Lost Boys & Co.

Lost Boys & Co... I n Madrid there’s a museum that you probably haven’t heard about.  It’s the Reina Sophia Museum and it happens to be the home of Guernica (#1) and dozens of Picasso’s, Dali’s and other modern artist’s works.  We spent about an hour checking out the posters from the late 19th and early 20th century.  The type styles alone were worth it! H azyy sun this morning in Hermosa and 14 miles visibility.  Light winds this morning and the sea surface was tacked.  The air was 64.5 and the water is 75.7.  Low tide was 6:19am +1.9’ and high tide will be at 1:06pm +5.4’.  It’s a SSW swell out of 197deg at 2.6’ and it was 2’ to 3’ in Hermosa. T his is El Retiro Park in Madrid (#2).  You might see the resemblance.  We sure didn’t, but we had to see it to make sure that ours was aptly named.  Maybe a water feature would help… L ast year this restaurant (#3), Botin, ...

Lost Boys & Co... Q uite unbelievably the Prado Museum in Madrid rivals the Louvre in Paris.  Certainly not as large but its  collection is wide ranging and impressive.  Take this self portrait of Albrect Durer (#1).  We walked around a corner and there it was with a number of things that were less impressive.  We thought we knew a bit about Durer, especially his prints, but we didn’t realize until this time almost no one did self portraits!  It was king of advertising for his portrait work… S unny skies and 14miles visibility.  Winds have been light all day and the sea surface is smooth.  The air temperature is 70 and the water is 75.4. Low tide was at 5:54am +1.4’ and high tide will be at 12:21pm +5.3’.  It’s a South swell out of 173deg at 3.0’ and it’s 2’ to 3’ and keep looking for corners. W e heard from Tandis that Tio Ted passed away and leaves another ho...

Lost Boys & Co... H ad the best bacallao (codfish, yes they named it after Jose) that we’ve had since we went to Marco’s uncle’s restaurant in Raimonda.  Baked with scalloped potatoes that melted in your mouth and some tomato bits thrown in.  To wash it down?  Some Tinto d’ Verano, which is red wine mixed with limeade.  Quite refreshing. Looking over at this lifeguard tower (#1), it’s about two and half stories tall and has a ladder that could evicerate a descending lifeguard.  Great view of the beach, snazzy architecture but a little impractical.  Then they have to run across the rocks… M eanwhile, Hermosa is bracing for a hot weekend.  Hazy sun with 14 miles visibility.  Winds light out of the west and the sea surface is smooth.  High tide is at 10:28am +4.6’ and low tide follows at 4:00pm +1.3’.  The water is 75.2 at the buoy!  It’s a south swell out of 184deg at 3.3’ and it’s ...

Lost Boys & Co...   S o we’ll give you some things to remember when you decide to participate in La Tomatina. #1. Wear good fitting lace up shoes.  NO FLIPFLOPS!  We watched single flips (or flops) floating down the river of tomato purée.  Also it’s cobblestone streets and they get incredibly slippery and uneven.  We wore shoes that apparently were made with zero natural materials.  They stayed white, but the laces are now pink… #2. Depending on your hair or lack of it, you might want to wear a cap or even a like a bathing cap.  Yes it looks silly but you can avoid spending an hour trying to remove seeds and peels (#1 It took LoLa 3 showers)…. #3. Take off all the jewelry you don’t want to lose.  Things get slippery out there and people are grabbing and trying to stay vertical, a lot don’t (#2).  Waterproof watches are good, but it to...

Lost Boys & Co... A n unbelievable day, even by Sruf Familia standards!  In photo #1 we have Sancho fortifying himself for the Tomatina.  If one cerveza was good, two had to be better.  Look, it was a long walk and you needed to stay hydrated.  At 12 o’clock sharp the festivities began as six dump trucks cam down the Camino about a block apart throwing thousands of tomatoes into, onto and through the crowd.  It looked like the start of the Super Bowl 10k with nowhere to run and tomatoes flying everywhere.  By the time the second truck came through the street was wall to wall tomatoes and the air was thick with tomato mist.  At truck #3 the road was ankle deep in tomato sauce and the playing field became a bit uneven since you couldn’t see the curbs.  We held our positions…   H ermosa is in for a hot one today!  Should be a skosh over 80 in the air and 76.5 in the wa...

Lost Boys & Co... We’re on the train from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid.  It’s down to Sancho, Donna, LoLa & the Professor.  Santiago was great, but was even more fun when Marco, Raquel and the boys showed up. (#1). Then we have a Big Bear and a Baby Bear (#2) flying around the lunch table much to their and to our amusement.  Sancho also played a raucous game of hide-n-seek in the fountain maze with the big brothers Matty and Sal and as they say “A good time was had by all!” Looks like Hermosa is in for some warm weather today!  Supposed to nudge 83 and has you changing up to iced coffee at brekky.  Winds are calm and visibility is 7 miles.  Ocean temperature is 71.2.  High tide is at 9:19am +3.9’ and low tide will be at 1:46pm +2.7’.  It’s a SSW swell out of 202deg at 3.3’ and 2’ and a little more in the surf line.  Maybe you can get Anupa to take you fishing?…  So in the morning we’re o...

Lost Boys & Co...    S o these cutie patooties (#’s 1 & 2) come rolling out of the Atlantico and roll Waikiki style along the sand for many yards.  There is a thriving surf culture in Santander and a number of surf schools.  We were trying to remember if this is where Christian came for a contest a few years ago… I n far away Hermosa Beach there’s 15 miles visibility under partly cloudy skies.  Winds are light out of the south and the sea surface is smooth.  It’s going to be around 75 º and the water is 68.9 º at the buoy.  Another one tide day with the high at 5:19pm +4.82.  More SSW swell out of 195 º at 2.6’ and it’s bigger than Santander but not as good shape… S pending the day in Oviedo where there’s some great architecture and food from the Asturias region.   Like in many spots in Spain they keep building on top of Roman ruins that were there a...

Lost Boys & Co... H ere we are in Santillana Del Mar, which isn’t particularly close to the mar.  Yesterday we visited Santander and had a grand beach day, which included eats and some splashing in the Atlantico.  It was a perfect 1’ and rolling along a broad stretch of flat beach that had some extreme tides. L et’s not forget it’s Doc’s Birthday today (the 20th, we have only a remote idea what time it is where you are!). Looks like a beautiful day in the Southland with partly cloudy skies and 10 miles visibility.  Winds are calm and the sea surface is smooth.  69.6 º in the water and going up to near 80 º in the air.    One high tide today at 4pm +4.7’. It’s a SSW swell out of 199 º at 3.3’ and it’s 2’ and keep looking for the corners…   O n to Commillas then Oviedo.  Commillas has a private residence designed by Gaudi and Oviedo is known for its  medieval old town and gothic cathedral. ...

Lost Boys & Co... S o here we have the statue of San Fermin (#1) whose  feast day is celebrated by the running of the bulls.  This statue is high on the wall near where the bulls begin their run.  This happens to be a copy, but they install the original during the fiesta. You pray that you will be faster than a thousand pounds of bull, replete with horns and hooves and that you won’t be trampled or gored… Low of 67.3 this morning under partly cloudy skies with 10 miles visibility.  It’s still that persistent SSW swell out of 198 at 3.3’, hitting the beach at 2’ to 3’. The water temperature is 69.9.  Low tide was at 6:58am +1.9’ and high tide will be at 1:52pm +4.9’.  Your job is to find a corner or two… Obviously San Fermin is the patron saint of the run, but a close second would be Earnest Hemingway (#2), who brought it to popular attention in “The Sun Also Rises.”  The Pamplona ...

Lost Boys & Co... T ook us a week to get from Majorca through Barcelona to Pamplona.  All that and no secure internet.  Pamplona of course is famous for the running of the bulls and this sculpture (#1) is the bronze depiction of that fiesta.  We always imagined it was a one day event, but it turns out it’s eight days and the bulls run each of those days at 8am.  So get out of the way… Maybe next year? A  bit more swell out of the SSW 197deg at 3.3’ and it’s skidding along the beach at 2’ to 3’ and poor to fair.   The water temperature at the buoy is 69.9, but a tad warmer in the office… W e seem to be following Hemingway’s journey through Spain and we dropped into the Iruna Bar and Sancho took up next to the statue of Papa (#2).  The longer we’re on this trip the more he looks like the man himself! O n to Bilbao and Santilliana Del Mar.  Our first look at ...

Lost Boys & Co... W e'll be heading out this Sunday (more on that a bit later), but we didn't want to have Morgan's (#1) birthday go unheralded!  It's actually the 10th, but as Ronnie has demonstrated, there's no shame in celebrating on multiple days.  She remains our hero and we wish her many more trips around our mid-sized, but not insignificant star... "N o testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind that it's falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it is endeavours to establish." David Hume (#2) D avid might have been holding forth on the miraculously small size of the surf that now caresses our shores.  Though it's a beautiful day and there are some picturesque clouds gliding along the firmament, winds are already onshore and the sea surface has a pronounced wind tack.  The air temp was 68.0 º  ...

Lost Boys & Co... Okay, so we can’t go in the front door because this (#1) coatrack of an ungulate is blocking the entrance.  Sorry, this is a noble beast and he is merely asserting his natural inclinations to sit on a concrete stoop in the middle of the forest.  Fresh from watching bison run down tourists in Yellowstone and throw them into the woods, we imagined we’d give this knife-hoofed buck plenty of room.  So, we went around back.  There were TWO on the back stoop… We retired to the beach… W e’re in Idaho, right?  We often call our colleagues at the beach to make sure our reporting is accurate and timely.  Should you get one of these calls, you don’t have to answer should you be indisposed.  Like doing your make-up, getting dressed or sitting on the can.  We will not name na...

Lost Boys & Co... Y ou might be thinking it’s small in Hermosa, but it’s about triple Lake Payette.  There’s this little left (#1) that broke pretty close to shore that reminded us of Cardon on high tide.  But it was the rights that really were cranking as you can see in this zipper (#2) reeling down the beach…  P artly cloudy this morning but should clear and ramp up to the predicted 76 º.  Visibility is 11 miles.  Winds are light out of the south by 2 to 4kts.  The sea surface is smooth.  Currently the air temperature is 70.1 º and the water is 73.0 º.  Low tide starts things off at 7:44am +1.8’ and high tide will be at 2:52pm +5.1’.  It’s a 2.3’ SSW swell out of 199 º and it’s a boogie-lishus 1’ to 2’ in knee deep water for those late take-offs and dizzy rotations… H ere (#3) we have Ms. Scarlett ...

Lost Boys & Co... F ive years ago Morgan was rocking the nose and flashing that famous grin.  She remains our hero! S upposed to climb up to 78 º today, but starting out partly cloudy with 11 miles visibility.  Winds are offshore at 2 to 3kts and the sea surface is smooth.  Currently the air temperature is 69.3 º and the water at the buoy is 72.7 º.  Low tide was at 7:12am +1.3’ and high tide will be at 1:58pm +4.9’.  It’s a SW swell out of 229 º at 2.6’ and it’s 2’ with some occasional cute ones.  Check it out… A s far as we know it’s no one on the list’s birthday today.  So you can all relax… If it is your birthday for cryin’ out loud let us know!  There are people out there who take this seriously!  Or maybe you don’t want people to know when it’s your birthday or how old you are.  Well, we’ll see about that! 😜 "When the surf breaks, we'll fix...

Lost Boys & Co... H appy Birthday to our familia member, goofy foot & restaurateur Ronnie Garcia.  Over anxious to wish him well, birthday wishes flooded in yesterday, however Brendan said it best: “In true Brother’s fashion it makes sense that the guy who gives you two burritos would have two birthdays…”. Many happy returns of the day(s)… T he South Bay is NOT flat.  Lake Payette is flat!  The Professor (#1) demonstrates… C loudy in Hermosa this morning with 10 miles visibility.  Winds are persistent out of the south 2 to 4kts and the sea surface is tacked up.  The air temperature is 68.3 º and the water is 73.4 º.  Low tide starts the day off at 6:43am +0.8’ and high tide will be at 1:10pm +4.6’.  We have a 3.0’ SSW swell out of 195 º and a bit of combo is slapping the beach at 2’ to 3’.  Maybe some tide will help if the wind doesn’t kick up… U p her...

Lost Boys & Co... E ditor’s Note:  Many mornings when I return from either surfing or checking it out, Annie will say, “When you’re through with the Surf Report will you (insert task).”  Not sure there are many women who would put up with my obsession to track the surf and bring you (I hope) a bit of culture or humor to brighten your day before I work on the dishwasher.  The really amazing thing is that she’s been by my side keeping me (mostly) on track for 50 years today!  She is the smartest person I know, ace travel agent and has the most wicked sense of humor I’ve ever encountered.  If I can make her laugh, it’s truly funny.  I love her to bits and as I’m fond of saying, “If she said, “We’re going to hell.” I’d ask “Should I pack trunks?” T he misters are on in Boise this morning (#1)!  But there are low clouds and 9 miles visibility in the So...

Lost Boys & Co... I t came to our attention that there was “Monday, Monday” but no “Thursday, Thursday.”  Well, you can’t say that anymore… S moke is clearing in the Pacific Northwest and you can almost take a deep breath!  But breathe deeply South Bay.  Sun is coming out and there’s 12 miles visibility.  Winds are variable currently from the SW at 3 to 4kts.  The sea surface is mainly smooth.  At checkout the air was 69.3 and the water is holding at 71.4.  High tide at 111:23am +4.0’ and low tide follows at 4:12pm +2.1’.  There’s a hurricane driven South swell out of 190deg at 3.6’, but it’s still a bit oblique to give us any larger surf.  It’s 2’ to 3’ and keep looking for the magic window. Maybe on the weekend… O ne of our students (who shall remain nameless) is ramping up a T-Shirt company. ...

Lost Boys & Co... F lying into Boise the smoke from the Oregon fires is impenetrable.  Visibility is about a quarter of a mile.  The entire Northwest is dotted with active fires.  But let’s use our x-ray vision to see the stats in the South Bay… T en miles visibility under overcast skies with offshore winds from 3 to 5kts.  Air temperature was 69.9 º and the water is 71.4 º.  High tide is at 11:01am +3.9’ and low tide will be at 3:36pm +2.3’.   It’s a SSW swell out of 208 º at 4.6’ and it’s 2’ to 3’+.  Again maybe a tight window so hit it earlier than later. J immy Holmstedt (#1) is the best plumber on the planet!  He specializes in impossible situations and crawls into scary places.  We asked if we could be on his team and he gave us this shirt!  Lesson #1:  Water flows downhill (Adam’s law of fluidic precipitation.) I van update:  Ivan Fernandez (#2) came...