surfwaxjunkie

Maybe He Comes By It* Naturally

If by it you mean natural surfing talent, no.

Nor athleticism, good eating habits, or portion control.

By it I mean a love for surf culture. That comes by way of my parents. Both of whom rode Hobie boards. Both of which I still have. More on both of those another time.

In my very early years and in elementary school, my folks would put on old Beach Boys records on a Saturday night and we'd dance in the living room. I remember them showing us The Endless Summer. I remember mom's longboard coming out of the garage periodically and specifically going to Safeway to get paraffin wax to rewax the board even if no one was riding it.

When my brother and I were very small, Summer vacations meant a trip to Yosemite. As we got a little older, those became camping trips at the beach. New Brighton Beach and, later, Sunset Beach both south of Santa Cruz. Now we're looking at the late 80s. Round about 1987, I discovered a handful of things: bodysurfing, surf magazines, and the joy of going into a surf shop.

The magazines in particular introduced me to so much surf culture. I wanted to surf, even then, and just as importantly, I wanted to look like I did!

Is that kook behavior? Yeah, probably. And going to a middle school in downtown San Jose where you were more likely to see kids trending in Reeboks and NFL starter jackets, I was the complete aberration!! I loved the colors of that era. And the patterns! I still do.

Regardless, surfing hit me so hard that, had you asked me in 5th grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer would have been "a professional surfer." Didn't matter that I was overweight, didn't exercise, and only made it to the beach a few times a year.

Naive? Oh yeah. But that 87 to 90 era has totally stuck with me. I love finding magazines from that era. Maybe the occasional bit of clothing or gear on ebay that has survived.

So while it's now taken me years to even come close to developing the strength and skill to surf, the only thing that did come naturally for me was the love surf culture.