Sailing the Seas of Sale!

Just another public service announcement from us here in Solana Beach that we will be having one heckuva a sale event here this Saturday Feb. 5th! Heaps and loads of crazily cheap goods, oodles of free hot dogs and multiple hours of groovy live music to enjoy. If your looking for some new threads, a new board, suit, booties, hat, deck pad, sandals or just a regular ol' tootin good time stroll on down.
George's has been super good!

Unidentified Mitch's employee mining the stoke before work.


The plants in the garden look like they are just as stoked about this last couple weeks of ripe conditions as we are.

Skeletons in the garden.






U.S.O

Plenty of fold and skids to go around the past two weeks.
Jim Swarthow seeking the feelings. He knows the ones.
I'm Kenny Bloggins saying Stay Glassy San Diego.

Thanks Marty!!!

WHAAAAT??? We're having our first ever sale event here at the shop on Feb 5th in the parking lot. Music, free hot dogs, super deals on clothes, wetsuits, and Tudor surfboards! Get right out of town!


I pulled away from my house Monday morning thinking I was strolling out for a mellow mid-morning, early weekday session. As I neared the startlingly crowded buzz of cardiff commotion stretching from the Reef to Swami's my hopes of getting some wide open sliders began to diminish quickly. I peered fearfully from the safety of the glass encasement of my car at lines ten deep of people waiting to rinse off at the shower and people clogging every parking lot entry and exit anxiously waiting to pounce on any legal place to rest their vehicle. Minding my own personal sense of well being and positivity I encouraged my self to not get frustrated and that the stoke would reveal itself if I calmly let it. As I crept into the swami's lot I snagged myself a parking slot first lap and so did Jim Swarthow. I was now becoming slightly re-assured by my internal self persuasions to stay optimistic.
With fifty guys out front we walked a tad north as we usually do. In search of something healthier than the crowded elbow bump screaming match mumbo that the Swami pack promotes we stroked out into the open stretches at Patches. We shared some ideas as to why the crowds were so thick and related it to the flaring sunshine and the warm temps that we have been waiting for since last year. With more insight we realized it was a holiday, and we aptly named in Martin Luther Ding day as we watched the drop-in parade down the way at Swami's. As the tide continued to back away the surf improved and within a half an hour the surf was putting on it's best show. A whole heck of a gosh darn lot of waves later and no more energy to expel I took one in and shuffled up to the rocks shaky legged and hungry as a spring grizzly. Looking out to sea as Jim catches one in and I smile and waggle my head in awe of how the day had unraveled.
As I have been reminded of so many times these past couple years I was once again taken aback by the power of perception and positivity and the doors it opens in this life. This day was just another subtle reminder that you can make anything what you want it to be and sometimes you can find yourself in complete bliss with just a little effort. Hope you made it through the holiday weekend without any dings and a smile on your face. Thanks for dropping by. -Bloggins-

Blog Jammin' with Kenny!

Our cups may be half empty but the shop is full of flavor. We got some good stuff a brewin....



Well.....ok we are or I suppose Kenny Bloggins is finally back into this blog business once again. The hiatus was a little suspect but this is a new year right? At least that's what somebody said the other day. Keep your eye's peeled for a more consistent and fun-filled blog from here on out. Things were really popping over the holidays around here even though it was raining like Seattle and we were wearing our snorkels. Thick steamers seem to be flying out the door lately and I can't keep the booties stocked quick enough. Hoods and gloves??!!?? Yep, we got em' so if your extremities are turning white and giving up on you we got some rubber for those lonely little limbs as well. As usual we have an array or new arrivals in the board room; Takayama In the Pinks, DT-2's, Beach Breaks, and Scorpions. Got a hot new batch of Kookbox Twin Pins shaped by Jeff McCallum as well as some longer models by Wayne Rich. And........we will be receiving a batch of Christenson shortboards any day now. That's right I said it, we will have some thrusters in the shop again for the first time in a long time. Our board room has had a face lift to accommodate all the wonderful surf craft that live here, and we have been working our tookus' off to try to make this place really nice inside and out. With all that news, we invite you to come on down and burn some time poking around. There's Lot's to look at, talk about, and go home with if that's your fancy. Happy News Year, -Bloggins-


Rainbows, Craigs, Minnards, Channel Islands', Finelines.....The used room! So hot right now!
Got a favorite old classic tale? Maybe you can have a new favorite shirt too.
We're not sure if it's ok to wear one if you haven't read the book. You decide.
I gotta start reading.
The egg/longboard rack has some lookers on it as well. Weber, Takayama, Anderson.....just cause they is used don't mean they don't work!
Jeff MCCallum did some design work for Mr. Tudor and the folks at Kookbox this batch. These things look like they came from NASA.





Our bug collection stings.
Donald's Oceanside showroom may be a thing of the past but we're picking up where he left off. The Takayama's are in season.
Board room face lift.


Thanks for stopping by San Diego! and.....WOrld:)

Making Waves....

This just made me sooooo stoked!

Hi Everybody!

Fun Stuff

Tiger G Glassing rips!
One of these boards has (post censored due to sensitive North County surfing feelings at certain drama heavy locales, and the social proximity there to of-) .
Watch out for the Tiger...G.

What's This?

Crocodile rmod sunrise.
What's this?

Swarthow Jim has been perty darn busy lately. Luckily Juan Norte has a shapy room goin' on. A board a week has drained the funds. Slow it down,,,

Slippery

This thing is nuts man. Takayama Glass Slipper-ish 1 + 2 fin.
Somewhat rare in these parts. This one has quite the nose rocker.
When this came in I freaked out a little. Looked like it wanted to go to River Mouth of Death with me. Winter is about here and this board wants some.
Totally clean but wonderous resin tint by the mysterious Mr. Hoshizaki, plus army green will keep away any undesirables while you're gettin the sick ones. And it's 7'2, not too big, not too small.

Halloweenish Fins!! For your scary stick.

Thats right folks! Halloween is right around the corner and we have some Captain Fins that'll scare the daylights outta ya! We have scary graphics on fins for every stick and many more to choose from. So get down here to Mitch's Surf Shop in Solana Beach and get into something terrifying for your favorite board. There is something spooky in the water and I think its YOU!!!

Here Kitty Kitty

Here kitty Gato Heroi AKA Daggers!
This here kitty is 9'6.

This here kitty is one inch less.
That would be 9'5.
The last board posted left the next day, so theses here kitties may be running out the door.
Plus I think Nabe really likes them.

Rare

Is something rare if only one exists?
Infrequently occurring; uncommon.

In this case it's ONCE. Only once.
This was Christenson's LAST Walker blank. This is Christenson's ONLY 8'8 Simmons. That's pretty uncommon. More than rare. Will not happen again. One of a kind is what I mean.
Is it nice? Well, he really wanted to keep it for himself.

Crappy Story......

Gets me every time.

It seems like it was just about the same time of year as it is now only a few years back. There was one of those choice high pressures holding over the coast while the lines where fetching from the south, pushing into shore with perfect power and posture . I had been surfing my tookus off and missing a whole lot of class most likely. I blew my fin off on my shin surfing D street or something and my other hot stick had snapped surfing Deemers the day prior. In need of some rocker and more than one fin I found myself having to ride a yellowing, duck-taped, ten pound piece of suck that I had dug out from the garage at my old house. I re-waxed it and put some stickers on it and told myself it would ride fine, if the waves are good enough you can ride anything right?

The next morning I peeled out of bed and rendezvoused in the kitchen with my roommate for some coffee as we quacked about the surf and the board I was riding. We were both a bit surfed out from the past three days of marathoning but there was still swell in the water and the wind was still on vacation so naturally we couldn't resist. We rolled down to the beach casually, thinking maybe we might not surf if it was just ok or if the tide was a bit off. As we pulled down onto the strand I was fumbling for my coffee or a cd or something and I hear mike's voice stumble, " HOLY SH!#!" My head snapped up quickly, half expecting to be ready to hit a cat or something and I look south toward Wisconsin and there's a hundred A frames all breaking at once as far as the eye can see. The sun was still new, casting its light gently across the face of each closing tunnel that was exploding on the sand. It was generously over head and at any moment you could see three to five black silhouettes tucking into their secret cavernous discoveries. Never before had or have I seen such perfect, precise and continuous beach break riddle the shore in SD county (I don't surf Blacks that much). There was an endless swirl of foam and whitewater on the inside and the first fifty feet off the surface of the ocean was a glowing, foggy mist. It was as if there was a marine layer just at the coast but it was just the watery shrapnel from each fanning lip and crashing eruption of the thousand waves that had already lived and died that morning. THE SURF WAS GANGBUSTERS!

Now, I don't exactly know how sheer excitement and a little bit of fearful adrenaline stimulate the nerves in your stomach, namely the ones directly in charge of getting rid of what you ate the meal before but mine sure as hell go bonkers when the surf is good. When the surf is firing I feel like every second I'm not in the water is like three minutes long, every stop sign is like five o clock traffic and I'm just about willing to park on some one's lawn and pay the towing bill later if I have to. On this morning we were lucky enough to cram Mike's truck into a spot right on the Pacific St. and he was getting shacked before I even found my wetsuit, he's one of those guys that does everything fast. As I'm frantically pulling on my wetsuit my stomach is frantically trying to tell me there is an emergency drop off that needs to be made asap or something very bad may happen! Confused and anxious as all hell I can not see or think of a single place within a reasonable distance to let out the beast that's knocking on the door louder and LOUDER! The surf is freaking going off and to make matters worse I see Mike take off on a bomb and disappear behind a giant shimmering curtain. AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! With my brain clouded and all reasonable judgement disabled I spot a semi secluded corner near some dumpsters at the a base of one of the beachfront apartment units. There was no choice at that point, I was either going to having one big, ugly unwanted scene on the sidewalk in the middle of the bustling morning passersby and surf checkers or I was going to be a rotten SOB and let this thing lose next to those dumpsters. The choice was made and after twenty two seconds of rip roaring relief I was FREE! I'm scrambling back across the parking lot toward the truck when I hear " HEY! What the F@#& were you doing over there?!" I crank my head back and see a haggard dude in a robe with a cup of coffee in his hand up on the balcony staring down at me with the look of death, willing to come down and snap my neck but much too lazy and fat. I say, "nothin" as I continue, hastening my jog I think to myself "holy sh#!".......literally! With residual adrenaline from the dumpster incident and a new shot from being called out I'm kind of smiling, a little shaky and more eager than ever to get in the water. I get back to the truck grab my rad board from the back and start jogging up the sidewalk, just as I'm going to cross the street an O'side Cop rounds the corner on the sidewalk. Staring right at me he yells, " HEY! YEAH YOU!STOP RIGHT THERE!" I bring my jog to an idle and my stomach drops in a new way, I'm totally busted! Just as I'm about to start fumbling some lame excuse out of my mouth the cop continues his glare right on over my shoulder as he marches right by me with his hand on his baton. WTF? I look behind me and see a token o'side strand crankster walking up the sidewalk behind me as the cops overpower him in their questionable jock-like way. I cross the street as my legs are ready to give out from so many mixed signals of stoke, fear, adrenaline and disbelief. I finally make it out to line up and see Mikey out there shaking his head with a smile like the Cheshire Cat as he points down the way to someone getting drained. I shake my head with a smile just as big but it's not the waves I'm buzzing about. I surfed for a solid three hours that day on my yellowing piece of suck, pulling into some really nice rooms and getting absolutely destroyed on every single one of em'. I like to think I surfed like crap on one of the best days I've ever been out because of my board, but maybe it was because I suck in general, or maybe just maybe it was the sh!##y experience I had that morning that threw me off. Still don't know. -Bloggins-