Lost Boys & Co.

Lost Boys & Co... " A nd how do people get around in the great San Joaquin?"  We're glad you asked!  Our first example is a pumped up Ford.  Perfect for heading to the mountains for skiing and fishing, maybe some light off-roading.  Then we have John Conway's ride "To Hell and Back."  The back seats are skeletons and the rib cages are the sub-woofers.  When you crank it up the hearts beat in time to the music.  It's an incredible piece of work, but we're not quite sure what you do with it.  It's too tricked out to drive (one kid with a nail would ruin your ten grand paint job) and you can't really carry anything in it.  He shows it in custom car shows and he now has a bunch of trophies.  Maybe he could sell it to Forest Lawn?  Finally, we have this rather emaciated lad on his skateboard.  This is what smoking will do to you...  Oh yeah, and always wear a helmet. H igh clouds this morning with 15 miles visibility....

Lost Boys & Co... I f you go to a reception in the great San Joaquin, there are a few basic requirements.  Number one would be macaroni salad.  In this case the signature dish is found in three species, including shells, pickled veggies and traditional.  Then there is the molded Jello™ ring, with fruit.  Red or green is acceptable and this was an excellent example of the roseate variety.  It missed garnering a perfect ten on the Jello™ Richter only because the integrity of it's surface tension began to fail.  You can see how the serving spoon is lowly sinking into the colloid, instead of leaning buoyantly against the surface.  Finally, one must have fried chicken or ham.  We had ham.  Unfortunately, fried chicken, has gone the way of many fried foods and has taken a serious hit by those wishing to cut down on oil and fat.  We reluctantly agree, but there's nothing quite so satisfying as San Joaquin fried chicken.  At Manual God...

Lost Boys & Co... T raveling through the great San Joaquin brought us to many interesting eateries.  Like Scotty's, early in the morning, having a cup of coffee and a fritter with all the folks headed to work.  Scotty was a Vietnamese guy who was obviously originally from Edinburgh.  He knew his way around pastries and this fritter was a perfect example.  Just as big as the Professor's head, he ate about a fourth and gave the rest to a homeless guy, who began to dance around his crutch like he'd just won the lottery.  The anticipation of that much sugar will do that to you... T here's a front blowing through this morning and the wind is already onshore by 7.8kts.  The sea surface has a significant tack and there's still a lot of red tide.  15 miles visibility under partly cloudy skies.  The air temperature is 57.3° and the water is still 55.4°.  High tide is at 9:35am +3.8' and low tide will drain the place at 2:21pm +1.8'.  Remembe...

Lost Boys & Co... S o, it's 6am and we're walking around the streets of Modesto looking for an eatery that's open and might have a cup of joe.  The sun is out but it's still chilly and we're in shorts and a t-shirt.  We're looking down and all of a sudden we realize that we're in Modesto alright, but it's Modesto, MEXICO!  Damn, it was that 180 in Bakersfield that messed us up! L ooking red out there this morning!  Even thought the water is cool, there's still quite a bit of red tide in evidence.  Odd for these conditions.  15 miles visibility under clear and sunny skies.  Winds were off and from the north by 3.3kts.  The sea surface was smooth, with a mellow roll.  The air temperature was 52.7° and the water took another degree on the chin, down to 55.4°.  High tide is at 8:42am +3.8' and low tide will be at 1:41pm +1.5'.  The buoy is reading a SSW swell from 204° at 3.6'.  We'll go out on a limb and call it 3' to 4', wi...

Lost Boys & Co... O kay, we're back in town and damned happy about it too!  Yeah, it's a little quiet out there in the hustings.  But that didn't mean that there were a paucity of images out there in the great San Joaquin.  Like at this stop in Happy, California.  It had to be Happy, California, because this sign was attached to the Happy Mart.  Of course, across the street was Sonic Burger and we know that it couldn't be Sonic, California, otherwise there would be dozens of them.  We wondered about their sign for awhile.  Like, how did everyone who had their old fake ice cream feel about being lactically abused.  "Oh yeah, now they have real ice cream..."  And what about all of those folks who liked the old fake shit and don't know how to ask for it back...?? H igh clouds this morning, with 15 miles visibility.  Winds are finally offshore, by 7.2kts and the sea surface has some residual bump from the stronger than usual winds we ha...

Lost Boys & Co... A h, look at those golden sands.  What secrets do they hold?  How many watches, rings and keys are buried in their shifting dunage?  No way to know.  However we can see the con-trail of the lifeguard truck and the Zen stylings of the Barber Surf Rake.  Then there are those footprints leading out of the water.  The only tangible evidence we have of the "Creature from the Topaz Lagoon..." O vercast this morning with 7 miles visibility.  Winds are fresh out of the south by 7.5kts and the sea surface has a decided tack to it.  The air temperature was 54.3° at checkout time and the water has warmed up a degree to 59.0°.  Low tide is at 8:40am -0.3' and high tide will be at 3:51pm +3.9'.  The buoy is reading a SSW swell out of 199° at 3.0' and we're calling it 2' to 3'.  The wind is side-shore and making it look a little less than good.  So it's not-so-good to not-really-bad.  2 guys out at Topaz. M ail Ba...

Lost Boys & Co... T he world is going to hell in so many ways that it's hard to keep up with the latest outrage.  Well, this one ought to send a cold spike of fear right through your testicles, around your liver, through your heart, ping-ponging through your carotid artery, all the way to those short hairs on the back of your head.  (For those of you without testicles start in the pit of your stomach.)  We saw this bumper sticker at Torrance Beach, last week.  YES!  It is the Ranch, at Capire, near Zihuat.  What bonehead has decided that the world needs to know about the Ranch to the point that they had f'n bumper stickers printed?  Gaack! S o, it's just super lovely here today with gray skies, alternately drizzling and raining on our small but decorous parade.  It's good for the chrysanthemums.  7 miles visibility, if you have something that far away to see.  Winds are offshore, by 5.5kts and the sea surface is glassy.  The a...

Lost Boys & Co... H ere's looking out over a blue Topaz Bay, with just a tinge of the surreal arcing across the firmament.  Since we can't keep that up, here's bringing you back to reality with a little graffito closeup on the LG tower.  As near as we can tell it was done by a band of pygmy taggers lead by Li'l Blue, along with Li'l Grumpy and Li'l Chapo.  We stand in solidarity with them for the release of Roy (we can only guess they mean Li'l Roy) from downtown, where he's awaiting trial on charges of car jacking an OSH truck full of spray paint.  Until then, felt pens rule! R ain, drizzle and mist are the order of the day.  Winds are already out of the west by a soft 2.3kts and the sea surface has the slightest tack to it.  The air temperature is 56.1° and the water is 58.3°.  Low tide kicks off the day at 6:47am -0.9' and high tide is at 1:42pm +3.4'.  The buoy is reading a SSW swell out of 200° true at 2.6'.  Since there's so mu...

Lost Boys & Co... S ometimes it's a bit easier to picture something when you get the whole gestalt.  Pictured, we have the playing field at Topaz, with the jetty on the right and the two closest peaks to the rocks.  We've always wondered why they didn't build a series of jetties between Topaz and Torrance Beach.  The would help stabilize the sand, provide an environment for numerous fish and other sea creatures and oh, yeah... they'd create some corners for new surf breaks!  Maybe we just need an environmental report on how such structures would impact the area (like scientifically.)  Oh yeah, and money...  So, how much could it cost?  It's just rocks... S peaking of rocks, here's a photo of someone who rocks.  It's Andrew Staich (in case you didn't recognize him without his long hair!)  He's shown here with his new blade, sporting quite the dynamic deck graphics.  And why is all the hair gone?  He donated it to "Locks of Love....

Lost Boys & Co... I n our first shot Danger Boy is endeavoring to keep his nose dry, having had it sliced a couple of waves before.  With all his connections we're sure it'll be fixed in no time.  Also keeping his nose in the air is the Professor, but it looks more like he's trying to show off his new paint job, rather than keep anything dry. L ooking picture perfect out the window this morning.  Blue skies and 20 miles visibility, with only a bit of marine haze over the water and across the bay.  Winds were out of the east by 3.8kts and the sea surface was smooth at checkout time.  The air temp was 55.2° and the water is trying to warm up, with a 58.1° this morning.  High tide is at 10:12am +3.7' and low tide will follow at 2:57pm +1.8'.  The buoy is reading a west swell out of 261° at 3.6', but it's getting amped along the way and today was a good 3' to 5' with some head high outsides.  No one expected this swell to last, let alone produce ...

Lost Boys & Co... O ur first photo is of the Professor squeezing some juice out of this little corner, last Saturday.  He was looking pretty loose compared to this morning, when he took off on a ledging left, lost his board, then watched it come back up (as he was headed down) and bat him in the chest.  Fortunately, there was no coronary damage due to the small size of the Professor's heart, however he did break two ribs.  Doc says:  "No surfing for a month."  Professor says:  "How about two weeks?"  Photo #2 is Kevin Ginther farther down the line on that long left he sliced up - also on Saturday... A beautiful clear morning, with 25 miles visibility.  Winds turned onshore early at 3.7kts, leaving a definite tack on the surface to mingle with the flotsam and jetsam.  The air was a chilly 50.5° and the water was likewise chilly at 56.5°.  High tide was at 9:29am +3.7' and low tide will be at 2:26pm +1.6'.  The buoy is reading a ...

Lost Boys & Co... T oday, it's wild and crazy out there, but Saturday - Ah, that was a different story.  Photo #1 is a portrait of the pensive Danger Boy.  He had just been run over by a negligent kook and suffered a couple of fin cuts in the nose of his board.  We were going to say "his nose," but knowing DB's proclivity for personal injury we felt we had to make it perfectly clear.  All foam, no blood.  Then in photo the second we have Birdie sizing up the caliber of this cylinder, trying to decide if he should insert himself into the barrel or skate around it.  Hitting the afterburners he made it with room to spare.  Finally, we have the Professor, with a rather determined look on his face, slipping underneath this foam patty on his way to the corner of this geometry problem.  Having fun with math! W indier than shit this morning, with winds consistently in the 15 to 20kt range.  The sea surface is well chopped, with white caps beginn...

L ost Boys & Co... S ometimes, do you look up at the moon and think, "Gee, the man in the moon looks a helluva lot like Lethal Keithal."  Well, duh...  Here he is with his Lunada Bay buddy... T he wind blew all night and then at 5:30am just quit.  It was enough to clear the skies and give us 20 miles visibility at daybreak.  By 7am it was beginning to freshen out of the SW by 7.8kts and putting a bit of a heavy tack on the surface.  It was enough out of the south to let Sapphire work and you could hide in the lee of the jetty and get some nice ones.  The air temperature was 54.1° and the water dropped a bit again to 57.9°.  High tide was at 8:03am +3.7' and low tide will be at 1:28pm +1.3'.  The 46221 buoy is reading a WSW swell out of 253° at 4.6'.  Since the tide was a bit high, it ended up in the 3' to 4' range with fair to good shape. O ur second photo is of Kevin Ginther on Saturday on a snaky little left that came through and surpr...

Lost Boys & Co... O kay, what's so interesting that the reigning Mayan Chief is sitting in the box suite checking things out?  Well, it just so happens to be the Mayan version of lacrosse/hockey played with a flaming ball!  Yeah, go ahead, think of all the flaming ball jokes you know and send them with a self addressed stamped envelope to Dept. X, Mr. Gomez, Battle Creek, Michigan to claim your premium.  The were several questions on everyone's minds as the game began:  How the hell do you keep that thing lit?  (It appeared to be oozing some kind of flammable liquid, leaving cool trails on the floor and bitchen arcs through the air.)  How do you keep the floor from catching fire when you have a face-off?  (The floor was wood by-the-by.)  Are you obligated to help your opponent when he gets nailed in the forehead with a flaming pelota or instead of putting him out, do you turn and shoot?  Our only observation of note: they had no problem ...

Lost Boys & Co... T here's a lot of interesting flora and fauna down in Mexico.  Here's a couple of faunas for you:  #1 your basic lizard reptile.  This one was about 18" including the tail.  He liked the hot asphalt near the driveway in the middle of the day.  #2 is a manatee.  You can see for yourself how these docile creatures were often mistaken for mermaids???  Maybe it would help to go back to our post on the amount of rum and spirits they drank on sailing ships in the early days... A beautiful morning here in LA land.  15 miles visibility under wispy high clouds.  Winds are onshore by 3.9kts and the sea surface has a bit of a tack to it.  The air temperature was 56.8° at checkout time and the water is 58.3°.  Low tide was at 10:12am +0.6' and high tide will be at 5:41pm +3.7'.  The buoy is reading a 3.9' swell out of 214° SW.  We're calling it 3' to 4' and fair to poor shape.  It does look like it's build...

Lost Boys & Co... A Fla-MING-go!  Say it with enthusiasm.  Another great word...  How do they get their necks to do that?  They're pink because of the kind of shrimp they eat.  If you take away the shrimp, they become clear.  You can't even see them... F oggy this morning with 200yds visibility.  Winds were out of the NW by 3.9kts and we had an early tack on the water starting about 9am.  The air temperature was 54.2° and the water is 57.2°.  Let's hope the fog means the water is getting warmer!  Low tide is at 9:09am +0.4' and high tide is at 4:50pm +3.4'.  We have a SSW swell out of 204° at 2.0' and we're calling it 1' and poor.  Seems to be a rather short interval swell so the small waves seem to be catching up with each other and mashing things up. O ur second photo shows the Professor grimacing from the weak handshake he was getting from Rigoberto.  Rigoberto owns the bakery, even though it looks like a bar....

Lost Boys & Co... O kay, we're back to the good ol' USA and it's about time!  We had a couple of spectacular days of snorkelating and then the wind started to blow like the interior was heating up to max.  At one point we were wondering, "Is this how a hurricane starts out?"  Our lead photo today shows the dive boats moored outside of our back door before the blow and the second shot is of the cannons they use to protect their shores from Somali pirates.  When you dive off of this point you see some of the cannons they threw into the bay, before they realized they made good statuary.  In fact they threw a lot of good stuff into the water out there, so besides all of the coral, fish and turtles, you keep finding the detritus of centuries of civilization.  Kinda cool... B ut it was a lot calmer here this morning, with 10 miles visibility under a hazy sun and no wind.  The sea surface was smooth, bordering on glassy.  The air temperature was 60....