Saturday, February 16, 2013

Jack McCoy---Surfer/Documentarian


Here I am at the premier, early, of course, of Jack's latest film---A DEEPER SHADE OF BLUE.  Jack (in the hat) is putting up a display of surfboards to compliment the screening.  I'm on the great lawn of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki and the weather cooperated beautifully. What a perfect setting for a surf film about the history of wave riding and the evolution of surfboards.

Up We Go!!

This 1920's board is famous and so is its shaper, Tom Blake.  He invented the hollow surfboard and this is one of his first.   It was so tall it made me dizzy looking at it!  It got wedged in the tree and stood as a sentry overlooking all those attending the premier, and there were hundreds and hundreds.

Standing Guard

Kalai'i is a North Shore lifeguard and volunteered at Jack McCoy's premier to look after the many boards on display.  That's the famous Tom Blake in the background and a Mark Richards behind me.  Mark Richards, from Australia, is also known as MR,  is a five-time world surfing champ and a well-known shaper.  Check out his website:  www.markrichardssurfboards.com

Surf Shop Owner Extraordinaire

Joe Green has the largest surf shop in Haleiwa, Surf and Sea, and is always very generous with his gifts and contributions to the community.  He was at A DEEPER SHADE OF BLUE premier and brought a few vintage surfboards from his collection to add to the ambience of the event.  He has the best blow-out Christmas sale ever.  When you are in my little beach town, make sure you stop by Joe's shop.  Tell him Rex the Surf Dog sent you.  He'll get a kick out of it!

Vintage Surfboards

These are two other boards that Joe Green brought to Waikiki to display at the documentary.  Remember, I said the film was about the history of wave riding and the evolution of surfboards.
The buffet in the background was for the VIP's.  There was a lot of "surf royalty" at this event!

Outdoors, and it's February

Yes, this is definitely one of the best reasons to live in Hawaii.  It's always like summer-----barbeques, beach parties, gardens in bloom, movies on the lawn.  I could go on and on........

The Surf Professor

Ian Masterson is a surf professor and he shaped that board behind us.  He teaches the "Culture of Surfing" at a number of colleges on Oahu.  Wow!  What a fun curriculum he must have.  I love meeting so many interesting and happy people on my adventures.  Check out Ian's website at: www.surfingprofessor.com

Always a Presence

I am so happy that Surfrider Foundation stands up for the ocean and its waves and shores, and is always at surfing events.  Gene, one of the many Oahu volunteers, loved talking with me and getting excited about Jack's film.  Please check out the foundation's website and join this organization.  Preserve our natural resources...
www.surfriderfoundation.org

The Legends

As I said, there was a lot of "surf royalty" at the premier of A DEEPER SHADE OF BLUE.  Most of the men on stage are world-reknown shapers.  What a wonderful event to bring all these oldtimers together to share in the glory of the early days of surfing.  There was plenty of aloha to go around and everyone felt it.  Do you recognize any of these boardriders-----Peter Cole, Dick Brewer, Reno, Buttons, Jock, Barry Kanaiapuni, Ricky Greig, Greg Noll?

Sweet Waikiki Sunset

Can you imagine a better venue to premier a surf documentary?  I can't.  As the sun set, the film rolled and the audience was treated to great images, old footage, rockin' music, exceptional interviews, and explosive big waves, of course.  A DEEPER SHADE OF BLUE opens at theaters nationwide on March 24th.  Google it and see when it's coming to your neighborhood.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Step into the Past.....

I'm just about to enter one of the oldest known structures in Washington, D.C.  Come along........follow me into Georgetown.

Once a Parking Lot for Autos

The Old Stone House is on M Street not too far from the White House.  It was built in 1775 and has had many owners.  In 1935 there was a used car lot where the garden is today and the house was home to the offices of the Parkway Motor Company.
The National Park Service bought this historic residence in 1953 and opened it to the public, for free, in 1960.

Soup's On!

Yikes, can you imagine just how much effort would be put into making supper 200 years ago.
Touring the Old Stone House makes me appreciate what I have and how easy my life is today compared to Colonial Times.  Being grateful for what I have makes me feel good.  It keeps me healthier, too.  (That's the latest research from the scientists.)

Guess Who? Paul Revere? Ben Franklin?

No, it's me, Rex the Surf Dog.  The three-cornered hat I'm wearing, sometimes called a "tricorn hat", is typical of men's headgear during Colonial America.  I love it that our government has preserved the Old Stone House just like it was in 1776---all the furniture, clothing, kitchen implements, and artifacts, too.

Remember Sleeping Beauty?

What a process it must have been to spin wool using this spinning wheel.  Get the wool, card the wool, spin the wool, weave the wool, design the clothes and make a pattern, draw around the pattern on the wool, cut the pieces, stitch the wool, and, presto, you have a garment!

Candlelight Dining

I'm sure most people in Colonial America went to bed when the sun went down, unless it was a special occasion.  It would just make sense.   Lighting a candelabra above the dining room table would sure make it romantic, though.

Nighty, Night, or is it Naptime?

Take a good hard look at what this sparse bedroom has to tell you, from the toys on the floor to the short closet door built into the wall on the back left.

Watch Your Step

The staircase in the Old Stone House was very, very steep.  And can you imagine how it would be when you were heading outside to the outhouse in the middle of the night, oh wait, they had bedpans.
Life was so different just a few short generations ago.  Learn more about this structure at:  http://www.nps.gov/olst/index.htm

A Bite to Eat? A Pastry, Perhaps?

Mom has many dear friends in Washington, D.C., because she lived there for 10 years before she moved to the North Shore of Oahu.  Cheri is one of her good friends from long ago.  We met up with her in a very "New York Cool" restaurant called Leopold's.  The food was fabulous and so was the setting.   This oldest part of the city is full of great sights, shops, and places to eat------from bistros, to cafes, to fine dining establishments.  Make Georgetown a stop on your tour of the Nation's Capital.  I know you will love it!