Turnaround Day

March has pretty much been a bust, wave wise. I've been looking out for waves, when not otherwise running around. I missed a nice two foot day last weekend while out searching for a grand piano. Ah, that's a whole other story, or perhaps another blog. One word to say...Bosendorfer...aaaah.

Today's session went like this: Look out the window. Waves. Might be too big.

Get to the beach, judge wave size by watching someone ride, see that they are head high, at least on him. Think, I should go in, waves are too big. As that thought was unaccompanied by any fear or trepidation, I went in anyway.

Getting out was more of a challenge than usual, but not impossible. I did a couple of turtles, and did them well, but when a third wave is coming and you haven't gotten your breath back...ug. I hate turtling as you know but was proud that I did what I had to do.

I got one ride. I totally have the mechanics of the popup down now, at least in isolation, but it's timing it on a wave that's the challenge. On one wave, I felt the timing was wrong so I just got to my knees. On bigger waves like these, I think I hesitate too long to even try to pop up and it's the hesitation that dooms me. Ya think? I guess I hesitate because I think I might pearl, encounter the dreaded drop off the ledge, etc. Yet in a kind of catch 22, if I didn't hesitate, those things might not happen. Maybe. So I was trying to get myself to not hesitate, and in one case I tried to get up sooner, but then...well...it's all blurry after that...I was just telling myself, "Commit, don't hesitate," and I felt myself going down the wave while simultaneously trying to pop up, and then---I'm not really sure what happened, other than that I crashed, but I really can't remember how I fell, or why, or if I somersaulted or held onto the board. I continue to maintain it is simply impossible to set down any memory of an event that happens in a fraction of a second.

Only one other person out was getting rides, and even his got closed out after three seconds.

I didn't go on any of the head high waves---I ain't suicidal--only on the smaller ones, but they didn't scare me. I must be getting taller.

In important breaking news, it is now possible to say that the water temperature has bottomed out (sometime between my last session and this one, I think) and is now on its way up. I have always thought the day the water temp starts heading up after a long winter should be a national holiday called Turnaround Day, and so should the day that Daylight savings returns. What could be more cause for rejoicing?