Nose Walkin & Trash Talkin: Dads First Day Back

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Dads First Day Back

Summer is here, and beach days are back!! Yesterday was our first official beach day of 2011, and we were stoked that Emily Corkill was here for it! Also at the beach was a bit of the regular crew....Suzie, Lori, Ceil, Aunt Meg, Al Cotton, Bart and Billy. We loaded up the truck with all of the boards despite the shitty surf forecast, sloppy 1 footers. Emily doesn't mind the waves being tiny, and we were hoping to get Dad into the water - so the smaller the better. Dad is an AMAZING surfer - he taught me all that I know and introduced me to surfing when I was just a little grom. Most of our days together have been spent in the water, and though I still enjoy surfing, it's just not the same being out in the lineup without my best friend. He's a goddamn lunatic in the water - yelling, hooting, hollering -- nose walking and trash talking {thats how the blog got its name}. For the past two years he has been fighting a battle though that takes up all of his energy - chemo, radiation, and bouts of rest inbetween. We didn't think that he'd ever surf again - so when his buddy Billy Herr shaped him a board, we were all a bit pessimistic about it. BUT, loaded up with Steroids he is able to walk better and we figured the time to get in the water now. It's now or never. It took him quite a while to get into his wetsuit, and by the time he got his board down to the waters edge he was already exhausted - but he continued on. Him and Billy paddled out, and then Bill told him to turn on it and go! Well, he paddled - caught it - stood up, and rode the wave into the beach (where mom was waiting). He looked at my Mom and said that that was enough for today! We were so excited - the fact that he even could walk his board to the waters edge was huge, and him standing up was more than we could have asked for!! I was crying at the waters edge, and mom was crying as she helped him wrap up his leash and head in. Wow. What a fucking year - and who would have thought that we'd get him back on a board?? We have so much to be thankful for...it's going to be a tough couple upcoming months, but we can do it!

Emilia and Momma...beach bronzin'

My #1 and Me.

Billy Herr shaped a board for my Dad last year when he was really sick -- we weren't sure why he was, but now we are glad that he did!!! Thanks BILLY!

DADS FIRST WAVE IN 2 YEARS:

WAVE SEQUENCE

PHOTO 1: PADDLING