Birthday waves

Whoever said there are no good waves in Texas: you are wrong! There are hellaciously fun waves!

Today I ventured off the hotel beach, and I'm so glad I did. I went to check out a new spot, one which didn't exist the last time I was here. I stood on the pier and watched a guy on a shortboard get the most incredibly long rides. The waves were kinda choppy and small and didn't look like much but they took him on and on and on. What he was doing was, getting up to one knee and waiting for a second or two, and only then getting up. Like I do. And then riding forever.

So after seeing that I said, OK, it's worth the short drive to come here. I can do that.

Plus it was sunny and my birthday. I am forty-frickin-seven years old.

For my birthday, I got the longest rides of my life. I mean, the first waves in which I ever used my legs for anything but holding up my torso.

Because the waves were choppy and shouldery, they weren't as easy to catch as they looked. I thought the problem was that I was taking off too early and then a guy offered the advice that I was taking off too late. I was just watching the others, shortboarders half my age plus a gramps on a longboard (why don't old guys ever ride shortboards?) and trying to do what they were doing. They were all getting long rides. The waves were the teasing kind, that would pretend to break on you and then not. They wouldn't hurt you. They were bigger than they looked from the pier but well within my comfort level---3 ft. maybe. In fact, fun.

And they had power, so much that even the whitewash could get you going almost all the way to the beach.

I caught some breaking waves, and some whitewash, and even if I didn't get up right away as long as I held onto the board there was still plenty of time to get up and still get a long ride. I mean, much longer than is ever possible on the best days at home. And time to balance, and adjust balance, and even do the pumping thing with the knees as I've seen thousands of people do to keep going as the wave gets spent. At times I would go for a wave I hadn't planned for knowing I was getting it too late but it was OK because I could still keep control and get a ride.

And at times the breaking wave had so much power it would force me off or I would stand up too soon and fall. But I got at least six long rides. I think word spread that this was a good day for Texas because by the time I left there were about ten people out, all on shortboards. All guys, but a couple of young girls were coming as I left. I was certainly the only forty-frickin-seven.

This is by far the best day I have ever had in Texas, one of the best days of my life, and much more fun than anything I've ever experienced in New York.