And so it begins....

The cover collage- this thing is epic in person.


Bella had run out of sticks so she fetched oranges for a bit.


Alex, the hardest working man in showbiz, about to make his first attempt at hanging a show. He'd had a brief tutorial from the master and he did a perfect job of it. Impressive.


In the days of yore, the sudden and unexpected arrival of heavily armed Vikings caused fear and chaos among my Highland forebears. The same is true today, although the consequences are less dire.

Up north is dealt with and it was brilliant. Edited highlights include arriving in Santa Cruz in time to get a moonrise session in head high waves at a spot a few miles out of town, then a fantastic SF show - Kirkeby's place on Texas St is incredible, he's a master framer and if you're up there and have art he's your man. The crowd in SF is always one of the best and my thanks to the regulars like Brittany and Crystal who turn up without fail, Joe Curren was in town while en route to somewhere else and had some of his up norcal friends there too, and_Hod played most entertainingly, free beer flowed and books were admired and purchased. Simply can't beat that. Santa Cruz next and a bit more casual, Patzog working the grill and the SC surfers are some of the most interested, open and enthusiastic about board design that I've ever met. Totally enjoyed several hours of it all, talking Bernoulli and dynamic lift with mechanical engineers, former pros and shapers. Brilliant. I even love the drive, hauling up and back through some really lovely country, stopping to surf places I visit too rarely, blasting that hill down into SLO, the joy of rounding certain bends and seeing the ocean alive, the haul down through the Gaviota pass and seeing the landscape shift from gold hills and oaks to chapparal and the smell of ocean- I love this stuff. San Diego tomorrow, 340 16th St with the art and new visuals and a bonus preview of the Hydrodynamica Test Pilot Series boards. Oh, and beer of course.