monochrome Monday (black is the new grey)

Mono Monday

Continuing the "wood" theme with some monochomatic snippets on an overcast, wet, but wave infested Monday.

Woodsman

The man who showed many of us what wonder wood and water can provide - Jacob Stuth with a grainy quiver. Stuthy runs an interesting blog called Coastal Bamboo covering

"Farming for the future~bamboo, 

vegetables, fruits, nuts,flowers, 

herbs,natives, bees, boer goats,

 dorper sheep, freshwater fish

 (silver perch, Aust.Bass, yellow belly) 

Red claw crayfish. 

Cabinet timber , reforestation, 

rehabilitating weed infested lands, 

carbon neutral lawnmowing"

Wood 1 - Blogger 0

The dreaded scratchie throat - headcold bug combo bit me a few weeks back preventing me from getting to the Wooden Surfboard Expo. Luckily my good mate Barry Davis was there with a camera to capture some of the sculptural wooden wonder. Here's a sample of what he sent me. BIG thanks, Bazza!

Wooden Ships

"Wooden ships on the water, very free and easy,
Easy, you know the way it's supposed to be"

from the song Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills and Kantner 1968

BIG shout to Mr Grant Newby from Wooden Surfboards who has organised what looks like being an excellent program of discussion and display of wooden surfing ships.

Take the time to explore the subtle nuances of grain, mass and arc of the various wooden ships beached at Currumbin, Gold Coast this weekend. Wood is good.

Electric Alaia

The spirits of Kesey, Leary, Dora, Duke and the ancient alaia sliders arrive at First Point Noosa.

Want to make your own wooden board. Try Ryan Burch's method here.

Resolution 2011

I only have one resolution for this year and that's to diligently back up my computers each day - a lesson learned a few weeks ago when the laptop's hard drive decided to quit.

Here's a few samples of work that I didn't lose. Praise the backup and have a great weekend.

Holey Wood

A while back a few of us went to the local Guitar Show, where I was inspired by the DIY simplicity of the cigar box guitar - basically a bit of hard wood with three strings attached to a flimsy wooden box (or metal biscuit tin) with a cheap electric pickup. This is slide blues territory so no frets required. So here's the first pics of my journey into Cigarboxland. Yes, I have some way to travel yet.

Somebody who has no trouble working hardwood into beautiful art is Tom Weggener - here on one of his old skool sliding devices during a traffic lull at Johnno's - Noosa.

Blue/Green Dream

Wooing would be wooden boarders

The crew over at Wooden Surfboards are organising a bit of "show and tell" wooden board day in two weeks time. Here's the deal:
"So if you have built a wooden board of any kind , shape or style and would like to share the experience with others then bring it along. Also if you have a great looking board of any age or style to share bring it along , whether you built it or not." 

"If you would like to know more about wooden boards of any kind and the various methods of building them. Then this is the day for you to meet some very talented people to talk to. We will gather in the park across from the beach at Currumbin Alley on the Gold Coast once again." 

"Remember it is a non competitive and non commercial get together."

Wooden Music

Above a thumb piano, popular with West African poets and wandering musicians. And below Aboriginal hard wood clapping sticks from northern Australia. Add a didge and a Spanish guitar or an Indian sitar and you have a multicultural sonic delight. You want Tone? Rhythm? Echo? Can't beat wood.

The Splinter Group

The only wooden board that I've tried was one with wheels rolling down the bitumen hills of Brinetopia, so I have no idea what they feel like to ride. Came across this quote in the Surfer's Path from Koa Enriquez describing the wooden glide: "We surfers crave that feeling of racing along a wave and this rockerless design really trims out and moves. It's surprising how a small wave will get you going and - hey! Stoke is where you find it" Looks like the unknown rider below would agree.

Closer to home, a tip of the briney cap to the team at Wooden Surfboards whose blog has some stunning pics and articles on the art of wooden surfboard building. Love their clever use of the phrase "splinter group".

Farewell Autumn

Farewell autumn. 

Thanks 

for all of the epic swells, 

sunshine 

sunsets

smiles

new friends

and that epic rain.

Clockwise

Jacob Stuth, 

Dirk Van Straalen

and Tom Wegener

thanks 

for your art 

and knowledge 

shared

Fade left

Fade out

Kook to Kook

"We all start this journey as a kook. And sadly if we travel it long enough we end it as kooks, " was the realisation I had the other morning as I shuffled off to queue for a bus that may or may not turn up on time to take me to work.

We start as enthusiastic kooks with plenty of energy but not a lot of skill. We get better. Fall off less. Learn to read the mysteries of the brine. We eventually become competent surfers.

We maintain the stoke with bigger, hollower and faster waves. We do road trips and exotic dawn patrols. We have a quiver of boards for different conditions. We can hang ten or flick a gravity-defying backhand reo. We can surf all day with just a fuzzy drink and a chocolate bar to sustain us.

And then we peak. 

Our energy drops. 

We start to tear muscles. 

And one day we are the oldest kook out there.

Then as I'm standing in the peak hour smog, I recalled surfing with a bloke who was 79 and a former champion surfer.  He didn't look real pretty and probably wasn't sponsored by any surf labels. He wasn't jostling wih the dozens of crew in the packed peak and he wasn't getting a lot of waves. But he was out there. In the brine. Getting amongst it. And he was stoked.
He seemed happy watching the flash, the arrogance, the agro, the beauty and the style that was all wrapped up in that surf session as younger, fitter surfers zoomed past or sprayed him, creating their own memories of "back in the day".

But what I noticed, as we were having a yarn, was that about every 15 minutes a wide set wave would clean up the pack on the peak and close out most of the outer bay allowing the old timer to get his own inner hoot going. He'd catch these wide ones. and with minimum of slash. glide his hull along the wave in perfect trim. And then I figured he probably took a while to paddle back to his spot after having such long rides. Enough time for a rest and a watch of the action and then another wide closeout. Wow! He had the crowd and the place wired. Maybe the folks we think are kooks are just playing possum and scoring some of the best waves of the session!