Tuesday, August 31, 2010

I Am Going Where Those Chilly Winds Don't Blow..



It's been a fun run of swell over the last week and more is on tap. Getting a bit spoiled by our relatively long period intervals as of late. This morning I checked to the buoy before heading down to the beach and was momentarily disappointed to see the interval had dropped to 12.6 seconds. Then I realized how crazy that reaction was given where I live. So nice to see long oily lines coming in with light off shores,its made my return to work more than tolerable.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Ditch Family Fun



Grabbed this shot a couple of weeks ago. i really enjoy watching families that paddle out together.

Been a pretty fun little run of surf over the last few days. Earle is set to hit us pretty hard on friday. stay tuned..

Hot dogs and Hot Dogging- Origins



Hot Dogs

Claims about hot dog invention are difficult to assess, as stories assert the creation of the sausage, the placing of the sausage (or another kind of sausage) on bread or a bun as finger food, the popularization of the existing dish, or the application of the name "hot dog" to a sausage and bun combination most commonly used with ketchup or mustard and sometimes relish.

The city of Vienna traces the lineage of the hot dog to the Wienerwurst or Viennese sausage, the city of Frankfurt to the Frankfurter Wurst, which claims was invented in the 1480s and given to the people on the event of imperial coronations, starting with the coronation of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor as King; the hot dog has also been attributed to Johann Georg Lahner, a 18th/19th century butcher from the Bavarian city of Coburg who is said to have invented the "dachshund" or "little-dog" sausage and brought it from Frankfurt to Vienna.[3]

Around 1870, on Coney Island, German immigrant Charles Feltman began selling sausages in rolls. Others have supposedly invented the hot dog. The idea of a hot dog on a bun is ascribed to the wife of a German named Antonoine Feuchtwanger, who sold hot dogs on the streets of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1880, because his customers kept taking the white gloves handed to them for eating without burning their hands.[7] Anton Ludwig Feuchtwanger, a Bavarian sausage seller, is said to have served sausages in rolls at the World's Fair–either the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago or the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St Louis[8]–again allegedly because the white gloves he gave to customers so that they could eat his hot sausages in comfort began to disappear as souvenirs.[9]

In 1916, an employee of Feltman's named Nathan Handwerker was encouraged by celebrity clients Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante to go into business in competition with his former employer.[12] Handwerker undercut Feltman's by charging five cents for a hot dog when his former employer was charging ten.[12] At an earlier time in food regulation the hot dog suspect, Handwerker made sure that men wearing surgeon's smocks were seen eating at Nathan's Famous to reassure potential customers.[9]

Hot Dogging

The term "hotdogging" wouldn't dare be uttered by a surfer under 60 for its archaic connotations and inordinate cheesiness. Nowadays we call it "ripping" or "flaring up," but it's all the same. Generally defined as surfing for flash rather than function, occurring in small conditions, with little regard for making the wave, hotdogging has attained an unprecedented level of acceptability within the world of surfing, thanks to aerials. For the most part, this state of mind is characterized by youth, as older surfers tend to grow increasingly conservative and set in their ways.

Hotdogging made its way into the sport early in the '50s along the popular breaks around Waikiki. Prior to that, the equipment of the day confined surfers to striking a manly pose and riding straight to the beach on finless planks up to 16 feet in length. Any variation on the process came as attempts were made to cut across the face of the wave, inevitably resulting in "sliding ass" (which was far less desirous than today). The most respected surfers since the sport's rebirth early in the 20th century -- George Freeth, Duke Kahanamoku and Tom Blake-- couldn't do a turn to save their lives (and didn't care to.) But boards were shrinking, and a few Queens locals were tired of trimming. On 7-foot redwood spears, Rabbit Kekai and Conrad Cunha began zigzagging across the surf by dipping a foot off the tail as a rudder. Kekai's boards were as narrow as 18 inches and featured drastically drawn-in tails in the Hot Curl mold, affording him unprecedented maneuverability.

California got into the hotdogging act when Joe Quigg began shaping light balsa boards (known as Malibu chips) for his wife and a few other girls -- boards that were actually ridden by guys like Matt Kivlin, Leslie Williams and Tom Zahn. With board weight drastically reduced, turning was a natural progression. A quantum leap came in 1953 at the now-defunct Killer Dana when a 13-year-old Phil Edwards quit "going for the green" and began cutting back into the soup. Edwards and pal Miki Dora used the empty Trestles playing field of the '50s to make hotdogging their personal art form.

By the '60s, everyone was in on the act, led by Malibu's Dewey Weber, "The Little Man on Wheels." Weber's kick stalls and whip turns were at first dismissed but soon regarded as groundbreaking. Mickey Munoz brought humor into the hotdogging mix with a bevy of comical poses such as the Quasimodo, el Telephono and the Mysterioso. After nose-riding ran its course as surfing's single-minded pursuit, the shortboard revolution made involvement the new rage. Inspired by Nat Young's power carves and Dick Brewer's Hawaiian mini-guns, surfers were intent on turning in all conditions, and the inevitable result was a return to sliding ass.

Such is the nature of progression: yesterday's "hotdogging" is tomorrow's "sushi roll.' In between, today's groms reap the benefits, with no-names routinely hucking airs bigger than most 90s pros. But, don't' worry. For the relics whose sticks still stay stuck in the water, you can always stuff yourself in a tube.

-- Jason Borte (updated, December 2009)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

surfers are like..




Surfers are like a school of fish. We seem to move in unison when there appears to be a bump on the horizon.
One muscle twitch by someone and the whole line-up reacts. Still waiting for the arrival of danielle. got to the beach at daybreak..still no wave, paddled out with a crowd of friends for a coffee hour sans the coffee and double the chatter.

Friday, August 27, 2010

the waiting game..



there seems to be a lot of hype is going on for this danielle swell. Lots of talk on the boardwalk, emails and texts, forum chatter and blog posts about the weekend forecasts. hopefully things pan out and there are line-ups to be found that do not resemble parking lots. I love the anticipation and the sense of hopefulness that comes with late august and september.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

a random one



This is a shot i grabbed out at ditch plains a couple of weeks ago. the waves were less then stellar but it still nice to get a little rock reef..

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Looking Back with Gratitude



I was looking through my dad's old slides and came across this image of my grandfather and me. I guess the image was taken one of the times my dad, grandfather and I went out fishing. My grandfather is long since gone but he instilled in me the love of the ocean, waves and the beach.

Though he never surfed (standing on board), he taught me to body surf and a very early age. I attribute my desire to surf at an early age to him and his body surfing lessons. He talked frequently of fishing, marine weather, hurricanes and the early days of Long Beach NY. He love to talk about being a kid and helping with building the board walk and how they used of elephants to the wood needed for the project.

Thanks Grandpa...

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

if you sit in the barber chair long enough....



.....your gonna miss the swell. Gotta love this Oceanside barber with his 80's Rusty thruster neatly tucked into the corner of the shop. Clearly it is there for mid-day surf breaks.

Heading up to Holy Oak, MA tomorrow to see one of my favorite bands. My Morning Jacket. if you havent had the opportunity to experience MMJ, I highly recommend it.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Captain Helm, Oceanside CA meets East Village, NYC circa 1986



Had the good fortune of visiting the Captain Helm Shop while out in Oceanside. What an awesome place filled with vintage garb. and killer surfboards. the place definitely had a vibe going on that reminded me of the East Village, NYC in the mid 80's only with insane surfboards and waves nearby. Its nice to see the whole vintage clothing store thing continues on. check there online shop here: CaptainHelm

Friday, August 20, 2010

Two sides of the same coin...



We have all been on both sides of this coin. Either accidentally dropping in on someone or feeling the frustration of someone folding the face of a wave that you have been riding. Its funny that at that exact moment, in almost the exact same location two people can have such diverse feelings and experiences.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Another member of the Hot Rod Church for Sinners..



Bad-ass Bible Thumping!! Highway 5 northbound near SanO- Rushing to get to the church service on time, with a god fearing mug. Somehow i am not sure the Johnny Law will care much about the importance of religious obligations though!! Brother Bent was in tow....

I am trying to increase the number of hits to www.saltstainedeyes.blogspot.com if you like the blog pass it on.. also link it to your twitter or facebook (t of f button0 on the bottom of each post- thanks

ants marching



At times, when I observe surfer's habits and behaviors in and around the water I can't help but see the connection with different animal species. Whether they resemble a colony of ants carrying a load as they walk boards in hand down a trail, or that school of fish phenomena that occurs when someone in the lineup twitches a muscle to paddle to the outside for a set and within a split second the whole school follows scratching for the the horizon.

Monday, August 16, 2010

O'slide snapshots- random grabs





I love Oceanside!! Some random grabs from my time there- can't wait to get back... Anyone know of a school psychologist job out that way? let me know and i'll forward my resume in a heart beat!!

The man behind Surfy Surfy-Post Op- JP.



I had the pleasure of hanging out at Surfy Surfy Shop in Leucadia last month. It was great chatting with JP. When i first entered the shop there was a guy looking like a clone of the main character from the classic 80's film Risky Business (JP was sporting black sunglasses). Talking with him, he informed me of a recent eye surgery that was a result of years of surfing. Here is a shot I snapped of him in front of the shop. Funny after we left the shop, my 6 year old daughter remarked that JP looked exactly like Luke Skywalker from the original star wars- i'd have to agree...

if you like it ... link it (hi the f button to share it on your facebook.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

North Side of Oceanside Pier



shot a bunch of photos from the pier on my last day of the trip- such a cool perspective. probably a little far for a crappy cam but i could not resist blasting some snaps of the kids ripping.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

"Toycam- Lo-fi Photography" Book Release Update





The book entitled "ToyCam- Lo-Fi Photography" is getting close to being released. Here is a sneak peak. I am so honored to have been interviewed and featured in this essential reading for lo-fi freaks. I love the color of the
book jacket it reminds me of my vintage diana cameras!!
More info on the link: http://greenstphotography.blogspot.com/


please share the link of the blogpost

the rainbow of moonlight




The used rack at Surfy Surfy Shop. JP was nice enough to let me hang at the shop for a while. Awesome place if you are heading to north county san diego its a must stop.

if you like it link it... (f) button

Monday, August 9, 2010

bare with me while i figure this out...



Bare with me while i try to figure this lo-fi water shooting stuff out. Not easy with a hand winding film advance, a leaky housing, only 12 exposures per roll, no light meter, no view finder, fixed aperture and an extremely slow shutter (speed 1/50th of a second).

if you like the post or the blog in general please pass it on. i'd love to get more hits. the f button below shares the link on your facebook page.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

A Grom with attitude?



Is this little guy letting me know what he thinks of me blowing up his spot, or has he just had to much juice with breakfast? In any event, I am sure he'll be a ripper someday given Mom's proclivity for the Merrick shortboard..

If ya dig what you see on www.saltstainedeyes.blogspot.com pass it on. hit the f button below or link it to your blog- thanks- j

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Hot Rod Church for Sinners.....the Bent mobile II




Another shot of accidental posing.. funny what rolls around highway 5 heading towards San' O's.. what a bad ass vehicle.. too bad there were not kookboxes in the car instead of guitars.

if you like the photo or the blog in general- please share it- hit the f button below the post to post it on your facebook page

Friday, August 6, 2010

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

West Coast Surf Check


It is hard to imagine a few short weeks ago I was surfing long period swells with Jello-like glass every morning. Since my return home its been very short period wind swell coupled with on shore to side shore winds. I still manage to have fun but it's hard not to look back and wish i was still there. This photo was taken from the top of the bluffs at Beacons- swell height was something like for feet at 21 seconds. Today i surfed a wind wave at 2.0 ft at 7 seconds with onshore winds at 10 knots... yuck

On another note- i just dismantled my show at Empire State Studios- what a great show- thanks for all who came out to check the photos out and to those who purchased i thank you and i hope you enjoy the image for some time to come.

If you like what ya see here on salt stained eyes and click and share with your facebook (f button at the bottom of the post)

Mom and Grom..



This photograph was taken after my last session of my vacation. Last session was at Beacons in Encinitas.I grabbed this shot of Mom and Grom on their way down the bluffs. I love how surfing in north county S.D. is often a family affair. If by chance you know the women in the photograph please drop me an email at brullj@gmail.com . I'd love to get her a print for a keepsake. Time moves swiftly you know and soon memories of that walk down the bluffs with the little one will fade.

If you like what you see at www.saltstainedeyes.blogspot.com please share the link on your facebook page (f button), twitter (t button) or link me to your blog. thanx..jack

Monday, August 2, 2010

morning stroll to trestles..



I got to experience trestles for the first time on my recent trip to north county san diego- what a special place. every minute of my time there left a lasting impression. Not sure what is going on with the toll road but this place SHOULD NOT BE MESSED WITH!! a national treasure that should be left undeveloped.

if ya like the blog, hit the facebook button (f) below the post.

Hot Rod Church for Sinners.....the Bent mobile



Stumbled across Brian Bent on my way up to San'O's. What a classic hot rod look he's got going on. Didn't really know who Brian was, but i was amazed at his bad ass posturing on highway 5. When I got home I came across some stuff on the Captain Fin Blog and the interweb. Brian's into a some pretty wild stuff , kookboxes, logging, hotrods, painting, captain's hats, leather and rockabilly (i think thats what you'd call it) guitar playing. His logging is pretty damn stylish.

Ps if you like a post or what you see on Salt Stained Eyes. please hit the f (facebook share) and/or the t (twitter share) button below the post. i'd love to get more people to visit the blog

heres a link to more on Brian
-jack