Look at Me!

Because I gave a donation of three dozen "Surf Dog" t-shirts to Surf Night, my name was put up on the wall with the other organizations and people who contributed doorprizes. Boy, I'm in good company-----the Triple Crown------surfing's biggest contest.

All Smiles

Elena, Mom, and I are in a great mood----food, friends, and fun. What a wonderful evening to share at the school! Hooray for "Surf Night"!

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!

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!!

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!!

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

Patricia and Ilka Pacote are on the North Shore for a birthday.  Kalea, Patricia's aunt and Ilka's granddaughter, is turning 15 and they came to share in the celebration.  

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."

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.

In Mexico City with Kalani

Wow, was I lucky! Kalani David, an excellent surfer and skater from my neighborhood, took me "South of the Border" to the Latin X Games. We were in a huge auditorium/arena filled with some of the best skaters in the world! The next two pictures show just how big the place was!!

Look at that Drop Behind Me!

Kalani was in Mexico City to do a demo. He was the youngest skater there. (He'll be ten years old next week.) He didn't compete this time, but he told me, "I got a lot of tips from watching all the pros execute their tricky maneuvers." Do you see the bike behind him? How about the lights above Kalani's head? There was a lot going on!!
I'm glad everyone is being safe and wearing a helmet.

Lights, Camera, Action!

This was undoubtedly the biggest room I had ever seen. There was so much going on that my head was spinning!
Kalani took it all in stride and maintained his very calm disposition. He took good care of me, too. He says he wants to take me to other cool places, places where he catches waves and skates. He's going to surf in a NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Association) competition in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii this weekend. Hope I'm invited to join him.

The Best Surf Contest on the North Shore

Here I am with Kaleia. She's standing in front of the sign advertising the Menehune Surf Contest. It's the best contest for youngsters in the Islands. Because this contest has been held for 31 years, many professional surfers competed here when they were little. The following eight photos were taken in the early morning on the first day of the contest. If you want to know more about this event go to:
www.northshoremenehunesurfcontest.com

The Beach Park in Haleiwa

Kalia is standing in front of the Ali'i Beach Park Recreation Center. There are lots of community meetings here and watersports classes for kids after school. In the summertime it's hoppin' with the City and County of Honolulu's Summer Fun program. We're lucky to have such a great facility in the neighborhood. We're lucky the waves here are perfect for the Menehune Contest, too!

Being Silly

Remember Namika and Luna? They were in the surf contest in Waikiki last month. Wow! What do you think of all those surfboards behind them?

A Very Good Friend

Ocean has been my friend since I was born. She is always excited to see me around the neighborhood. She and her mom made me the blue surfboard with the yellow stripes in the photograph for my train trip last summer to the East Coast. I appreciate her thoughtfulness so much.

Ready to Charge!!

These young boys in the lycra vests are ready to compete in the contest. "Hawaiian" (sitting down) is giving them instructions before they paddle out in their heat (group). Each vest is a different color so the judges can tell the surfers apart when they are riding a wave!!

The Voice of the North Shore

Here I am with Skill Johnson and Mom. Skill is the Director and driving force behind the Menehune Surf Contest. He puts in lots of hours at other charity events on the North Shore as a master of ceremonies and auctioneer. He tells silly jokes all the time, too. We sure are glad he's a part of our neighborhood.
Hooray for Skilly!!

A Young Surf Star

Kalani David is becoming very famous on the North Shore and around the world. He is competing in lots of surf contests, as well as skateboarding events. He just got back from Mexico City last month where he was a competitor in the X Games. (Did you notice the logo on the beach chair?) He's always kind and polite to me and I appreciate his big smile and friendly manner.

Ready to Ride

Gabby is holding me and standing next to her surfboard. She rides this "long" board instead of a short one because it's easier for her to catch the waves. She's a great athlete, so I am sure she'll do very well in the Menehune Contest.

Getting Ready for the Contest

Kirra and her brother, Ezra, are ready for their surf contests. Both of them are slathered with sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun's strong rays. Smart thinkin'!!

Look Who's Tandem Surfing

These are my friends, Raya, and her older sister, Sierra. Cowabunga!!

The Looooooong Canoe Race

This outrigger canoe was just paddled across the Molokai Channel. It's one of the most dangerous stretches of ocean in the world. These young women paddlers came in first in their division---koa canoe. Bravo! This Outrigger Canoe Club crew had 10 members. The women took turns jumping out of the canoe in the middle of the ocean and switching seats with each other. If someone wasn't paddling, then she was riding in the escort boat. They left the island of Molokai at 7:30 am and reached the shores of Waikiki at about 2:00 in the afternoon. Whew!!!!! A very long paddle! (In the background is the dock where the judges sit and the escort boat arrives to drop off the other five paddlers and their supplies.)

Escorting the Paddlers

Here is one of the escort boats. Each canoe has an escort boat as it paddles across the channel. It's a big job to make sure the paddlers are safe and onboard as they switch back and forth enroute across the open ocean to Waikiki Beach.

Her First Long Distance Race

What a great day it is for Julia Fiedler. She just paddled the Molokai Channel for the first time. She had to train for months to get into shape for this race. The wind was strong and the sun was hot and sometimes the canoe had to navigate big surf.
Julia is strong and brave! I feel proud for her and I'm glad I was part of her special day.

Julia's Proud Dad

John Fiedler was there at the finish line waiting for Julia. His smile shows how happy he is to greet her and her fellow paddlers. He's wearing a hat because the sun was very, very strong. Maybe I need to get a hat too for those sunny days at the beach. What do you think?

The North Shore Canoe Club

This is the outrigger crew from my neighborhood. They are so happy to have reached the shore. Do you see them holding hands? They have been paddling for years under the leadership of Donna Whitford. They store their canoes across from Jameson's Restaurant in Haleiwa. Young people paddle for the club and practice after school. It's great exercise and lots of fun. Paddling together builds a strong sense of teamwork, too.