Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Surfin' Thursday

Surf -- surf/sərf/
Noun: 1) The mass or line of foam formed by waves breaking on a seashore or reef: "the roar of the surf".

Verb: 2) Ride on the crest of a wave, typically toward the shore while riding on a surfboard: "learning to surf".  3) Move from site to site on the Internet: "She spent her idle moments surfing the web".


Little Boogie Board Girl, Theresa Philomena (12)


I grew up within a few miles of the beach, but didn't grow up with Boogie Boards.  They weren't the thing I guess on the Atlantic coast. But when Dan was a kid growing up in southern California, knowing how to maneuver them was a given, a right of passage.  If you didn't own a surfboard, you at least had a boogie board.  And you knew how to use it.  Dan can still ride a mean wave, belly down on a boogie board.

 I grew up a Virginia Beach girl, though.  In Virginia it was customary to bring a book, a blanket, an umbrella, and a picnic basket to the beach.  Which still works for me. And now that I'm a Mommy, I guard the post and take care of everyone's glasses and cell phones, too -- and mind that the flip flops don't float out to sea.  I slather sun screen on anything that moves and wash sand out of eyes.  I even record the fun for posterity -- but I do not ride boogie boards.  I have this notion that dignity is a terrible thing to waste...  But the children aren't shy; most of them gave it a try -- in some way or another. Cathy and William are sand pipers; they prefer to stay on the shore, but most of the kids took to the wave-riding thing like fish to water (uh, so to speak...). 

So, anyway, armed to the top of my computer's memory with photos from our summer vacation, I'm throwing a beach party today. :)

And here, to get things rolling, are some examples of surfing definitions 1 and 2...

"Follow me, kids.  I'll show ya how to use this thing!"
(Big brother, Kevvy, with Anna and Theresa)




Kevin Christopher (21) and Theresa

Theresa solo

Good friend, Brenda B., with Michelle Frances (16)
L-R: Theresa, Michelle, Kevvy. (You HAVE to click this one to enlarge it; it's hilarious, and Michelle is going to KILL me when she sees that I've shared it... but I just couldn't resist. ;0) Look how she's caught this wave! Look at the expression my camera caught!


Gabe's  Boogie Board Method:  
Wait for iiit......  Wait for iiiiitt....

And there he goes!

 William's Boogie Board Method:

Never goes anywhere, but does it with style.
The Real Surfing Pros:



Sharks or dolphins?  What do you think?  Dolphins, we're pretty sure.  But, um, I made the kids get out of the water, anyway...

* Now,  for some web surfing fun...  Surf the day away and never get wet!  A few of my favorite internet surf beaches:

Babble's Top 50 Mom Craft Blogs
(I have spent HOURS visiting these amazing, creative sites!  Great links, great ideas and tutorials!)

The Catholic Blog Directory
(An extensive, but basic listing of links -- good place to troll for kindred spirits)

The Catholic New Media Awards
(Because you never know what or who you'll find there.)

The Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards
(Because whatever you find there is irreverently funny -- Warning: NOT for easily offended or melancholic Catholics!) 

(Great tips and lots of links to money saving coupons and contests!)

Happy Hearts at Home
(Alexandra always has the best links for frugal home schooling sources and other wonderful things)


Skywatch Friday
(For weekly glimpses of beautiful photography and beautiful skies all over the world)


Snapshots Around the World
(A new theme each week connects photographers around the globe. Never fails to delight!)


Sepia Saturday
(A weekly jaunt through history.  Meet folks around the country who share antique photos and the stories behind them.  If you love history and love old photos, you'll love these!)

No excuse to be bored -- even a thousand miles from the beach.  Grab that keyboard and jump on in!

* Let me know if there are any fun or useful web resources out there that I'm missing!

*  If you have any fun in the sun photo posts you'd like to add to the beach party, let me know and I'll link them below!



1 comment:

Sarah said...

Hahaha! That picture of Chicky is amazing. I love it. I may frame it. XD

But those pictures were of dolphins. Sharks generally don't come up above water; you might see their fin if they're lurking just below the surface, but not their tail like in the second picture. Also, sharks have different-shaped tales. Awesome that you saw them, though! Even if I knew it was a dolphin, I probably would have freaked out and scrambled out of the water. When I'm at the beach, I like to pretend there aren't tons of big, slimy fish things underneath me.