Mattix Montoge

So here is a picture after Moriahs surf lesson. She actually did really well. I had to drag her out of the water.....good thing it was getting dark or we would have been there all day..

Moriah and I are on the way to the OBX for some surf lessons for her, taught by Dad. Right now in the car, the boards make good pillows..

So, I had a little problem with my last surf kayak. It looked so fast (and it was). People even said it looked fast sitting still. The only problem was that it was the type you sit INSIDE. Which means the operator (me) had to learn how to flip it back up when it was upside down and I was locked into it. After several months of practice, and lots of time on the water (hours and hours) I got it down. You have to fight the natural instinct to GET OUT when you are upside down like a cork. However, in the surf it is a whole different deal. Do it wrong and you are swimming through the surf with a waterlogged boat and paddle and people on the shore ready to call in the coast guard.

I thought "should I really spend the next year trying to master this, or should I just find a boat that is just as fast, but is a sit on top?" I chose the later, a waveski that is built like a surfboard, but you paddle it.(Hence the picture) And yes Mom, the seat belt is quick release.

The old kayak? Well thanks to craigslist and in spite of some happy flaggers who kept on taking down my post, a white water kayaker with lots of cash, time and expensive cars is carving up the waves. Maybe I will see him sometime on the surf. Me? Well, I am just happy to not have to cause any more stress for the crisis happy tourists on the beach.....

So I am out on my boat contemplating the end of summer. The girls head to a new school in the morning for a new adventure. This summer has gone by fast. It seems to have been full of moving, adjustment and settling. I am not sure what to make of it all other than to be thankful. As I sit here, floating along with the night breeze coming in and the sound of sea birds on the shore, I am reminded that our God is good. It may not always be a party, but when you stop and reflect you can't help but say "Lord, I am not sure I want to do that again, but I am sure glad you took me there and it is a good place to be. Thank you Lord.

My GPS tells me I only have about 15 minutes of sunlight left, so I best be paddling home. (Don't worry mom, I have an emergency beacon, fire starter, and first aid kit in a dry bag behind me..).

So I know I have made a difference when we are on a hour drive and my wife fills the dead space by surfing on her blackberry.

While not as much as when I was living in Virginia Beach, about 2-3x a week I drive up to our corporate offices for meetings in Norfolk. So over the intercoastal waterway I go, along the dismal swamp canal built by George Washington, past the signs for Bear Crossing (there are more Black Bear here than the mountains) and then past the Naval ship yards to Norfolk. So much to see in just 45 minutes.