Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A New Surf Shop in Haleiwa--Bonzer Front



The Campbell Brothers, Duncan (in the top photo) and Malcolm, opened their surf shop, Bonzer Front, in Haleiwa on November 28, 2007. There was a great crowd of friends and family eating tacos, listening to a live blues band playing out back, and enjoying the art gallery atmosphere of their store. Want to know more? Go to: www.bonzer5.com

Cool Clothes


I was thrilled with all the interesting paintings, furniture, and photographs. (It made we want to redesign my doghouse.) The clothes were really extra special and all designed just for the store!! Stop by to see for yourself.
The shop in across from the Post Office in Haleiwa and two doors down from Cafe Haleiwa. Tell the brothers Surf Dog sent you!

An Old Friend of the Campbells


Lorin is a partner of Duncan and Malcolm. He flew in from Newport Beach, California, to be part of the planning and construction of Bonzer Front! He's also designing a line of t-shirts for the store called Mocha Baby! It was all very exciting for this little dog!

The Designer


Megan Campbell is Duncan's daughter. She went to design school on the mainland and put her innovative/edgy talent into creating a surf shop art gallery. The walls are purple, chartreuse, turquoise, lavender, and other bright, happy colors. When I entered the store, I felt like I walked into an abstract painting!

Wow! It's Showtime!


What a treat!! Surf videos on demand. I was in heaven as I watched riders catch some great waves on the giant flat screen t.v. Cowabunga, dude!! This is my kind of surf shop!!

The Film Maker





Crystal was at the opening of Bonzer Front and talking about the new movie she just made in Liberia with her boyfriend, Dave.
Google "Sliding Liberia" to check it out. It's a surf video and more!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Living in the Wild


I'm on a mountain at 1,800 feet up the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii. There were avocado and fruit trees everywhere. It was pretty nippy too. I'm next to a giant catchment tank. When it rains, the tank fills up with water and then it's stored until needed. Whew. Pretty rough livin' always depending on Mother Nature.

The Big Island


Here I am at Kealakekua Bay on the southwest coast of Hawaii. If you look very closely, you'll see swimmers on the rocks to the left. It's about 7:00 am and they are putting on snorkeling gear to paddle out in the water to swim with the dolphins.

My New Friend


Freesia was visiting the Big Island too. She's from Maui. She has a wonderful job with elders. She teaches them to mentor young children so they'll be better readers and learners. I enjoyed getting to know her. Did you notice the stalk of bananas to her right? They are called apple bananas and are the tastiest bananas you'll ever eat!!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Who's Real?


One of the best reasons to live on the North Shore, besides the "surf", of course, is the neighborhood. We have a great "sense of community." Everyone meets and greets on the beach. Friendships last forever. Here I am at a 50th birthday party for Chris. He's the guy between the hula girl and me! Does he look real? It's just a blow-up image that was part of the festive decorations. Did I trick you?

A Farmer's Market in Paradise


I live in a great neighborhood. Just down the road at Sunset Beach Elementary, we have a farmer's market every Saturday around the school's cafeteria where there is local produce all year long. There are also craftspeople who make jewelry and art pieces. Come at 7:30--remember what Mom says, "Early bird gets the worm!"

A Farmer down the Road


Harvey has been coming to the Market since it opened. He lives down the road in a small town called Kahaluu. He always has sweet potatoes and bananas and lots more. Do you see all the eggplant on his scale? I liked the way the wind was blowing his long, white beard! Harvey loves to give advice for growing vegetables and fruit.

Two Green Thumbs


Here is Bill and his friend, Sayoko, from Tokyo, Japan. They were selling produce from Bill's garden in Pupukea. It's a mountain behind my house at Sunset Beach. 1,100 acres of this beautiful farmland has just been put into a public trust. I'm lucky it will be preserved forever!!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Two Friends Ready for a Surf





Isn't Joel acting funny? I wonder why he was making that silly face. He and Mark are heading out to catch a few waves in the late afternoon. I had a long day or I would have hopped on my board and joined them!

Pitching In


Dane (standing on the left and going clockwise,) Lyndon, Toby, Stuart, and Luis came by Sunset Beach Elementary to do a little "community service." They mulched several gardens to keep the weeds down and to make the campus more beautiful. Bravo to these young English surfers who care to make a difference no matter where they are!

One of my Favorite Restaurants


I'm standing outside one of the best places to eat on the island of Oahu.  Haleiwa Joe's is located in Haleiwa at the old double-arched bridge.  The terrace has spectacular views of the harbor.  The food is fresh and healthy and the prices are reasonable!  I'm lucky to have this place so close to my home. If you'd like to see the menu go to haleiwajo001@hawaii.rr.com

Recognize Anyone?


Inside Haleiwa Joe's is a wall full of photographs of famous ocean people.  At the top is Andy Irons who, at present, is the best surfer in the world!  The fellow to the right of him is Gerry Lopez.  He's an old time wave rider who is nicknamed "Mr. Pipeline" because he was one of the first to surf a very dangerous wave called the Banzai Pipeline.  He rode it very well for many years!

My Very Good Friends are All Smiles





Chris Pirrone is one of the managers of Haleiwa Joe's.  Here he is with his wife, Angela, and his beautiful daughters, Alia and Kahea.  They are very good friends of mine.  They are standing outside of "Joe's".  This is the view when sitting on the terrace.





 Notice the photograph above the family's heads. Talk about a long, steep drop!  Big waves and brave surfers define my neighborhood, the North Shore of Oahu.  Why do you think I was named Surf Dog Sunset Beach? I live in the Surf Capital of the world.  

All the Way from South America





Kalea's Mom, Karen, is the publisher and editor of the new North Shore publication, Paumalu Press.

Visitors from the West Coast

These young girls from San Clemente, California, are visiting the North Shore.  They over-heard me talking to some friends at Cholos, a Mexican restaurant, in my hometown, Haleiwa.
They fell in love with me and were delighted when I asked them if they wanted to be in a Surf Dog photo op.  From left to right they are, Juliet, Sorelle, and Kandis.  They love to read so they appreciated my mission of "promoting literacy in children of all ages."

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Remember Honey Girl?


I'm back in the garden with my best friend, Honey Girl. Notice our other pal, Jack. Did you know that the first jack-o-lanterns were turnips? That's what folks in Ireland carved on Halloween long ago.

Boooo!! Halloween 2007



October 31 is a special time on the North Shore for dress up and trick-or-treating. The children at Sunset Beach Elementary have a schoolwide parade at the end of the day.

In photo above, I'm with Jordyn, the clown, and Mom.
To the right, Lana and Sienna are cutting up and having fun. Whoa, watch out for that syringe!

What do you think of my mask? I thought I looked pretty cool. Did you recognize me?

Look at Me, a Volcanologist!



Wow!! I'm standing next to Sharaya at the new Science Center at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. The whole place is all about volcanos. That's why I'm wearing my protective mask!! Can you see the video behind me? It's showing an actual eruption underneath the ocean. It was very impressive!!

Ready to Pour at the Hot Spot Theater


Now I'm standing with Sharaya next to a glass blowing furnace. Inside it, heated to 2,500 degrees, is volcanic cinder and borax. Because of the high heat, the cinder and borax melted and poured out like warm honey into that triangular-shaped tray. Then it quickly cooled to room temperature and turned into glass. Wow! It's a great place to visit.
If you want more information about Bishop Museum, go to www.bishopmuseum.org

Toby Donachie


Toby is taking care of his surfboard. He's showing me how to "dewax" it. Surfers apply soft wax to the decks of their boards so they have more traction when they are riding and doing "cut backs" and other manuveurs. After awhile the wax gets dirty and worn, so it's scraped off and a new layer of wax is applied. The surf wax comes in many differents scents!! Vanilla is my favorite!

Busy Bees from England


Here are my young, English surfing friends, Tass, Kath, Josh, Toby, and Alex. They wanted to do something for my neighborhood while they were visiting so they joined the Garden Club at Sunset Beach Elementary and mulched the autograph and monkey pod trees. I applaud them for their community service!!

Karen the Cook


Karen Miyano is a fabulous chef! Here she is with her dog, Carmen, who absolutely loved me! Karen has a wonderful business so she can share her healthy, beautifully-prepared food. She calls herself "The Reluctant Caterer." She also has a great sense of humor and makes me laugh all the time.