My Hand Made Board

So here's the deal... More details in my experience of making and riding your own surfboard.

On my way home from work yesterday, not making master pieces in the studio but power washing a patio in preparation for painting I saw some energy in the ocean. At Whole Foods I saw my Homey Kevin W(dub) and he confirmed, there was fun to be had tomorrow morning. I knew then that it was time to put the final coat of glass on my board.

I went home, played Hot Wheels with my son with the loopty loop and mega jump, went for a bike ride with the wife and kid, came home, ate dinner, then finally found a moment to roller on one final coat. A little insecure about if my single fin was straight I continued on saying "f$#% it. It's gonna work. It's gonna work". I had to persevere and keep on believing.
I laid the final coat on thin, cleaned up, had a nice chat with the wife, then went to bed at midnight setting my alarm for 5am wake-up for dawn patrol.
In the middle of the night my boy yelled for some company so I woke up in his bed to my wife Marisa at 5am saying. Do you need to be up? Because your alarm is going off.
I was like, woah where am I? Oh yeah, today's the big day... Surf my new board!!! (which if I didn't mention already, was cut out of a broken longboard I found in the garbage at my favorite country break and a single fin cut out of scrap plywood).

So I throw on a pot for boiling water for coffee, stretched while waiting. Then cut and butter some bagels to be ready for toasting when the wife and kid wake. (need all the browny points when I leave the house to have a blast)
Also prepped the coffee maker and wrote a sweet love letter to the fam then BAM! Out the door with my new board stoked and careful not to bang it up on the way out.
Poured my coffee, pulled out the driveway and turned up the tunes. My board was having fun already and it didn't even get wet yet. I quickly learned that my board liked music. Especially being sung to. The radio played "Lean on me" by UB40. And I sung to my baby at the top of my lungs giving her a little wink every now and then. My baby was happy.i get to my home break, aka favorite wave, waxerup and run down to the beach trying to control the smile on my face.

The whole time building my board, I was also a little weary if I left enough foam to float me. I tried to shave off all of what I didn't need and believe that I wouldn't ever try to do myself wrong. Sure enough when I put the board in the water and jumped on... It FLOATED ME!

So far so good.

I paddled out and found my friend Sydney. I was stoked to have someone out there to share my ocean emotions. She said that board looks fun and was stoked for me when she heard that I made it and was yet to catch my first wave on it. She would be the first to witness the results.

So here comes my first wave. I paddle and boom I'm up and riding. "Woah Baby! Woah!" I say to her and I bail off and the board escapes me. I didn't glass in the leash tab yet.

I catch up to my board and Sydney asks me how it was. And I tell her it was like riding a wild horse. I need to
tame and get to know her.
She laughed and said "Awesome!"

The great thing is that I knew the board worked.

Three waves later I learned that it worked super good floating perfectly and making sections and...F$#%ing YEAH!!! Riding so RAD!

On one wave I lost her to the wave and started swimming in only to see her pop up and go six feet into the sky And it came right back to me. That never happened to me before. Usually the board goes pretty far in. Some magic was going on.

I paddle back out and to my right is a double rainbow and straight out is a cloud in the shape of my board and another cloud below it in the shape of a hand in Shaka position. I caught a few more waves until the double rainbow disappeared then I knew it was time to paddle in. I did after all have a job interview in a half hour, as well as a patio that needed to be painted pronto to pay the bills.

So there's my story friends. I hope you found some amusement in it. Maybe it shed a little light on how in love you can be with an inanimate object, and your family too of course.

Enough said.
This break time Is over. Time to clean up the job site and pick up my kid from school then go to the BMX Track, tail gate picnic dinner, then maybe do it all over again... But maybe next time I'll be going to a new solar job... Hmmm, the paths we take.
Til next time.
Manny Aloha signing off.

LNDRFTDP

Late Night Ding Repair For Dawn Patrol

Manny Aloha Surf Quote.

Waves are fruits of the ocean.
Thank you Pacific for the abundance.

SURF DISCO DREAMS

SEA MY SURF ART SHOP

ALOHA PEOPLE. I am beginning to post my latest paintings at Mannyaloha.com.

All works are original one of a kind paintings on wood, hand made by me and are for sale.

They are extremely affordable, so get them while they're hot and available.

The theme is OCEAN EMOTION.

BELOW IS A SNEAK PEAK!

SURF SHOP NOW AT MANNYALOHA.COM

First figurative drawing

Aloha,
This is my son's very first recognizable drawing of a human and it happens to be of me, dad. The black blob next to me he says is my car.

Italy Slide Show

Dear friends and family,
Last winter I spoke to a South Shore Surf Wizard and he told me that there wouldn't be much surf this summer on the south shore. He said he knew by the taste of the nearby coconut water and how the reef fish swam. So I worked hard in the Spring, saved up some mangos and took my wife to Italy like she always wanted... but not without the help of my awesome brother Bob, his rad wife Gretchin and my loving sister Katrina who cared for our son Hayden while we travelled.  This is a slide show of our trip.
Aloha and Enjoy!
-Manny

A True Surf Story

Johnny had a lot of sun. His skin felt crispy, but he felt good.
He just scored an epic dawn patrol surf session. His favorite song played
in his earphones and he took a moment to space out and remember the
most magic moments of his sesh. Johnny lived in paradise so although
magic moments were frequent, he still appreciated every one.
When magic moments linked and continued consecutively he shed tears of joy when no one was looking. He missed his old friends and family dearly. You see when the genie came out of the magic lamp, one of the conditions of receiving the wish of living in paradise, was abandoning close proximity of his great friends and family. He was paying the price, and getting paid in waves and new friends at the same time.

But back to the Surf.
Johnny paddled out to his favorite break at 6am. There were only two kayakers out. The 3 of them shared waves. Johnny in his spaced out moment said to himself, Damn! The waves just kept Crankin'! Johnny could barely keep up. He remembered one set coming in the horizon. An unknown number of waves lining up. The first one looked good, but the one behind it looked better as usual, so he let it pass. He was right, the second one was bigger and cleaner. The third one behind it looked even bigger and better, but he played it safe and gambled on the second. He paddled to the horizon with his eye focused on his wave, then quickly turned around. The lip broke on his back and but he managed to stay on and was given and extra push down the wave. He was lucky to have "the glue foot" this morning. He bottom turned and dug his rail deep dragging his back hand across the water as he looked at the wave's beautiful face. Up toward the lip he carved then scurried with a tic tac. As he reached the front of the wave with speed, he cashed all his chips in for a hard cut back to bring himself back to the pocket. As he turned he couldn't believe his board. He could feel his fin slicing the cleanest line. It drew a mean fast golden arch sending him back to the hot curl, smacking the white water soup, which sent him right back into the wave for more. Holy shit! he said to himself, astonished of his newfound precision abilities. He Tic tacked across the face to a healthy bottom turn. Ahhh Yeah! he said to himself.  The lip was about to close out, but before it could come down, Johnny slid up to smack the lip and ride the top for an exhilarating floater to acid drop boom, instantly realizing those were the best lines he has made in his life to date.

Just as he thought times were getting tough, life was getting better and better.
He kept his mouth shut as best he could as to not ruin his luck.
He came home to tell his wife, but besides being difficult to explain, he knew she was really pretending to care.

Johnny snapped back into reality and realized it was time to get to work- "time to make the donuts."

Til next time.
My alter ego: Johnny Surf.
Brought to you by
Manny Aloha

Bread and Butter Projects

Plywood Floor

2ft x 4ft Cuts and Counter Sink every 12 inches

Random Light stains from gradual mixing of  Minwax Natural and Golden Oak

Minwax Water Base Fast Drying Poly- 2 coats rolled then brushed

Screw in, Durams Wood Putty and final 3rd coat Polyurethane

Finito

Desk

Economical 1/2 in Plywood Desk with 2in x 2in supports and legs

Masonry Screws to wall and Toe in Screw Foot of legs to floor

Shelves built with scraps

Sig 

Recent Bread and Butter Projects

A Skate Park Story

Lately I've been skating Lafayette Colorado's skatepark because it is less than a mile from my bro's house. It's a fun one.
Last Wednesday night a little 12 year old asked me if I was sponsored. I said no. He said I am. Let me give you a couple of tips in this bowl. He was a little cocky. He proceeded to show me his favorite lines which I humbly appreciated. An hour later he approached me to challenge me to a game of "Skate". You basically have to match each others trick, and if you fail you get a letter.
I'm usually never in the mood to play the game, and It felt like he wanted to show off in front of all of his friends. Aka: Let's beat the old school dude. For whatever reason I said fine and decided to have some fun. He was sure he would win. He tried to get technical. I kept it simple. He quit at SKAT. I had SK.

After our game his little friend came up to me and asked me if I could drop into the deep end of the 12 foot bowl. I said yes, but I don't feel like it right now.
He replied, "Do it Fool! Do it! Do it Fool! Come on Fool! Do it!"

I thought to myself holy shit, should I kick this little kids ass or throw him into the deep end?
Of course not. I stayed as mature as I could and said. "First of all I don't have to do anything for anybody. Second of all, you don't call your elders Fool! You Little SHIT! But if you're kidding, then give me knuckles. He put up his fist and I put my fist to his and said, Ok then. Now lets have fun and skated away.

I skated to my car and had a quick conversation with myself on wether or not to go back and drop into the bowl. I didn't have my helmet, didn't want to make a mistake and crack my head open, or have to prove myself to a little wise ass. I went back anyway, yelled "Hey little man." and dropped into the bowl. He came up to me and said, "I'm sorry man, I just watch a little too much fluff on tv."

It was 9pm and I went to my brothers Ice Cream/Sandwhich/baked goods shop called Eats and Sweets in Lafayette to help him close up shop and cut strawberries for strawberry rhubarb pie to be baked by his rad wife at 4am the next morning.

The latest

My wife Marisa and I went to Italy for 10 days.
It was the best trip I've ever taken in my life yet to date.
Never ate such good food for that many days consecutively.
The thousand year old plus urban designs blew my mind.
The architecture! Finding a friend in Rome and eating dinner with him at Piazza Navona.
Venice, Florence, Rome, Sorrento/Positano.
A lot of red wine seasoned my tongue.

My wife made for a great travel partner.

She even spent time and drew with me.
I took my most favorite picture of her in all my life at Piazza Santa Croce in Florence.
We were in Florence for 3 days and rode bikes every day.

My older brother, his wife, and younger sister in Colorado watched my son for the duration of our trip.
Couldn't have done it without family.
We came back to Colorado and my mom, dad and sister from Jersey were there to celebrate fathers day.
It was one big happy family with 3 dads.
After a night of margaritas with everyone from Gramps, Aunts, to the 3 kids, and a walk through Pearl Street in Boulder we returned to the parking garage with a red brick bank in front of our vehicle.
I had to try something on it since I make a habit of bringing my skateboard with me as much as possible.
I had one chance to do something with Grandma, 2 aunts, 3 kids waiting in the  van, another sister filming. Bro spectating, and Dad/Grandpa filming as well.
This is what I did.

My night

Creatively frustrated I went for a barefoot skate in the night
a block over, down a hill, and into a roundabout.
Stopped at a corner and a centipede scurried out.
Ever get bit by a centipede?
It hurts like a big needle you can't get out.
Skated over it a few times then skated home.
Pushed uphill and ran over a cockroach.
Crunch.
I got some aggression out.

My favorite cheap red wine

Bear Flag Smooth Red Wine Blend
Everytime I drink this wine I have a good time.
Doesn't get me tired.
Doesn't make my wife mad at me like beer does.
For a good time buy two bottles.
7.99 each.

Some Street Art I like in (Kakaako) Honolulu

Pow Wow Hawaii 2012 brought street artists from around the world to paint in the streets of Honolulu...

One of my favorites because of the vent shades and....

this detail of a skater doing a gorilla grip with his toes.

I like this dude with the paint brush.

Some wisdom.

My Homeboy Beak3 with the rad aloha shirt and classic graf techniques.

This one blew me away. Dude killed it.

This one too. All the art is so rad.

And I'm not gonna lie, it made me realize I have to paint more.
If you are ever in Honolulu, cruise the streets of Kakaako on and enjoy.

Frontside Wall Rides Part II

Aloha friends and family, this is me after work on Friday, before rushing home to spend time with my wife and son, to follow up my last post.
and here's a song by a one of my favorite bands, Little Dragon doing a cover of one of my favorite songs, Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters.
Manny

Frontside Wallrides

Today I did a frontside wall rides on the bank to wall that was in the last blog post.
I will video it soon. All I kept thinking about is how my brother used to rip them without a bank...
Frontside wall rides right off flat ground. Frontside Mute Grab wall rides. Bob was an animal skater.
And an animal snowboarder. I randomly called his best friend Cesca last week. He said he went to Tahoe to snowboard with some bros, but he missed snowboarding with Bob, because it's not the same with others... they don't get gnarly. Shoot...I just called Bob in Colorado where it is 12:30 am and asked him if he could do Ses slides off the ramp to wall at the our local skate spot the Tennis Court on Yorkshire Ave when we were14-16 years old. He said "Yeah, but I only landed it once, I'll call you back tomorrow.
Considering he was doing it like 6-7 feet up off the ramp and landing on flat on a rough cement wall... Thats so gnarly.
Then I told him that I did frontside wall rides today, and he said, "Rad. Goodnight."
 I still can't believe that one of my favorite skaters of all time was my brother. Trippy. I sound like a skate fag. If gay means happy then, I'm a Fag on Wheels.
I've never did frontside wall rides like I did today at 38 years of age. All other times it was total luck, and didn't know what I was doing. It felt so solid today.
Let's see if I can do them again. And catch it on Vid.

Hawaiian Winter Skateboard Practice

Aloha friends and family. It's 1:40am and I should be in bed. Mostly every day afterwork I've been skateing home, and every time I do, I do one thing different, like take a different side of the street or do a maneuver I haven't tried in a while or ever. For instance I used to pass this driveway every day until I looked behind me and realized there was a bank to wall behind me. All day today as I worked, all I could think of was doing wall rides. I know it sounds useless, but skateboarding always sounds useless, but it has given back to me so well in life. When I get home after skating I am so sweaty, stoked, and breathing hard... and I don't even have to pay for a gym membership or even go to a skatepark. I don't really want many people to know this, but to me street skating is so fun. I know by this small blog post and by me skating down the street in this video, it will soon be illegal. There is so much stuff to skate in Hawaii, and mostly people skate in the parks. I'm not saying I don't like skating skateparks, it's just skating is so rad in the streets, sidewalks and parking lots.

 I'm not saying I'm Danny Way, but... I heard once that  the best skater or surfer is the one that is having the most fun. I think today I might of been the best skater in Honolulu between 5:30 and 6:30pm. 

Til next time. Here is my video of today's skate with my homemade soundtrack. Enjoy.

Aloha.

-Manny

FEBRUARY THOUGHTS

Some thoughts and images of February.

The woman I love. Marisa- means "of the sea" how ironic.

After she got out of the water from boogie boarding.

My day work Before 

After

As my Homey Scrappers says, "Adding retarder sauce" to my day.

 Me with my Chinaman hat in front of the one and only Chinaman's Hat Island.

Makaha. This was Valentines Day Morning before work. A one hour drive from home.

Bad Dad came days late with a Valentine present.

Son Haydoggy Dog with his bulldozer. He loves trucks. He doesn't listen to me much right now, but lately has been responding when I call him Mr. Dude. Before bed he kisses me good night, says "I love you" then follows with "Now go away Papa".

Today was Sunday Family day. And I had a great day surfing with my friend Aarron to celebrate his birthday.  Another father I know doesn't surf on family days. I haven't conquered that yet.

Marisa didn't come down too hard on me for surfing two sessions (basically all day) with Aaron at my favorite North Shore  Break. Solid overhead waves all day. I finessed a handful of waves and was proud of myself for breathing and keeping cool on the rides bottom turning low dragging my hand along the 12 foot faces. I paid for it on a handful of waves too though. A couple of guys said was that you who got swallowed in the barrel on that set wave and tumbled all nuts? It was me but thankfully didn't hurt. 

I had some of the best rides of my life today (my wife says I say that every time I surf), but I definitely dropped in on few with three left feet aka Blowing it on Beautiful Waves.

I told my wife before I paddled out that all she had to say when I came in was "I saw you catch a wave and you looked so smooth! Just like Gerry Lopez" and She did and I believed her. It made me feel so good even though I know she doesn't know who Gerry Lopez is or what he surfs like.

My biggest regret today was not taking the time to build a sand castle with my boy. Or spend time with my wife looking for shells. But  by writing this down, I plan on making a conscious effort to make more quality time with them.

My biggest dilemma these days is prioritizing, managing my self employment and developing whatever business I want to pursue, deciding on which business that is, family time, surfing, skateboarding, making art. Writing helps. If I can somehow combine them all to work for me... Hmmmm.

Aloha Family and Friends.

Z catching time.

SKATE HOME

Pau Hana Skate Home as Animal Chin.

Music by Little Dragon

Nap Time Skate as Animal Chin

Bought some new wheels for quality side walk surfing on Saturday from Bike Factory. Bike Factory is  probably the best shop to buy cruiser board products in Honolulu. It's skate eye candy in there. Anyway when I got home I had my son Hayden help me dismantle my old truck and wheel set up by making him press the button on the screw gun and turning the skate key to remove and tighten wheel nuts. I also had him help me lace my a sneaker that had a lace tear by giving him the end of the lace and having him put it in each hole and pull the lace. He laced a the whole sneaker. By then he was ready for a nap. Then I went for my skate.

Hope you enjoy. 

Aloha,

Manny 

Sidewalk Surf and Last Sunday

Oldie but...

The past couple of days, I think Thursday and Tuesday, I've been skating home from Pili Place in Kaimuki Honolulu, to my home on Makiki St.  Wearing an Animal Chin Hat and shades. I enter another Dimension as Animal Chin. 

Here is the line. you can google map it and get an idea if you're a nerd like that.

Pili to, run up Paula to  Iwi Way which is a rad narrow downhill to Sierra Drive which can be a little gnarly unless you Roll with Control and sidewalk surf / zig zag da bitch.

That's the most fun way to me anyway. I used to bomb the hill full tuck style, but you miss too much of the funs stuff. Anyway back to the line home.

Down Sierra Drive to into the 7-11 Aloha Gas Station to slappy the yellow curb

to sharp right hand turn down Waialae Ave 

ollie up the small step, ride down the double step to

right and run up St. Louis Drive,

to left on Dole St. to push as hard as you can and do a coffin across the whole UH Campus

to right up University to slappy the red curbs at the bus shelter, 

to left on Metcalf

to slappy some more curbs to session with some long boarders on Marques St.

back down Metcalf

to right on Wilder 

to right on Makiki St. to my home.

My son Hayden wearing my hat on our Surf Safari last Family Sunday.

We went to the East Side after I stayed up midnight til 3am carpeting the back of my Ford Station Wagon. We invited our friends CW, wife Kamia and daughter Nuella to join us for a Epic East Side Extravaganza of Surf and Shop- (thank god the ladies only window shopped) in Kailua.

We started by checking blown out Crouching Lion then decided on Surfing Kualoa's, 

surf in da sun, to Lunch at Heeia Pier General Store, to Check out all the girly stores in Kailua,

to Surf Baby Makapuu. Good times.

Last surf Session by the ladies at Baby Maks

Ending in pouring rain. Which worked out perfect because that break has no showers.

Rain=Instant Shower

Us Jammed in the Ford Escort getting dry.  

Arriving home by daylight in one piece. or I should say three.

Trust me. it wasn't all Fun in the sun though. Hayden and Nuella had some tantrums along the way crying for that orange water gun which we only had one of (mistake) 

and crying for Mom hardcore repeating "Mommy let's Go Home!!!" When she was surfing. 

4:40 am now. Not good.

Z time.

Jesus was a Carpenter

And so am I.

He drank wine with his Bros

And so do I.

Skateboards weren't invented yet when he was alive,

but I bet he would rip.

Not really religious.

Just shootin' the sh*%.

Instead of bein' zombie styles watchin' TV.

TV is awesome.

Just in moderation.

Even too much surfing can screw you up.

Like take you away from spending quality time with your wife and baby.

But that's why we're spending family day at the beach tomorrow.

Emanuel is my name and it means "God is with us"

but for now I go by Manny Aloha.

Below is some before and after carpentry I've been doing.

These kind of tasks help me design and cut my own skateboards and surfboards.

Kind of like wax on, wax off from the movie Karate Kid.

I just spent the last two hours- midnight to 2am 

cleaning my car and cutting carpet to fit in the back of

my Ford Escort Station wagon so my wife, son and I can 

kick it and enjoy a cush snack time in the beach parking lot. 

Hope you Enjoy your Sunday.

It's 3am I better get some rest.

Alone in Hawaii

Dad alone in Hawaii

Mom out of town with the baby

After work surf rendezvous with Miss Pacific

Getting barreled under pink skies

Wisped cotton candy clouds

Floating mesmerized 

Sinking into sunset emotions

Immersed in fluid crossroads of past, present and future

Inhaling deep ecstatic silence

Exhaling cosmic telepathy to family and friends

Awaken to paddle in under stars

                    -Manny Aloha Feb.4, 2012

SKATE BETTIES AND STYLE

I was working painting a closet with Kilz oil base primer and losing some brain cells thinking to myself, Kilz Kills Brain Cells when it occurred to me, What would skateboarding be without Skate Betties?

What is a Skate Betty? UrbanDictionary.com defines Skate Betty as a hot chick. One that is attractive, stylish and self confident...." but I'll add, one that is friends with skaters or skates. In my memory, Skate Betties were the Hot Chicks that were always at the Hot Skate Spot, Skate Contest, Skate Party, Skate House. They were part of the Skate Scene.

Some dudes skate better in front of Skate Betties. My memory remembers me eating shit. 

One time I was in SF visiting a girl and I was getting into bombing hills. I found a steep hill. I started thinking about skating down it. She said do it. So I did.

It was night time and the steep hill was well lit and then it flattened out onto a bridge of total darkness. 

I should of known there was a gonna be a fat gap between the street and the bridge. I was used to skating New York City streets which are smooth and where there are hardly any cracks or gaps. But San Francisco is different, there is asphalt to concrete to metal trolly tracks, back to concrete then back to asphalt... All these make for not so smooth transitions. 

So to make a long story short, my wheel stopped short in the gap between the street and bridge and I went flying forward miraculously getting away without a face plant only a bloody hand. 

I was scared out of my mind with my wind blow hair and teary eyes and got into the car 

and the girl told me to stop whining. 

I was in pain and so un-stoked and so pissed at her because she showed me no sympathy. This was about ten years ago so I'm sure I cured it with a beer.

I'm not gonna drop names because the Skate Betties I knew back in the the late 80's New York Skate Scene are now married to skaters and have been married with kids now for a handful of years. 

All I can think now is how they balanced out what would of been just a bunch of sweaty dudes trying to show each other up. Just being there, they gave us a reason to be cool and have style.

Oh and what is style? I have been asking myself this question and trying to hone in on what it means to have  style, and what one must do to have style, and I'm getting closer to an answer after studying my all time favorite skater Christian Hosoi and surfer Gerry Lopez (both "THE" Style Kings of their sport).

Style is looking good and making whatever it is you are doing look easy or natural no matter how difficult the task at hand.

 In Christians case doing the biggest airs in the world at the time and making it look so easy in fact so easy that it felt good. His face in his photos either look like he's nonchalant ten feet in the air or having an orgasm. 

Gerry on other hand was master of the the wave that kills the most people in the world, the Banzai Pipeline. He would drop into fastest walling wave on the North Shore of Oahu which makes you go Mach ten in one second, and pull into the biggest tubes and do his classic "Wipe the water off his nose", as if he had time to do something like that (which he obviously did) while a huge lip was about to come crashing on his head which could send him into the sharp shallow reef below which has scalped some surfers or straight killed them by a bloody smack down.

Finally on a more beautiful note,  in the case of the Skate Betty or I should say Skate Beauty above, look at her. She's barefoot with healthy curves, her yellow hair color along with the cyan and magenta in her clothing colors and the black in the background complete the CMYK color model and you hardly realize it- making it a fine example of the Art of Print. And she has a graceful skate posture... she even matches the pool color. Granted the photographer probably knew about all these elements, along with the graphic designer with his typographic color choice. Everything about the above photo has Style.

This Aloha Shout Out goes to Skate Betties and Style.