good times.

View from The Club - 192/365

Virgin Active here is much like an LA Fitness in the States. They are everywhere. I go to whichever one is convenient at the time. The club I went to on this day is at the upper part of Cape Town toward Table Mountain. Beautiful view!

Night Lights - 188/365

I made several images on this particular evening and after playing around with this one a bit, it appealed to me. I can imagine this as a very large print.

Roxy Teaches Girls to Surf - 187/365

One of the two places I plan on taking my family to learn to surf is Surf Emporium. It is owned and run by Six Time South African Surfing Champion Roxy Davis and her husband William. Roxy started her business with some loaner boards from her sponsor under some beach umbrellas at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg. Roxy and William are two of the kindest and warmest people you could meet. They have a genuine caring for everyone that steps through their door. One of the major parts of their business that sets them apart is their emphasis on a Girls "RoxyLearn2Surf" program. I am really excited to think that my Granddaughters will be able to learn to surf here with Roxy. Most importantly though, I am glad to be able to call them my friends!

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A New Buddy in the Beach - 178/365

This guy is always running around the neighborhood and the beach. He lives on the corner and is so friendly. Sometimes I see him sitting up on a sand dune like Simba in the Lion King movie, as if he's overlooking HIS beach. This image was but one of many I made. I got right up in his face with my phone. He's so funny that he kept trying to grab my phone. I fear it would have met the same fate of the stick he has in the image!

Cape Town Winter Selfie - 174/365

The weather in Cape Town during Winter is much like Miami. It changes abruptly and can be extreme from one day to the next. Yesterday was a bright sunny day with no wind and beautiful waves. Today, very different and very cold. No run for me without cold protection as you see here!

Surfboard Casualty - 172/365

I ran across this poor guy at one of the surf spots near my place called Hagaat. It's about four miles from my place on the way to Cape Town and has quite a hectic break. Evidently, he and his board ran into a large powerful wave. I never really saw this in Florida unless someone actually hit something like a rock or a reef. Here it's just the power of the waves. I've seen about four of these casualties recently. Wouldn't it be great to harness that power?

Nothing Better - 171/365

Nothing better than getting things from home. Especially photos. And printed too! Imagine that. Thanks Mom for going "old school" with the photos. I love them! My365Project: Nothing Better - 171/365