Surfing better than ever, La Surfista puts her heel down!

La Surfista surfs through pain. Neither biting insect swarms. stinging jellyfish, nor a viral attack of shingles could slow her down when the surf came up.  Top turning at Punta Burros in March. 

Pissaladierre is a tart, not a pizza

A French onion tart on a whole wheat crust, with anchovy fillets, roasted red peppers, and Greek olives

When Surfing Hurts

 Aging and Injury

Two realities, each challenging,  especially when causally linked. Both realities conversational taboos in youth culture surfing circles, but sometimes open for discussion among senior surfers.

When Injury sidelines a surfer athlete, sympathy for pain and missed swells is often only available from other sidelined surfers. Watching elder surfer athletes from the beach, one becomes painfully aware of the difference between elder-abled, and dis-abled.

Beginning in my early 40's, lower back pain began to negatively affect my surfing. As my back pain became acute and chronic, I began to seek relief in a variety of therapies, including yoga, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture. In desperation, I eventually underwent back surgery (without improvement).

Prone paddling caused pain, and I  moved to long boards and knee paddling, which does not hurt.  16 years after back surgery, I am still surfing in overhead conditions, but in the last year new injuries have conspired to sideline me -- especially shoulder trauma and resulting inflammation (tendonitis).

Surfing again in overhead conditions the past few months has resulted in body-to-board, head-to-board, and whiplash injuries causing trauma that a few years ago I would have bounced right back from. The risk/benefit ratio of performance surfing is trending in a discouraging direction. I stopped chasing big waves some years back. How much more debilitating injury before I restrict my go-outs to the mildest conditions? It's still surfing, isn't it?

first published Nov 30 2014

Seven years lated...I got barreled in Mexico on my 72nd birthday

Pad Thai with chanterelles and calamari and home-grown beansprouts

Pad Thai has become a family favorite. The first few times I made it, the stovetop and counter looked like a clean-up set had rolled over it. Many ingredients prepped and cooked and assembled in a rapid sequence and served immediately with fresh lime and cilantro. Once I got it down, the mess became more manageable, It is a dish worthy of practice and variation. Tamarind sauce (Pad Thai sauce) can be purchased ready to use, or made from scratch. Hot Tip -- get the "Taste of Thai" tub at a restaurant supply.

Peyote cruiser for Tim

Tim really needed a big board, and he couldn't find one in the PNW that really was big enough, but still a performance longboard. We enlisted the ghost of Bruce Jones, using his "close tolerance" 10'2" blank to net a 10'1" x 23 1/4" x 3 7/16" modern longboard. Designed to be an all-around performance shape that paddles well. This will be Tims Mexico board.

home-made sushi is childs-play

you can have your cream cheese, avocado, farmed salmon Spiderman/Godzilla roll, or you can craft some honest nigiri sushi and sushi rolls from fresh, wild albacore or salmon, frozen tako (octopus), saba (mackerel), and tobiko (flying fish roe). Do it for fun, freshness, and economy. Once you've polished your act, take a tray to a pot-luck and prepare to be admired.

La Surfista a sesenta y dos (62)

I was out with a shoulder injury all winter, but La Surfista surfed for both of us. I snapped this shot of her at 7:30 am at Punta Burros in late March. She had a great year and was surfing like a girl half (or one-third) her age.

Mars' 9 plus senior surfer seed bread real/actual, tested and true, recipe is finally revealed to the world.

9 plus (nine +) refers both to the variety of seeds and whole grains in the loaf and for the reality that most elder surfers ride longboards - nine feet and longer. This recipe works best with a Kitchenaid or other orbital dough mixer, but can be done by hand kneading (with strong paddling arms and shoulders).

1/2 c. red quinoa

1/4 c. thick rolled oats

1/4 c. rolled triticale

1/4 c. rolled barley

1/2 c. coarse ground whole corn (polenta)

1/2 c. black sesame seeds

1/2 c. golden flax seeds (lightly ground in spice grinder)

1/2 c.raw  pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds

1/2 c. hemp seeds

1 t. salt

3 T. sugar

I pkg rapid-rise dry yeast

high-protein unbleached bread flour

whole wheat bread flour

   Cook quinoa uncovered in 2 1/2 c. water until lightly done - about 8-10 min. Cool by adding a whole tray

of ice cubes. Add salt, sugar, all seeds and grains, 1 c. unbleached white bread flour and mix to the consistency of  pancake batter. Check batter for temperature (by spooning a little onto the inside of your wrist - it should be about body temp. with all ice melted) and adjust if necessary. Mix in yeast and beat batter for half a minute. Let it rest for 10-15 min.

   With mixer on low, add more flour (unbleached bread and/or whole wheat) until dough hook begins kneading action. Keep adding flour a little at a time until "soft but firm" consistency, and keep machine-kneading for 5-6 minutes to fully develop the dough's elasticity. Let dough rise until slightly less than double in volume.

   Punch down and shape into smallish loaves (I use a French demi-baguette pan). Dust loaves heavily with flour and cover with plastic or clean kitchen towel. Let rise in warm (75-85 degrees) place until approximately double in size. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes or until bread thumps when tapped with a finger.

   Enjoy fresh or especially as toast!! This is yeasted seed bread, not nut bread. Higher proportions of whole wheat flour will make a denser, heavier loaf. Honey, brown rice syrup, agave syrup, or raw sugar might be substituted for sugar, but yeast performance may vary.

   This bread helps me keep surfing!!

Japanese "Hot Pot" kookery

There is an art to traditional Japanese hot pot cooking that begins with the broth, or "dashi." A subtle and somewhat mystical combination of seaweed (kombu) and bonito (tuna) shavings, with miso and soy sauce. The selected ingredients are arranged in a clay pot and lightly simmered in dashi. Popular as a winter dish in Japan, here on the Oregon coast is is a great after-surf belly warmer any time of year.

La Surfista a sesenta y uno (61)

Wisdom comes with age and experience, which is good, because elder-athleticism requires one to "step-up" their mental game. La Surfista got a new lightweight Hap Jacobs epoxy for Christmas, and was seen putting it to good use at Punta Burros on Saturday. A high school swimmer and lifeguard, she started surfing at 45. She is turning heads on bigger days, sometimes the only woman in the line-up.

Good equipment and encouraging waves will help you stay "on your game" as an elder.

Canneloni with fresh pasta and healthy fillings

ricotta and parmesan with whatever you want on the inside.

fresh homemade pasta for the "tube"

 homemade fresh whole egg pasta with spelt or whole wheat if desired.

1 egg and a pinch of salt to about 3/4 cup of flour  ---  knead, rest about 15 min (while you prepare filling), and you're "ready to roll"

roll from the middle toward each end.
cut in 6" or 8" squarish pieces and simmer for 2-3 min.
rinse in cool water, roll around fillings. lay in olive oil and bake 15-20 min.

This is "getting tubed" Italian style

Some Seniors Surf Sizeable Swells

Some larger waves are relatively soft and quite user-friendly. Easy access, deep water reef in Oregon. This wave is popular with the sixty-plus set. Weekdays it may go unsurfed except for a few well-seasoned, self-employed, or retired oldsters.