{ Category Archives: A Year in Surf }
Whirligig Over Doran
Walking our favorite local beach after a New Years Day gathering, Ene and I happened upon an odd young couple standing in the dunes, staring off into the distance, oblivious of their immediate surroundings. The guy was wearing what looked like ‘virtual reality’ goggles, and was manipulating a box studded with meters and toggles. His companion held a white plastic box up above her head like an offering to the sky. They appeared to be from the future. It was an oddly still day too, with many more people on the beach than usual, which added to the futuristic feeling as we made our way towards the rocks. Approaching the end of the beach, I noticed something flying in the distance, about 20 or 30 feet above ground, moving faster than the birds that frequent that shoreline. As Ene and I tried to spot it again, it whizzed by us in the dunes, and we realized it was being controlled by the cool young couple.
When we returned, the pair were still in the dunes where we began, so I asked about the whirligig, which had now landed and sat idly next to them in the sand, a kind of giant mechanical dragonfly. I asked if they had built it and the guy, who’s name is Francis Aitken, said he had and let me try on the goggles while he explained how it worked. Turns out it’s an open source ‘quadcopter’, which is essentially a remote-controlled, flying camera, and he was making a test flight. I gave Francis my card and asked that he keep in touch and send me the link to his test flight should he post it. He kindly obliged, and I was happy to see the footage the next day.
Fog Studies 3 (systems over routines)
When it comes to making things, I’m drawn to systems over routines. As a craftsman, my default system is tradition. It’s simply easier to keep one foot in the patterns of the past, especially if tradition is viewed as a very malleable template, a set of parameters as opposed to outcomes. Studying the grain of wood tells me just how best to put it to use.
I’ve been trying to make pictures the same way. Walking the beaches each morning I devote about as much time to studying the patterns of waves, sand, light and fog as I have to studying wood. I want my pictures to capture the ‘grain’ of these temporal interactions, which I distill into succinct categories depending upon the conditions of the day. I think of every wave as a cant cut from a fresh log, and relish the immediacy and simplicity of reporting on its rawness, everything reduced to just being present with camera in hand. Making pictures should be like catching a fish, or catching a wave.
A Ride for Town and Country
two of my Deep Deck ‘completes’, in cold-molded, natural elm (Ulmus Americana)
I designed my new series of Deep Deck longboards to be ideally suited for both town and country riding, and Aili and I have been enjoying putting ours to the test as we negotiate the two. Measuring about 44” x 9.5”, the decks are both long and wide, with longitudinal camber, cupped rails, wide trucks and gummy wheels, all contributing to a stable, smooth ride while maintaining enough ‘snap’ to carve under speed. The tail curves up after a shortened wheelbase for quick turns or pick-ups on sidewalks.
This is the third iteration of the Deep Deck concept in elm (Ulmus Americana) , and I’ve sold four of a series of ten to this design. I plan to keep producing this particular deck in limited editions using different species of wood, with slight alterations in form depending upon the properties of the material. After over two years of experimenting and prototyping, I think I have it just right!
Aili and I enjoy a leisurely afternoon cruise on the Joe Rodota trail in Sebastopol
