Well what should summer be like?
I have been grousing about the weather this summer
August in particular has been unusually cold
and I was thinking, "Well what should summer be like?"
(harp music denoting dream sequence here)
waking up with BRIGHT sun in your face
no matter how early you awoke the sun was already up and inescapable
it was sweltering hot and there wasn't anything to do but get up and jump in the water
later in the day you had to seek some shelter, a van, a towel or even go home! Anywhere the sun wasn't shining
But as soon as the sun went down you were out an amongst the rabble again!
layers of sunburn about to reach critical mass
we would all stop wearing wetsuits as soon as possible
by August it had been months since you had worn one
(the rash was almost gone)
So everyday and from every direction you got just a little more burnt
shorts and a tee shirt was the only clothes you could wear, you radiated heat
The rumor was, if that last little flake of skin covering your nose came off the whole thing turned cancerous
(to this day my dermatologist smiles when I tell him I spent my youth at the beach)
the surf and weather
They never changed the report on TV, in the paper or on the recorded surf report all summer
"...the surf is out of the South West from one to three feet. The maybe late night and early morning low clouds burning off in the early morning..."
Of course every day wasn't an exact copy of the previous one
Bigger south swells came (along with surprisingly cold water) and went, the jelly fish would arrive in mass and whole waves would consist of jelly fish and like two cups of water.
A great time to go body surf.
An even better time to lay on the sand and work on the tan...
August in particular has been unusually cold
and I was thinking, "Well what should summer be like?"
(harp music denoting dream sequence here)
The Wedge Crew photo by Mel (?)
waking up with BRIGHT sun in your face
no matter how early you awoke the sun was already up and inescapable
it was sweltering hot and there wasn't anything to do but get up and jump in the water
later in the day you had to seek some shelter, a van, a towel or even go home! Anywhere the sun wasn't shining
But as soon as the sun went down you were out an amongst the rabble again!
layers of sunburn about to reach critical mass
we would all stop wearing wetsuits as soon as possible
by August it had been months since you had worn one
(the rash was almost gone)
So everyday and from every direction you got just a little more burnt
shorts and a tee shirt was the only clothes you could wear, you radiated heat
The rumor was, if that last little flake of skin covering your nose came off the whole thing turned cancerous
(to this day my dermatologist smiles when I tell him I spent my youth at the beach)
the surf and weather
They never changed the report on TV, in the paper or on the recorded surf report all summer
"...the surf is out of the South West from one to three feet. The maybe late night and early morning low clouds burning off in the early morning..."
Of course every day wasn't an exact copy of the previous one
Bigger south swells came (along with surprisingly cold water) and went, the jelly fish would arrive in mass and whole waves would consist of jelly fish and like two cups of water.
A great time to go body surf.
An even better time to lay on the sand and work on the tan...
The Hermosa Crew
A random photo from the era.
I have no idea who most of these guys and girls are but they look just like all the people I grew up with.
I hope they have fared well.
Comments
Oakland, August 11, high of 67.
Last weekend I drove a moving van north to Seattle where they are having a hot summer. It was overcast the whole time I was there and sunny in Seattle by the time my plane landed back in foggy SFO.
The upside is that the surf around here has been just as terrible as the weather, and I've been so busy at work I wouldn't be able to surf anyway.