Ah, August

90 degrees and sunny! I hoped for a repeat of yesterday, and I was not disappointed.

I did a couple hours of editing while the tide dropped. It was hard because I saw people out catching rides on little waves. Everyone was coming out with a smile on their faces.

One of the biggest smiles was on a woman I had never seen before. She caught my attention immediately because she came to the beach alone, and because she looked about my age. There aren't many women surfers my age---I'd have to think hard to name more than one (the Sea Hag). She had on a bathing suit like mine, the older woman suit, not the bikini the youngsters all wear. She made the obligatory old woman joke, of how she'd hardly be able to walk later after surfing--why do we always think we have to do that? Offense, I guess, do it before someone else does it or even realizes they're thinking it. I wanted to go talk to her but made myself do my work, counting on catching her later.

She was quite friendly all around, talking to a very young and cute boy surfer who was also by himself, and the next thing I knew he came over and did a sand-sit next to her. Sand-sit, that's my word for when you're talking to somebody and it's too long a conversation to have without sitting down next to them but you don't want to go as far as dragging your beach towel over to them, so you just plop down in the sand. Sand-sits have the disadvantage of getting your ass and legs all sandy if you're wet. So if you can, you avoid them. But he plopped down and I'm thinking, what's going on? Is that her son? Because they both had the same color hair, and he was young enough. Was he hitting on her? Was she hitting on him? Impossible,right? They seemed to be having a very animated conversation. I could hear that it was about surfing. I would have joined in if I hadn't had work to do, but I couldn't help listening.

Gradually I figured it out. I had thought that she was asking him for advice on surf technique. But no---it was the other way around. He was asking her, and she was helping him! Finally he said, Thanks, that was very helpful, and went back to his towel. I'm just so used to the other way around, young guys knowing everything, looking down on older women if they notice us at all, not asking our advice. And I can't remember ever hearing a man of any age ask a woman of any age for surf tips.

Unfortunately I never got to talk to this woman or get to know her because she was gone by the time I came out of the water. I hope to see her again. Old women surfers have to stick together!

I did surf for two hours and did as well or better than yesterday. I asked a friendly face, one of the locals but not such a Surf Mafioso, for advice on turning, because it seems like I'm able to start working on that now. I've heard the same advice before, now it's time for it to start "clicking".

After this triumphant session, I hung out for a while and watched , in horrified fascination, the spectacle of C. putting the moves on what he can only think of as fresh meat. To be honest, it was a little hard to watch because he was the one who looked good enough to eat. I felt sorry for the woman, who seems way out of his league, and wanted to give her some warning---but the moment passed and I didn't do it. I guess she'll have to learn for herself, but she seems too nice to suffer that fate.