West Oz or Leucadia?

Ok,  so I wasn't in the barrel.  If I was Erik Baldwin I would have been shacked by now. When David sent me this image I was in awe by the quality of this wave. Look how beautiful it is.  If someone sent you this after you hadn't seen them for a week and they told you it was of a far off place on a great surf trip you wouldn't hesitate to believe them.  

So the next time you flip the pages of your favorite surf mag and look at those amazing waves, remember, it gets that good here too.

Photo by David Gray

In Loving Memory

Here is a picture I took of a tree that I could see from my backyard.  I loved it. Looking west at dusk I would stare at it and watch the birds hang out.  The other day it was cut down.  I was in shock.  Here is to you my friend.  You will be missed.

Photo Ed Lewis

Kookamongas

Here is another email I received from Mary Fleener. A bit of Leucadia History. Notice the Nezzy board.

Paul worked with this guy named Joe Locke who was an awesome surfer and when we took him to Avos, he was hooked, so we went there almost everyday after work. I’d just started a comic story about little tiki type men and hadn’t figured out a title yet. One day, when all three of us were out there, it was pretty crowded, so Paul sez: ”Let’s swim away from all these Kookamongas”. Presto, there was the title I would use for my new book! When I finally finished it, in 1997, it was a 32 page wordless comic that Joe enjoyed “reading “ with his two kids, and he liked the art so much, he drew the figures from the comic on his board. This pix was taken in 1999. Sadly, Joe is no longer with us. Aloha, Joe.

-Mary

Wave-aholic

Here is a shot of self admitted wave-aholic Erik Baldwin. This is a great shot of him doing what he does best. 

Photo by David Gray

Recycled Surfer

Here is some really cool art from my friend and neighbor Cheryl Sorg. She is known in the art world for dismantling entire books word for word and then reassembling them into huge spiralled panels that read from the center out. Check out her site. What she does is amazing and beautiful what she does.

The pictures above are of two pieces she did for her husband, an avid Beacons surfer. The first one is called "Kinds of Blue". It's made of magazine paper, 1 1/2-inch squares cut from images of waves and water from surf magazines and stuck together with clear tape. This one is approx. four feet by nine feet!

The second one is Untitled. It too is out of magazine paper, the same 1 1/2-inch squares cut from images, this time of the ocean at sunset from surf magazines and clear tape. This one is 20" x 20".

When I started to do The Leucadia Project I asked her to share these. I've had the pleasure of seeing them in person and they are amazing. I love the fact that they are created from surf magazines.

Avo Street Painting

Here is an email I received from Mary Fleener, Avo Street local and renowned cartoonist/artist/musician.

Hi Ed- thought you'd like this....in the 90s', during the comic con, my friends Kevin and Kathi Altierie used to stay here for a day of surfing and dinner downtown before they had to go back to LA. Both worked in the animation business and Kathi is a well known background painter who has worked for Disney and Dreamworks. She got into plein air oil painting, so one day she took her kit down to Avos and this is the result. This year was 1994. Nice, eh? It's also only 6 by 8 inches!

-Mary

Oceanographer Steve

Here is a guy we owe a lot to as ocean lovers.  Steve Reilly is a Grandview local and was one of the head guys at NOAA.  He worked for them for about 30 years. First as a kid out of college who had a dream of being able to work with the ocean for a living. Then as the guy who sat in meetings with world leaders fighting for our ocean's rights.  While he was employed he had an office that overlooked Black's and a board that sat in his office with a thick coat of dust on it. Steve had become so good at his job that he never had time to surf anymore.

About a year ago that changed.  Steve retired. He did his part to save our oceans and now it is his time to enjoy them.  Here is my tribute to Steve.  He gets my respect as well as set waves for sacrificing so much for something that means so much to us all.

Photo David Gray

It's OK to Do Nothing

Sometimes a basic trim job does the trick. Sometimes we get so caught up in our turns that we forget how nice it is to sit back and enjoy the feeling of glide on a long open face. Here is my tribute to those moments when you just relax and realize it's OK to do nothing.

Photo Ed Lewis

One More of Matt

I really like this shot of Matt Dawson.  Look at how much speed he has out of the turn. It's one thing to have spray like that on a big day.  Another when it is small. It just shows how much power he has.

To Err Is Human. To Air Is Super Human

Here is a shot I really like.  It is one thing to punt airs but to do it on a fish with this much style is another. Here is Matt Dawson making it look easy.

Photo David Gray

Budding Surfer/Artist

Here is one of my favorite possessions. It's a drawing that was given to me for my birthday by this 6 year old surfer. He is a great kid. One of the most surf stoked groms you will ever meet. Look at the style he has. I love the fact that while the rest of us are so focused on the set waves, he is having the time of his life in a foot of water.

Photo by David Gray

Leucadia Local - Lauren Tolford

A goal of mine is to feature the artists/surfers in Leucadia.  Here are a few paintings from Beacons local Lauren Tolford.  She is extremely talented.  Great painter and graphic/apparel designer.  I got to work with her this summer on a project and it was a pleasure to get to know her. If you ever get to surf with her it is a lot of fun to have her around.  Very stylish and mellow. A good combination.  Look for more surf shots of her later as we catch her in the water.  Photos by Erik Baldwin

Keeping The Fire Stoked

Here is a set to keep you going on a blown out day.  The first shot reminds me of Tom Carrol. That top turn is classic power surfing. Photos David Gray

Old School

Here is one I like of Chris.  He has this great mix of old school and progressive surfing. This is him in old school mode.

Photo David Gray 

Clean Little Left

Here is one of Joe in the pocket of a clean little left. It wasn't big that day, as you can see, but I'd take it on a day like today. 

Photo by Davis Gray

Thank You For Visiting

Thank you to everyone who has been visiting the site. In five days we have had almost 500 visitors from 15 countries.  

The Walk

Here are a couple of shots I like.  They give you that feeling of anticipation and focus as you walk to the water.  A side note is the wax job on Kirk's board. He and I are known to have a years worth of wax build up on our boards, complete with tropical wax from a trip he made to Bali. Classic.  Hey, if it works don't fix it, right?

Photos by David Gray

Friends and Neighbors

This is how it all begins. 

You get curious about what your neighbor's yard looks like, so you take a peak. You meet your neighbor and get to know them.  You hang out in your front yard. You talk surf but not much more then that. Then you start running into each other in the water. One thing leads to another and you are on the same surf schedule. Before you know it, you are surfing hundreds of hours together and take surf trips.  

The years pass and you start families. Your families are bound together by beach days and the love for the ocean. You look back at the years that have gone by and you see those amazing waves and the fun you had with your friends and neighbors. You smile.  Life is good in Leucadia.

Photo by Ed Lewis

Good Times

Summer Fun

Support Leucadia Artists

Here is a Fish that local friend and artist Rodney McCoubrey gave me as a gift this year.  It is made of  recycled material and articles from my Grandmother's kitchen. Years after her death we cleaned out a storage shed and gave everything we didn't want to Rodney so he could make his art. In return he hooked me up with this piece.  It is a favorite of mine. 

The funny thing is that in 1942 my Grandparents lived in Leucadia at the Royal Motel.  Back then it was a long term rental.  My Grandfather helped build Camp Pendleton and when my mom was born she lived in the one room with  them.  I can imagine that my Grandma and mom walked 101 and looked at the waves, just like all the mothers that live here now. They didn't stay too long as they moved to LA when the work was finished, never to return. 

Fifty four years after that I moved here.  Not knowing the history, I naturally settled within 200 yards of the motel. Now 66 years later their items have made it back to Leucadia, now not more than 100 yards away from where they lived. 

Anyway, thank you Rodney for the memories.  If you don't know Rodney or his work, go to his website www.rodrigosrecycledart.com and take a spin.  He is also having an open studio Saturday the 13th.  Everyone is welcome. We will be featuring Rodney more later. He has promised to locate some Leucadia nostalgia for us to display.

More of Kirk

Here is one of Kirk I like. If you ever watch him surf he has great "Hand". His left hand tells you what he is going to do. Here he is telling you as you watch from outside that he is going off the top. Look at other shots of him, he has his own surf sign language. I think it's cool and original.

Photo by David Gray

Stop and Enjoy

Here are a few I took one morning.  When it is early and the surf is small the beach is pretty quiet.  You get to look around a bit more since you aren't going crazy about getting in the water as fast as you can. Those of you who walk early know the feeling. The beach is so quiet and so healing.  At those times look around at the things that you normally don't appreciate. The stairs are a good example. They are our point of entry and life line to our source of fun. They are also beautiful and built by a Leucadian.

Photos by Ed Lewis

More Leucadia Sunshine

Following David's lead, here are a few golden hour shots I took of my favorite place on earth. We are really lucky to surf in this environment. If the surf is small we still get to look at the sunset and bluff. 

Photos by Ed Lewis

Leucadia Sunset