Hollister Ranch
Last weekend, my friends and I went up to Hollister Ranch to stay the night, but most notably for the great surf. This would be my second time going up to Hollister to camp there. My first time was with one of my middle school friends who owned property. We went surfing at I believe Auggies last time I went. It wasn’t very good considering there was so much wind that it was practically unsurfable. This time there was a little swell when we arrived. It wasn’t anything incredible, but would definitely be fun. One of my friends that lent me his soft-top surfboard.
I remember getting to the ranch at around four and all of us debating if we should go and surf. It was really windy and the majority of us were hungry and tired so we decided to get to camp and set up all our tents. After we had all of our tents set up, we ventured to the cabana down by the beach to make dinner. We had mac and cheese with beef ribs. Quite an unorthodox meal, but it satisfied all of us. The next day we went surfing late in the morning at around ten. The waves weren’t incredibly good, but it was going to be fun on the beater.
We went out at a break called Auggies. This break was known for having big waves when it super high tide. Also known for the giant hole right in the center where it is around 50ft deep or more. Some fisherman up at the ranch go to Auggies to fish in the huge hole and come out with massive fish. My first wave was not very successful considering I fell off my board and into the water. My second wave was fun, riding the beater down the wave catching crazy amounts of speed along the way. I will always remember that wave due to its speed and how much fun it was. It was definitely a trip I will remember for the rest of my life and hopefully, I will be able to go again soon in the future.
Leave a comment below if you enjoy surfing and camping!
Training for Lifeguard Swim test
This week my mom and I decided to go to the YMCA to practice for my Lifeguard test coming up on Thursday. The test is going to be swimming a 500 in less than 12 minutes. If you pass that test you will go to an interview and then they will decide if you get accepted to a lifeguard academy. Once you do lifeguard academy, you now can get employed by either the city or an outside source. My hope is to get hired by the city and get my first job! I really want to get this job because I am naturally athletic and wouldn’t want a job washing dishes or being a cashier. This job interests me also because one of my friends told me that the boss is really nice and the hours for lifeguarding are very flexible.
I was really nervous before the test, but ended up getting a 10:30! I helped a lot to train the day before by swimming a 500 at the YMCA. We had to do an extra drill at the end that involved a brick being thrown to the bottom of the pool then we had to go and pick it up and swim with it across while holding it above our heads. I passed thankfully, only to go on to the most dreaded part of a getting a job… the interview. I did alright in the interview, but was surprised by the uncommon interview questions. After the interview I felt much better getting everything over and done with.
If I get accepted into the lifeguard program, from what the instructor said, we are going to have a hard and strict journey ahead of us. In the training the instructor will grade us on how we do and if we are eligible to get a job as being a lifeguard. Although you got by the 500 and brick exercise, lifeguard training, and grading you are not guaranteed a job as a lifeguard. I’m going to have to work my hardest ever if I want to get this job.
Wish me luck getting the job as being a lifeguard!
Carrizo Plain
Last weekend, my family and friends decided to go up to one of our traditional camping spots up near Cuyama. This once desert-like area, had been transformed into a lush and green valley before the break because of all the rain passing through. The year before it had not been so beautiful and had rather been still stuck in its desert faze, therefore we didn’t go last year. It was a good thing we went this time because it was a throwback to when my friends and I would go up to ride motorcycles, play games, and just in general have lots of fun. At first I was second guessing the idea of going up, fearing it would be dry, desolate, and just a waste of time.
Upon arrival, my mind had been changed quickly do to the gorgeous flowers blooming around us on the wavy hills. Not to forget the amazing sunset flooding the valley as soon as we got there. Sadly, my friends and I had to set up the tent in the dark which was a huge pain because of it being a chilly 40 degrees out. After we finished setting up the tent, we went to the warm fire and sat down to relax and eat some food. I remember going the next day, we went on a long hike through the twisting plain. The hike was fun, but was very tiring considering almost none of us had really hiked in quite a bit really testing our endurance. When we arrived back to camp, we were all exhausted so decided to rest a little bit then to play some ultimate golf.
For those who don’t know what ultimate golf is, it is when you play with a group of people and you all decide a target to which you must hit. If you are a really good player, you will all decide how many hits you get until your out. Who ever hits the object wins. My friends and I wanted to play rounds though, so whoever got the most wins in the short amount of hits was the ultimate winner. I turned out getting 2nd because I’m not the best golfer and its tricking getting a golf ball out of a gofer hole. We all ended up leaving very early in the morning partly because of other people coming and destroying the landscape by driving on the hills with their car, but also because we all had homework to do. Later that day, one of our parents called the cops on them.
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Ecuador Part 2
Ecuador was really fun as you all probably know from my last blog. I going to talk about my favorite part though. Sadly in Ecuador, the waves weren’t the b4est, but there were little waves here and there. Near the end of our trip, I surfed a spot called El Pelado. It is known for having a very hollow and fast wave. When I was there, it was probably my favorite spot. In Santa Barbara, there are not usually waves like that, except for at Sandspit.
Spring Break is Finally Here
Over the Spring break, my family and I went to Ecuador to catch a few waves and say hello to old friends we made way back in 2012. We started out the trip by arriving in Guayaquil, a hot and busy city. We hired a taxi to drive us to a small town named Playas, through shanty towns, jungle, and agriculture. In Playas, we were dropped off at our rented house in Cascol. This was a private gated community. In years past we stayed out in a small house (800 sq. ft.) in the middle of a nature preserve. This spot allowed us endless amounts of “wave T.V.” Because we were situated right on the ridge of an epic surf break, without Internet or TV, our entertainment was the waves.
We visited our landlords Dorothy and Silvia, sisters that have owned all of Cascol since their father was the President of Ecuador. Silvia was even Ms. Ecuador! Later in the week my dad and I decided to go to our favorite break, Mal Paso, to see if there would be any waves. Although it was small, it was a lot of fun. The waves there are perfect because they are really fast and also very hollow. The next day I went to my parent’s friend house, Marcel, and surfed at another spot called El Pelado. Later that night we watched the movie, Point Break on his blow-up screen on the beach. Marcel owns a little hostel that people come to stay in and surf the local breaks, but some people just come to stay for the holidays at the beach.
Near the end of our trip, our friend Daniel took us on a boat trip to a little place called, “The Island of the Birds.” There we saw a tornado of birds coming from Small Island, all-flying up into the sky. It was truly incredible to see so many birds in one place at a time. They all lived on this island because of how much food there was available. The shrimp farms in the middle of the island were one source, but also the abundance of fish just outside of the island. The island felt like it was in the Amazon. As you took a step in the mangroves it was humid, sticky, and worst of all, it was full of mosquitos. We persevered and hiked to a vantage point to view the birds.
On the last day, my mom went on a beach clean up for her little company called, “Mi Playa Limpia.” It was a good way to end the trip, cleaning up the beach with friends and then making art with the remnants.
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Rainy Days
Sometimes when the weather is rainy, my family has this tradition of staying inside all day watching movies and having a warm fire. Most of my family members don’t like the rain that much so we agree to stay inside and have fun playing games and watching movies. We like to call this “Rainy Day Schedule.” I personally love it when it rains, but not for the reason you may be thinking of. I like when it rains because I get to stay inside and do whatever I want. This is a rare occasion considering that I don’t get to go on screens (phone, Xbox and other tech) during the week. I have tried in the past to reason with my parents, but end up always losing.
My brother and I don’t always stay inside the whole entire time though. We go outside and explore our property in the the pouring rain. I remember one time we went outside that we came back inside with mud down our jackets and caked everywhere else on our bodies. My parents were happy to see us going outside, but told never to do it again because they were the ones who had to clean our clothes. We are old enough now that we can wash our own clothes so they allow us to go outside.
I really enjoy this little tradition of ours and I think it is a unique thing accosiated with our family. In the future I would like to become more comfortable going outside during the rain because I get tired of staying inside all day doing absolutely nothing. Now that one of my friends has a car the opportunity has arouse for me to go outside and do something productive or maybe an activity that is more fun than watching YouTube all day. Although I don’t want to break the tradition, in a way I’m not because all I want to do is go to the movie theatre and watch more movies with friends!
Leave a comment below if you like rainy days and have your own tradition for them!
Exploring The Blue Door
On Thursday, right after school, my mom wanted to show me a cool store that she stumbled upon. It is in the funk-zone of Santa Barbara. The funk-zone used to be an area dedicated to artists who needed cheap housing. It was mostly made up of old warehouses that were decorated with graffiti and murals. The funk zone is now known as a group of cafes, wine tasting rooms, designer shops, and galleries. The Blue Door is an eclectic collection of vintage and antique furniture, home goods, clothing, and art. This is where my mom and I ventured into.
As soon as we went in we were both intrigued by the soundtrack of the space. I recognized the music immediately, because it was from my childhood. One of the jazz pieces that I heard was by Vince Guraraldi. Sometimes when I am tired of listening to rap I browse Spotify and I look for good jazz. Some of my favorite artists are Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, and Vince Guraraldi. Since this store was playing music I liked, I decided to look around for a while longer. Music does that, it takes you back to a place. I was transported by Vince Guraraldi to India, Christmas 2012.
While in Kerala, a coastal state in India, we went through a wierd adventure because, there was a man who dressed up as Santa for us for Christmas. It was also fun though because the next day we met locals who taught us how to play cricket. One of the most complex games I’ve ever played. Most of the time my brother and I just wanted the server to throw us the ball so we could hit again. Our time in India will forever be ingrained in my memories.
The unique thing about the Blue Door was how there was three floors packed to the brim with an assortment of junk. It surprised me how interesting an antique store could be. I walked in not expecting much to see diverse amounts of old light bulbs, jazz records, and an incredible amount of apothecary equipment. My trip to the Blue Door was valuable experience that allowed myself to be more open minded because there is always stuff that will unexpectedly surprise you!
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Hanging out with Friends at Ledbetter
If my cousins were to wake up and decide to go to the beach it would take them 9 hours and 7 minutes. They live outside of Salt lake City, Utah. For some in our neighbor city of Los Angeles, it would take 3 hours and $30 dollars in parking fees to reach an overcrowded, smoggy, beach. I try to remember how lucky I am that it’s just about a 6 minute ride, without traffic, to Ledbetter beach. This weekend, that was how it all started. I begged for a ride to the beach to meet up with friends for some volleyball, but it didn’t work out that way. We ended up going in the water, which was a frisky 54 degrees. After that we went to play volleyball west beach for a while. The wind was not very bad which was very surprising because it is usually incrediably windy after three.
Then, because our town conveniently right angles with State Street we drove up to Eureka! Where, because California is so concerned with health and animal rights, I had the grass fed, free range burger. After devouring my burger we went back to my friends house. Traveling in a pack, we decided to kick back and play some games at my friend’s house, again taking for granted that it was a comfortable 75 degrees out, no smog, relatively low humidity, and really no reason to retreat inside, but we did. Why not migrate to another friends house that had other amenities? After starting at the beach and migrating to the Rivera in Santa Barbara, we decided to go to Montecito. Here we landed at a nice house to hang and swim, watching yet another killer sunset. Just one of a thousand that I see, and is ironically, even better in winter.
Here we live, in this little North-facing curve of Paradise. I know that we all have had a shock that this place can be vulnerable to tragedy, with the fire and flood, but still…we live in an awesome place that has so many things we take for granted. It is so hard to remember that when we are surrounded by it everyday. But if I try, I think of my cousins and the excitement they feel when they come to visit and we go to the beach…again.
Please leave a comment if you like going to the beach!
Spring Break is Coming Up!
Spring break is coming up and I am so excited! My family has this tradition of going to Ecuador every spring break and surfing down there. We didn’t go last year because my brother’s spring break and mine didn’t match up(we go to different schools). This year we are sacrificing one week of school so that we can all go for two weeks instead of one. We discovered Ecuador when my family went on a sabbatical. My mom is an art teacher at Crane Country Day school. We traveled around the world and went to Ecuador and loved it there. The people were nice and the music playing at the markets was good, but most of all, the surf was incredible!
My dad and I are the biggest surfers in my family. My little brother doesn’t really surf because he is exceptionally tall for his age so balance is a hard thing for him to master, which you need for surfing. My mom used to tandem surf with my dad but stopped later on/after my brother and I was born. I’ve been surfing since I was around the age of ten. I learned at the surf spot named “The Sandspit,” down by the harbor. The surf spots down in Ecuador are amazing. They would have sometimes massive waves coming down the cove(maybe around 8-9ft sets on a good day), or sometimes there would be perfect little waves. Some great spots are Ola Verde, Shark Bay, and my personal favorite Mal Paso.
Mal Paso is my favorite spot because there is no one there. To get there you have to hike around thirty minutes along the beach. When you get there it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The beach has a rocky outlook if you go all the way down. The point, where the wave is, merges into the pure shore break at the bottom where it is sandy and pristine. I like this spot because the wave is fast and hollow allowing you to sometimes get barreled if the conditions are good and it is big enough.
For all you surfers out there, leave a comment below!
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