Small Town Life...

I had to ship a box via UPS today. I purchased the shipping label online, and since there's only one road out here, I parked myself in a vacant lot and just waited for the UPS guy to drive by. When I saw him coming, I jumped out of the truck, grabbed the package, and stood in the middle of the highway and flagged him down. He happily slammed on his brakes and pulled off into the shoulder, popped the door open, grabbed the package and drove off. Does that happen in other places?

Sometimes, if I'm walking Banana (the dog), the UPS and FedEx guys will screech to a halt in the middle of the road and chuck dog bones out the window. Does that happen in other places?

Over the holidays, Anne, Banana, and I were in Brooklyn. When the FedEx lady come bursting through the crowd, Banana ran up to her, and sat down with puppy dog eyes, directly in front of her. Of the hundreds of New Yawkas that passed by on the street that morning, Banana only knew the FedEx lady, and tried to befriend her. Alas, she had no treats. New York is not a small town.

...Anticipation...

Man, I had been doing so well. I was relaxed, content, sleeping... Until now... now that my Maui vacation timeline has slowly crept into a forecast-able period... I've been clicking this damned link at least once an hour, even though it only updates 3 or 4 times per day. And it's looking good... Very, very good...

Tonight has been exceptionally harsh. I've been awake since 3 AM, unable to take my mind off of the approaching adventure. My pulse is racing, just laying in bed... dreaming of lofty starboard jumps and some down the line wavesailing in tropical paradise...

The last time I felt like this was, ummm, about 9 years ago... Uh-huh, yup... Right before my first trip to Cape Hatteras : )



In all honesty, though, I feel this way pretty danged often. Every time the windows rattle in the breeze, the anticipation hits. We all feel it, as windsurfers. You can't escape it. It's not a bad thing... It's just a little reminder that Yes, You Are Alive!! As GP likes to say: "What a life!"

Less than one week...

...until I visit Windsurfing Mecca for the first time : )

I just checked the Maui forecast. Looks like 14 foot seas and 20+ knot ENE winds the day I arrive... Perhaps I'll start with the Da Curve 79 and a 4.7, going down the line at Ho'okipa? Nothing quite like throwing yourself right into the thick of it........ Wish me luck (getting off the rocks in one piece)!!

Sunset Vid

The wind *finally* puffed up a notch just as the sun was setting last night. "Grab the kit and go go go!!" Luckily, I'm very practiced at rigging... otherwise, I would've missed the whole sesh... It's pretty amazing how just 20 minutes in the water can reset the balance of your whole day!

Anyway- I set up another tailgate cam, with the intention of sharing this sunset with all of you (awwwwwww, isn't that sweet). So pour yourself a spot of rum, sit back, and enjoy the high speed Hatteras Sunset!


Sunset Sesh from Andy McKinney on Vimeo.


Have a great weekend, folks!