GP2K1 Revisited - Part 5 - "Winding down"
by Foontonio
Tuesday was somewhat a repeat of Monday with various groups charging off in
search of waves. Rod, Dee Dee and I went 4 wheelin from the Frisco Pier on up to
the Lighthouse point and discussed the GP dynamic and people. The tiny colorful
waves of the South Side only made us jones for better surf. Schools of tiny bait
fish speckled the green tinted 1 foot mackers. Another late afternoon party took
off for more Frisco microwaves with reports later the conditions were
deteriorating as the wind came round straight North.That night we had still another grand dinner as Dee Dee grilled swordfish steaks
and prepared more salads, sides and munchies. Since it was the last night for
some who had planned to depart the next day the festivities again played out
well into the night. There was an attempt to drink all the left over beer: we
failed.With the prospect that the surf would not improve for the balance of the trip a
bit of stoke blew out of the GP balloon. I've been to three of these events and
they all carry with them a delicate balance that feeds off the people and the
quality of the surf. Once the novelty of meeting and living with new people
wears off a little, the waves are critical to sustain interest. It always
helps to have stoke junkies like Edmund, Todd, Andy and Neal around to fan the
flames, but I've observed that the normal life span of a GP with marginal surf
conditions runs it's cycle from 3-5 days. Beyond that I think it would take
exceptional surf conditions for folks to hangout.Tuesday was the day I think Sveta logged something like 5 hours in the jacuzzi
with various guys like Rod, then wondered later why her eyes hurt so much.
Maybe because her blood pressure was so high they were bulging to get out of her
head. (Maybe it was just looking at Rod ;) couldn't help myself :)Wednesday morning after initial surf checks which showed more wind driven swell
and choppier conditions, a raft of out of towners bailed. Andy, Sarge, Todd,
Edmund, Ferg and eventually KC, Sveta and Rod all made decisions they had
better things to do with the week. It was at this point KC revealed the house
departure checkoff list which involved just about cleaning the whole frickin
joint!!!! Since Dee Dee and I were the only ones going to be left, some of that
stuff fell to us. Which was not that bad after a few beers and moving a couple
of the, "renter must" duties into the "no fuckin way, Sparky" column. By early
afternoon everyone had gone, and Dee Dee was off checking out of her hotel since
there was now plenty of room at the TB. I had, for a while, the whole
Tranquility Base house to myself. What's a fella to do?Well the first thing was to put some good tunes on the box and crank that bad
boy up. Soon the B52s, Bare Naked Ladies, and the Yellow Jackets were disturbing
the neighbors. Next, pop in some surf videos on the big tube and check the
water temp in the Jacuzzi. Perfect 98. Then do an inventory of all the food
people had left - tons. Finally, check in with the office and MrsFoon by laptop
and phone. Everything was ok. A quick check of the ng revealed just how badly
the pnw missed us. It's nice to be missed. ;^) For the balance of the
afternoon I busied myself doing kitchen cleanup duty (no I did not wear a French
maids apron jb) and food triage. Chucked some good leftovers but had no use for
them myself. The kitchen was the most used room in the house and needed some
attention. A firehose would have done the trick.Dee Dee finally showed up. I was tired of cleaning and suggested a jacuzzi, beer
and cubano (though I'd sworn off the things for two months, Neal left me this
perfect little stinker to try). After Dee Dee took a beach walk we decided to
relax on the jacuzzi deck, Dee Dee graciously fetched me some beers while I
soaked. I was getting into a major Post-GP relax mode. Can't you tell?
I guess this is my definitive GP image since I did nothing in the water of any
distinction. The ocean water at least. :)
Dee Dee and I spent a nice late afternoon and evening talking about ourselves
and the GP attendees. She agreed that it was truly a blessing to have gathered
in one great beach place so many stoked filled people, especially those we all
seemed to know just a bit better from our knowledge of them on the ng. She then
credited me with introducing her to the ng, something I had not been aware of.
Hey, how many points is bringing the Queen of stoke to the ng worth these
days!?? I mentally checked off each person and something I found out about them
at the GP I did not know or appreciate before. To this day I have not
re-calculated my AS Close Encounter points since, as you all know, it's not
about the points and never has been. :)I was thankful to meet previous acquaintances again, charter members of the GP,
Sarge, Myron and SteveM; friends from my Delmarva region Rod, KC, Neal, Sveta;
people from last year like Edmund and one I'd met elsewhere, Ferg. I was
delighted especially to meet new friends from the news group like, Andy, Todd,
and especially Dee Dee. This mix of people was exceptional. I feel very lucky to
have been able to spend some time and surf with them. It's too bad we didn't get
to meet Doc, Surfgeo, and jb. That would have been something I assure you.
And worth a lot more points. ;)Unfortunately I took Dee Dee for carryout from Bubbas that night which was a
huge mistake. The quality of the Bubbas product has gone right in the crapper
which is where any food you buy there now should go even before you eat it. I
apologized to Dee Dee and told her I'd make it up to her when we traveled North
the next day to the Bunker. I will never go to Bubbas again.The next day D2 and I spent an hour or so doing the final departure check list,
taking down the decorations and GP banner and packing up the food and coolers.
It was agreed we would not caravan to the Delmarva since Dee Dee drives like a
normal person, and I tend to push the speed limit envelop when I'm heading for
my favorite place. Sure enough, I beat D2 to the Bunker by 2 hours, but I pedal
faster and I know where I'm going.My final chapter will follow but it has little to do with the GP. It will have,
unlike my other parts, some good surf content.Next and last: Reward.
-Foon
Posted to the alt.surfing newgroup
From: Foon (foon@newsguy.com)
Subject: GP2K1 Revisited: Winding down.
Date: 2001-11-05 16:51:12 PSTSearch the thread at here.