Army Keel and Surf Keel Fins by Owen and Henry

Army Keel by Owen, Age 7

Surf Keel by Henry, Age 6

Here are a couple of Fins dropped of at my door by proud uncle and local surfer Chris Miller. 

These are great. Thanks guys!

San Diego Photo Keel Fin by R.M. Lewis

Here is a cool entry. It's from my dad and photographer R. M. Lewis. He couldn't help but join in all the fun. In fact the week I started my blog he was so inspired that he built his own and has been posting ever since. Check out his blog The San Diego Photo Project.  You'll be blown away at the photography of San Diego. 

Happy New Year and THANK YOU

Erik Baldwin and Lauren Tolford hosted a New Years Eve block party for Coop Ct. Here are a few shots of the fun. Last shot is of Erik jamming for the crowd.

Thank you so much to all of you who have been enjoying The Leucadia Project. Our intension to inspire and share the place we love with our friends and neighbors has spread beyond and has started to touch the world. In our first 24 days of existence we were viewed by over 3100 people in over 20 countries. 

What started out as a spark of inspiration for us to share with a few, has blossomed into a place that people can come together in spirit and get inspired by the talent of the people and the beauty of the place we live.  Our little township is a very special place.  The physical property is beautiful but it is the people that give it it's energy. I am proud of our little piece of the world and I'm looking forward to sharing with you more in the new year.

Ed

Photos by Ed Lewis

Flower Keel by Lauren Tolford

While at our neighborhood New Years party Lauren Tolford handed in this great Flower Keel Fin. Her style is really great.  Thanks Lauren!

Please keep submitting your fins.  If we get enough we are kicking around the idea of holding an art show to show off the works in living color.

Cardiff Road Trip

Here is the story that came with these great shots...

Ed,

My son and his friend wanted to go surfing down at Cardiff the other day. The surf was super small and pretty much grom perfect! I thought hey, the sun is out and they will have a blast! Let's go! They paddled out and caught a few waves trying really hard to get tubed! I'm talking with more stoke and enthusiasm then I have seen in a long time. Anyway, I'm standing there trying to get a photo of them looking just a little bit cooler than a guy with a metal detector with my camera gear in my hand... :) Then I kept noticing a little bit of backlighting on the waves just north of me at the main peak. A little set rolled in and these guys did their magic and bang just like that I had a few good ones to take home. Pretty cool and now they are up on Surfline!

Dave

Bluff top shots from Saturday

As we sit and wait out another week of knee high surf, here is a look at what we got on Saturday. I know a lot of you waited for Sunday and were disappointed. (Kirk) For those of you who did, read rule #17 on the Foster Surf Adventures Blog. Shots above are of Jason and Jeff Werbelow. A couple of lucky guys whose Mom and stepdad rent a house on the bluff a few times a year.  First two are Jason and the last is Jeff.  As you can see the surf gene runs in the family. Shots are taken by Rich their stepdad -- Reminding us that the coolest parents are those who not only let us stay at their bluff house but take shots of us as well.  You get points, Rich.

David Gray on Surfline

Our own David Gray got front page of Surfline today for his shot of Black's.  He made the honors of having two shots in the years best. Way to go David!  You can check it out here. 

Barrel Keel by Erik Baldwin

Here is the latest fin in from local Erik Baldwin, 29.  It is great. I love the use of the fin shape as the lip.  Checkout his new loop'd site for more photos of him.

Shots From Today

Here are few from today. Thank god there are waves. Everyone I ran into lately was getting a bit cranky.  

The first shot of Erik is classic. This is what happens when you keep him out of the water for two whole days. He is so amped that he explodes.  Erik was actually pulling triple duty today.  He ran down the beach with a longboard, shortboard as well as shooting pictures of his friends. 

The second shot is of Erik expressing his mellower side. Erik is the type of guy who you can trade your board with, and the first wave he is surfing it better then you. 

Third and forth shots are of me playing with the new inside sandbar. It has been getting extremely fun on the inside.  I didn't actually make this but I was so excited to have a shot of me covered up I had to put it up so my mom and dad could see.  If you know local and Souls flip flop rep Grandview Dean you know what he would say as you paddled out.  He would look you dead in the face and say that it was a good wave and if you were a better surfer you would have made that. No kidding, just to the point. A classic Dean-ism. I know Dean. I know.

Last shot is of local Bob Holden walking out. I just really liked the shot.  You have to love Bob. On his first wave he takes off deep and hoots like crazy. Then he realizes we are in the water and yells at the top of his lungs...  "Hi Neighbor!" Always a good time with him in the water. We didn't get a shot but he did get the wave of the day-- a set wave that he took off deep on and road to the sand.  Way to go, Bob.

A special acknowledgment for Lauren, Erik's better half who gets the girlfriend of the year award. She came down to shoot Erik on a high tide only to have to do the cobble hobble for 300 yards. She then shot all of us.  You get points for that Lauren.

Photos 1, 2, 5 by Lauren Tolford

Photos 3,4 by Erik Baldwin

THE FLEENALELE

Check this out. I found this on Mary Fleener's site.  She was asked to paint some ukuleles.  This was the first I'd seen of them.  They are amazing.  She isn't only an amazing artist but a great musician. I had the pleasure of watching her and her husband Paul play at a party one time.  It was a real treat to sit that close and hear them play. 

Check out her site here there are some more pictures of the uks.

Avo Street Keel Fin by Mary Fleener

The newest submission is by Mary Fleener. I love it. Avo Street Keel Fin done on typewriter paper and colored pencil. 

Thanks Mary!

"Christmas Fin"

Here is a fin submission from a local 6 year old, artist and ripper. Keep up the good work!

Merry Christmas - From The Leucadia Project

Wishing you all a warm wetsuit and empty waves. 

Have a great holiday!

What I'm Watching - Seaworthy

                          

I got this new surf film yesterday called Seaworthy. It is a great film. It has everything I love. Amazing cinematography, great music and surfing.  

My favorite segment in the film is where the narrator talks about the loss of his daughter.  In the wake of the loss he talks about how surfing helped him cope. In his grieving process he shapes a quad fish that he then shoots the cast of the film riding. It is a great segment. The depth of the emotion, combined with the entertainment of watching each surfer ride this board in their own unique style, makes time stand still as you watch. 

Another great segment is the Belinda Baggs segment. If you've seen Glass Love then you remember the segment of Daize. This segment of Belinda reminds me of that. It is sort of a love letter to the beauty of women's longboarding. 

The film is by an Australian by the name of Nathan Oldfield. After watching Believe I decided to write the creator and he turned me on to Nathan's work.  For me this crew of Australian artists, filmmakers and surfers have a special quality that I find refreshing, powerful and soulful. They have a perspective on surfing and life that feels right to me.  It is about the love for the ocean and the love for the beauty of nature.

From start to finish this film is beautiful with a lot of great surfing. I got my copy for $15 at www.thesurfnetwork.com. I highly recommend it. It is the second film by Nathan. His first was Lines From A Poem. I haven't seen it yet but after this it is the next on my list.

Call For Entries - Color Your Fin - Art Project

LokBox 8.25" Keel Fin by Alia, Age 3

Colored Pen on Paper

Alia working away.

The finished piece. When asked if she wanted to color more she said, "No, it's done." and moved on to her princess drawing. 

Today my daughter was sick and stayed home from preschool.  In the morning we were doing some art projects when I got inspired. I started playing with ideas for some TLP tee designs and started tracing some fin templates.  Alia saw me, came over and started to trace her own. Here is what she came up with, complete with a signature.

So here it is the first ever TLP ART PROJECT. If  you have kids or are a big kid at heart, trace your favorite fin and give it some color. When it's done send us a photo and we'll post them. Winner of each age group will get posted.

If you don't have access to a fin but want to participate, click here for a PDF to print one.

VIEW ALL FIN ART!

Rainy Day Surf Shots

All shots are of Black's.

Photos: David Gray

Heavy Water - Road trip to Black's 12/5/07

When north county starts to get shut down David packs up and heads to Black's where, perched on the bluff,  he shoots all the action. David has been shooting Black's for a couple of years now.  If you were out when it was huge in the last couple of years, you should contact him since he has a gigantic archive. He might just have you.

When David shared these with me he sent me this email about the last shot. 

Ed, here is a little note on this last shot. That first wave in the
front is about 4' the middle wave is like 8' and that outside one is
in the OMG I'm in hell 18' - 20' range! The tide was high and between

this coming at you from the front and the bluff towering over you from 

the back at 300' wet and crumbling and the sea mist formed from these 

giant waves it was a real sight to see. I've never seen anything like it here 

in California. Big Wed. 12/5/07

Photo by David Gray

Christmas Idea... A Letter From Steve

Steve Klinski is a Grandview local and amazing ceramic artist. He sent out this letter today and I wanted to share. 

Dear friends and family,

As I was cold this week and wishing it was warmer, I realized how
blessed I am to have a roof over my head, food to eat, and warm
clothes to wear. In fact I have warm clothes that I haven't worn for
years that are in great shape still... jackets, sweaters and
sweatshirts. I've decided to go through everything and set aside
anything I don't use on a regular basis, and also try to find a
blanket or two that isn't in use. There are so many people around our
neighborhoods that don't have adequate clothing for warm weather; many
homeless that may not survive with out our help. With the economy the
way it is, there are more homeless than ever. And many who still have
a home, but can't afford to heat it. What could possibly be a better
Christmas gift than for us to find the need around us and try to help
as we can. Either find a local shelter, or contact an agency that will
give, not sell the clothes to people in need. Or check with a local
school to find if there are families in need. Or even give them to
people on the street; I'm sure we all recognize a few people that are
homeless around us.

Warm clothing and/ or blankets might be the best gift they ever
receive, and the true meaning of Christmas will actually come through.
Please do whatever you can, and pass this on if you feel like doing
so... maybe we an start a ripple effect that will make a big
difference in these tough times.

thank you, and very Merry Christmas to us all!!

Steve

Winter Solstice

Yesterday if you didn't know was Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I've never thought much about the day in the past. I usually celebrate Summer Solstice, as I really enjoy the long days of summer.

Yesterday though it all changed. I was lucky enough to run into a good friend of mine at Beacons who was out for a walk. When I pulled up we started talking and then we both glanced out and saw some fun little waves come in. We looked at each other, both calculating in ours heads how long it had been since we surfed together and both agreed that it was good enough to call it a session.

I ran home to get my stuff and started to get sidetracked. My wife quickly reminded me that it was of course the shortest day of the year, if I wanted water time I'd better jump on it. When she said that I was almost angry at the universe. Shortest day I thought, I can't wait until I can surf until 8pm again. I brushed it off and road down to my spot. Out in the water was Bob, by himself, already enjoying a few rides. The surf was small but was surprisingly fun.

I paddled out and we started to enjoy these little rights that peeled like point breaks as they hit the inside sandbar. The two of us sat in the most amazing dusk sunlight as we took wave after wave by ourselves.

At the end of the session we walked back to our bikes and we both quietly acknowledged the turning point of what will become summer. The shortest day of the year is over and we are now slowly but surely working our way back to the longest.

Above is a shot that was sent to me by my friend Jason surfing Saturday morning. He had made the same discovery only about 8 hours earlier. He reported clean little rights with no one out.

Photo by Rob

Shots Before The Storm

Here are a few shots from the weekend before the storm. It gives you something to look forward to. I didn't get to go out that day but as you can see it was pretty clean and fun.  I'm not sure who the first shot is of but the second and third is of Henry. Dave just happen to be down shooting that day and got a bunch of shots of these guys.  As you can imagine they were pretty stoked to see these.

Birth Photos

I was digging through my archives and found these pictures of my favorite board, Binki. A 5'10" Leucadia shop board shaped by Steve Clark.  I got it in 2004. September 9th, 2004 to be exact.  I remember the day.  I had been looking for a Fish for months.  Jeff the owner let me know that he had some boards coming and told me to come in to check them out. I went down to take a look and there she was.  Jeff, who is a great guy, gave me a deal on the board and threw in the leash. I was stoked. 

About 9 months later I was riding my bike home from surfing and as I rounded my corner my foot slipped off the peddle and I flew into the air and onto my board.  Luckily I was Ok. I bit shocked, but fine.  My board, was dinged. I few days passd and I told Jeff what happened. He told me to drop off the board and he'd give it to his glasser.

Some time passed and Jeff gave me a ring. The board was fixed.  I went in to pick it up and he handed it over. I asked how much and he just shook his head.  Just take it he said.  I did with extreme gratitude.  Four years later it is still my favorite board. I've surf countless hours on it here and even was luckey enough to surf Honolua Bay on it.

Every time I ride this board I am greatful of what I have and for the crew at Leucadia.  Without these guys in your neighborhood you don't get all the things you need for your daily glide. 

Here is my thank you to Jeff and Mary who have supported their customers and friends.  I know that with the economy in a squeeze times are tough for the surf shops. If you have a local shop, do yourself a favor and them, support them. You'll be thankful in the long run and you will have friends for life.

Rescued

About 4 years ago my neighbor passed away suddenly. I didn't know him really at all since I had just moved in. I just remember him from the neighborhood.  He was one of the locals.  When they cleaned out his house they put this board out in the trash.  It is a circa 1970 7'6" McCoy single fin pintail. I stopped in shock.  It was beat up but it was still salvageable.  My dream is to have it fixed up and take it out.  For this guy to have kept this board all these years means he loved it. By the wear and tear on this board you could tell it was surfed a lot.  Now it sits but someday it will be surfed again.

North Leucadia Sunset

The other night I went over to Ponto to help Anne and Kirk out to shoot their Christmas photo. I walked up to the beach and the beauty of this image struck me.  I raised my camera on autopilot and fired off this first shot.  I took others but this first one was still the best.  Funny how instinct takes over. No matter how much time I spent trying to make it better the one I didn't even think about was the best. 

What I'm Watching - Believe

                                 

I'm a huge surf film buff and constantly looking for good films.  With the surf flat for a few more days you need some inspiration. There is only so much of this blog you can read before you need to see some video. Here is one of my new favorites that is keeping me going.  The title is Believe and it is filmed and edited in Australia.  Take a look at the trailer. The film is inspiring, you just feel good after watching it.  If you liked Glass Love you'll like this. If you've never seen Glass Love look that up as well.

For those of you who want it, I got mine as a download for $10 at www.thesurfnetwork.com

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