Through my eyes:
AND, of course,
The new helmet!
Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink
Hijinks On The High Seas… And Beyond
Author Archives: Casey Butler Harwood
Help Haiti
Or the American Red Cross
Or the World Food Programme
In situations like this, even the smallest contribution can help.
Alternatives To Winging It
Some of us like to just wing it, especially if we’re lucky enough to live near the beach. We just throw our boards in the car and hope for the best, looking for the thumbs up (or down) as we pass other boarded vehicles along the way. If we get to the beach and there aren’t any waves, we’ll try again tomorrow.
Most people these days, I think, prefer to check surf reports (either online or by good, old-fashioned tele) before journeying seaward.
I guess I fall in between those categories, at least with regards to surfing. With skiing, I optimistically gamble. As I sat at the kitchen table this morning, fully dressed in ski pants and a crazy-thick sweater, I listened to the chilling wind outside. I found myself deviating from my usual shot-in-the-dark strategy and wondering if you could, say, call up the local ski shop and get a real-time report of mountain conditions, as we do at the beach.
As it turns out, the snow equivalents of Magic Seaweed seem to be SkiReport.com and OnTheSnow.com. They have about the same information on both sites, but On The Snow has a more comprehensive weather report, wind included, which I like. If you don’t have a computer at your disposal, check with 411 because most resorts do have hotlines for the latest trail and lift info.
Okay, I know you probably knew this already and I apologize, but I can only hope that it helps some poor sap, like myself, who finds the unknown kind of romantic, and occasionally just wants to know what she’s getting herself into.
Dane Reynolds’ Trashed Quiver on Marine Layer
This is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking… all of those beautiful boards rendered- well, let’s face it- repugnant. Dane Reynolds must be the most forgiving guy in the world.
Finally a Surfrider member (and you should be too)
As a result of rolling in the dough after a lovely Christmas, I’ve been able to buy myself a couple of small gifts. One of which is the Surfrider membership that I’ve been wanting for years and FINALLY just signed up for. I feel like a more consciencious beach bum already.
Click on the link to the left to visit their site and sign up. If you happen to be a scholar or a senior, you can join for a mere $15.
Snide Comments on Transworld Surf’s “The Real Jersey Shore”
Yesterday, Justin Cote posted “The Real Jersey Shore” on Transworld Surf’s site. Love the photos and the positive publicity. Some of the comments that follow those gorgeous barrels, on the other hand… wow.
“go ahead, rip away. San Diego, CA. Face it, NJ is the worst place in America to live. The show is what it is – true life on the Jersey shore. Your state is a joke to the rest of us, even people in places like Iowa.”
“Love it but spare us the ‘Jersey is misunderstood’ bs. I’ve seen the Jersey shore and my opinion is that show isn’t an exaggeration. If the real Jersey shore wasn’t like that the people from there wouldn’t be so defensive about it.”
You know what, spare me the “love it” bs… we all know it’s really tough to love sick waves when they’re found in a place as despicable as New Jersey, right? Why don’t you take a drive over here from your fabulous home state during the winter months and educate yourself on exactly how inaccurate Jersey Shore is. Or don’t: more waves (and less baseless hostility) for us.
“It’s as cold and lonely tonight…” FROZEN Trailer
There are certain situational phrases we have come to expect that my dad will unfailingly utter. For example, every single one of his sneezes is immediately followed by an expletory exclamation. Whenever he spies a warning sign, he says, “Danger, danger, when you taste brown sugar!” (Ridiculous, I know.) And every time we go skiing, he reminds us, in a theatrically ominous tone, that the mountain is “as cold and lonely tonight…” as it was 300 years ago, or whatever.
Yesterday, it was this very admonition that prompted my brother to say that there’s a movie coming out about being stuck on a mountain- cold and lonely. Frozen is, apparently, this movie. I’m not sure if it looks like Oscar material but it looks interesting, and it inspired a debate over the proper course of action one should take if stranded on a chair lift for (potentially) 5 arctic days:
1. Jump: either land with broken limbs and wait for cougars and wolves, or land successfully and ski on down the mountain
OR
2. Wait out the cold: possibly become a skicicle
It’s a tough choice… I think I would jump, but who can be sure? What would you do?
“Dirty Jerz Goes Off Sun 12/27” from NYC Watershots
NYC Watershots always has these masterly photos of what the Atlantic did, like, 5 seconds ago. Check out their gallery of Garden State barrels. The waves were really beautiful on Sunday.
Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink 