Surf Poem: Family Sunday

Sunday Family Beach Day  
and my face is a little fried
The ocean was so beautiful
if alone I would have cried

Skies were blue for miles around
Crashing waves made pleasant sounds
I always must remember
what makes my heartbeat healthy pounds.

Surfed a new secret spot
Some local bros were my guide
We set up the wives and kids
Then paddled out to perfect winds and tide

They showed me past the treacherous reef
Stoked I didn't ding my board
In just another fifty yards
lied natures great reward

Once we made it to breaks
we all caught radical rides.
Every successful drop
turned me from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.

-Manny Aloha
Sunday 11/23/14

Mean Dream Awakening

Ladies and Gentlemen and Low Lifes,

I had a mean dream. It's 3:30 am and it spawned me to wake up and run straight to my computer and write, because it is the fastest and most direct way to capture what is going on in my head- faster than drawing or painting it, or making a movie for that matter.

I had a dream that I was walking with some friends in the rain to a hybrid of Yankee and Mets stadium for a concert in the rain (concerts never or hardly ever happen there). It was to be an insane event with all my favorite friends. peers and role models in New York City attending. As I pulled up to the event I began seeing Vandal Squad and random police officers handcuffing dudes amongst the crowds around the food fender booths. They were then wrapped up in a cloudy white heavy duty 10ml plastic tarp, like a burrito with their heads sticking out to allow for breathing. Anyone captured would be stacked up in groups of 3 or 4 near the road, ready to be thrown into an incinerator. 

In the wrapped up stacks I immediately began recognizing friends I knew. The first one was Bob Puloeo and  two other skaters from Brooklyn.  

As I scan the stacks of dudes wrapped up. I notice another friend.  Its my friend Charlie Buttelry, creator of Nimbus Skates. I ask one of the my skater friends wrapped up next to Bob Puleo and ask, "What's up Bro? What's going on here?"

Skater - "They got us all! And they're gettin' ready to burn us." "They got Bob!" 

They got UFO too! Look what they did to him!" as he pointed to one of the wraps. 

Inside the plastic wrap was a pureed white like sauce spread between a hero- life size piece of french bread. UFO was my longest lasting friend in my life." I met him when I was 5 years old. At first I thought I could save some of my friends, but when I saw UFO pureed into a sauce, there was nothing I could do to bring him back! It spawned me to wake up and express myself without holding back - to express myself for my friends. I'm glad it was just a dream.

FIRST FAMILY SUNDAY SURF

Hayden putting sunscreen on all by himself for the first time,

on the way to the beach to paddle out to his home surf break 

together with Mom and Dad also for the first time.

Note the radical spandex board shorts made by Marisa Mom. 

Aloha family, friends, surf and life lovers.

Today was a special day. There were radical waves on the North shore, but we chose to stay on the South shore where the waves were smaller so we could all paddle out as a family.

For the first time in our life, Marisa, Hayden, and I  surfed together - everyone on their own surfboard. It was one of my dreams achieved- to surf with my wife and son. In the nine years we've been on the island, my wife Marisa has never paddled out to our home break (it being a little advanced). Hayden hadn't paddle out until now because he was a little to young and not able to swim. But now being five years old and able to swim short distances, I felt he was ready.

Our home break is the wave that breaks in front of the beach park where Marisa and I got married. So for all of us to paddle out together for the first time was a milestone. 

We made it about 100 yards out to the area where your ride normally ends if you were to drop in from the point. Hayden was generally stoked the whole way out, expressing only a little fear briefly. Marisa pointed out the awesome view of Diamond Head.

There was still a little south swell coming in and the waves were bigger than I expected so I pushed Hayden into the first wave that came our way and he took off. He appeared 25 yards towards shore with a big scream and smile on his face. Marisa and I caught the next wave chasing him. Having surfed there easily over a hundred times, I knew exactly how the waves break, and where not to paddle allowing us to have the safest experience possible.

Marisa was stoked too. She said she wants to surf together every Sunday Morning. I pray that we can make this happen for as they say out here, "A family that surfs together, stays together".

I have no photos of this memorable moment except for this sequence of Hayden putting sunscreen on all by himself on the ride to the beach. This is pretty much another milestone on the same day.

This ends my Family Sunday Surf Update.

SKATE TO SURF BY HAYDEN

Skate to Surf

Sidewalk Chalk Art Installation

I came home from work to find that my son did an art project on our apartment complex with the sidewalk chalk. I imagine the little dude focusing.

Tuesday SURF, ART and BBQ

After Tuesday's daily grind

I got a call from Big Braddah Luke with the Surf Report.

"Diamond Head is head high and clean"

It was 4:00 and he said he would be in the water by 4:30, 4:45.

I said, "I have to pick up Hayden from school. See you in the water by 5. I'll be on the inside with Hayden." So I hustle and strap the longboard to the roof of the station wagon, and pack charcoal, lighter fluid, grill, and a cooler with some hot dogs, ketchup, mustard, bread and water, and choclate chip cookies into the trunk, for a sunset BBQ after surf. I bolted to pick up Hayden at 4:50. 

The car was on Empty and Hayden insisted we get gas so we don't have to tow the car. I said your right. After getting gas, we park, put our board shorts on, walk down the east cliff (Hayden lead the way all by himself) and we make it to the bottom and he tells me he has to pooh. So we make it to the bottom and walk up a steep crevice 25 yards up so Hayden can do the do behind a rock. I wash his but in the ocean, put his life vest on and we paddled out by 5:30 with plenty of sun still left. 

We paddle to the small inside section and catch our first wave body board style. We see Uncle Luke out in the normal Cliffs line up. Head high sets are coming in clean. We catch another wave, then another which we stand up on. That was our first time we ever stood up on a wave together. Then I ask Hayden if he wants to go paddle out to Uncle Luke, and he says "Let's do it! I'm not afraid." 

Hayden was stoked. We paddle to the far left of Cliffs and I say, " let's watch this set come in, it's always good to know where the waves are breaking and who's on it. The line up is kind of packed and zoo like. The set subsides and we paddle to Luke and give hi fives with one eye to the horizon for unexpected sets.  I knew if an outside set would come, we'd have to catch it. Paddling around it was not an option with the crowd. 

Luke notes a outside set coming. I look inside and give the "telepathic nod and eye that my son and I are coming through so please clear the way" and the crowd parted. We let the first one pass. The next coming was unavoidable so I say heads up everybody! Hayden we're on this. Get ready. I check the wave and paddle in to make sure we catch the wave after it breaks behind us. The foam was plenty big enough. And dropping in on it would have been way too risky. We catch the wave and make the foam impact and are flying down the wave on our bellies. I move way back on the board as to not nose dive the board. Half way through the ride, it smoothens out, and I say Hay lets get up. He says OK and we both get up and ride together for the first time on a legit wave at Diamond Head.

 It seemed like forever. We rode the wave over 60 yards and almost all the way to shore. It was the best wave of the set, and the first time I ever took Hayden out to the line up at Diamond Head. One of the most memorable waves of my life today. I'm so proud. 

Then we showered up, walked up to the car, took our time getting dressed to some KTUH tunes (hatch back open enjoying the view of the waves from cliffs edge), drove to Lukes to tell him we were BBQin' at Kaimana (He lives a few hundred yards from the break).

We rendevous at the Kaimana Beach Park, fire up the grill while Hayden draws pictures. Uncle Luke came with a six pack of beers. Attached are Hayden's drawing and words we wrote together. We left the beach park at 9:20. Possibly the best Tuesday of my life. 

HAYDEN'S DRAWING S FROM AFTER HE CAUGHT HIS FIRST EPIC WAVE AND STOOD UP WITH DAD. 

(I took the honor of coloring them in.)

Signing off, 

Manny Aloha

Star Man with Wave Eyes
(Possible Self Portrait)

Wave

Words from Hayden written by me
DAD! How do you write,
 "MEET LUKE. HE'S THE BEST. HE LOVES TO SKATE. HE CAN JUMP HIGH!
HE ALSO LOVES TO SURF! ME AND MANNY WITH LUKE!
Dad! write , "HAYDEN'S A NUT CASE!"

On Hats and skateboarding

Skateboarding without a mesh trucker cap is like doing a kabuki theater performance without a mask.
I was at the skate park today and didn't have any of my usual attire. My skating suffered.

Kind of like playing football without a helmet.