Bee Rescue

My friend Jeff Russell made this clip and entered it in a independent film festival in LA. He works as a bee exterminator and has taken a couple semesters at a comedy school in LA. Given those two factors this video was pretty much inevitable. I grew up with Jeff in FL since we were about 8 yrs old.

Paddle Boarder @ The Wedge

There we only about 10 people brave enough (or stupid enough) to be out this day. Of the 10 people, 5 had boogie boards, 4 we just swimming with fins, and one guy with a stand up paddle board. This wave is dangerous enough when its just your body and perhaps a semi-soft body board. Having the nerve to be out there with a fiberglass board with sharp fins and a paddle is pretty impressive (or stupid). This guy got unanimous applause from the 100+ people watching from the beach when he caught this wave.

The Wedge is pumping

Here is some video I shot on Saturday July 25, 2009 at the Wedge in Newport Beach, CA. This wave breaks in a unique way by combining normal ocean waves with perpendicular rebound waves bouncing off a jetty. Its hard to describe but the result are A-frame waves that wedge up when the two waves combine hence the name of the break.

Best swell of the summer

I went down to California this weekend with my friend Josh. We were hoping to snag a cancellation at one of the campsites at Carlsbad state beach (or any of the other state beaches nearby). But apparently you need to be in-line at 4 am if you have any hope of getting a cancellation. So we decided to look for a somewhat secluded beach to just make our own campsite. But because of the massive swell that was hitting the Southern CA coast and the fact that it was high tide combined with the storm surge we couldn't find any beaches with sand to camp on (they were all underwater). So on our way to a friends house in Long Beach to sleep on his living room floor we found a place called Crystal Cove State Beach. There were no campsites available but they did have a "Coastal Bluff Protection Zone." We found a really nice spot and made our camp for the night. The next day we went to watch the huge waves breaking at the Wedge (the beach next to the jetty at the end of the Balboa peninsula in Newport). There were hundreds of other people who also came to see the huge swell. Apparently a 50 yr old tourist had died the day before getting smashed into the rock jetty by a huge wave. Then we went up to the Huntington Beach pier and watched the US Open of surfing for a little while. We got there just as 9 time world champion Kelly Slater (from Cocoa Beach, FL) was beginning his heat. Before we left the US Open we watched some of the freestyle BMX kids practicing. Then before coming home we went north to Seal Beach to surf (the waves break a lot smaller and the water is warmer). We had a lot of fun.

Carlsbad sunset

Josh posing next to the tracks with the headlight of a speeding train behind him.

Crystal Cove Bluff Protection Zone

Josh posing next to our tent holding his imaginary pet boulder named "LeDoux"

View from our tent - the ocean is about 40 ft below the bluff we camped on

About 6 am Saturday at the Wedge in Newport

About 7 am Saturday at the Wedge at Newport (about 2-3 times as many people)

Sponger at the Wedge

Paddle boarder at the Wedge

Double Tail whip

The waves crashing into the pier splashed some of the spectators (the pier is designed to withstand 31 ft waves)

Kelly Slater running to the water to begin his heat

After Slater won his heat

I really liked the color of this flower in the front yard of a Newport Beach house

This multicolored flower also caught my attention

Little Sister Lullaby

The other morning Taj decided to take a minute out of his busy schedule of watching bolt, playing with his Thomas the Trains and general boyish rough housing to help his little sister be happy by pushing her swing and singing her a lullaby ("Baby Mine" from Dumbo). You have to turn the volume up to hear him, but its worth it. At the end Taj decides its time to go surfing so he has to leave (I had my surfboard out that morning getting ready for a trip to CA).

Hello World

So this post doesn't contain much information but A LOT of cuteness! She has just started to really giggle and I got a little video of it on my handy dandy iphone.

I really like my kids but I have to admit that my iphone is close behind in appeal!