Another Friend - By Seth McNew

Child of Light father divine
hidden in the shadows waiting for a sign

Bought sold story untold
brother so bold come in from the cold

Love, grace, infinite face
feel the one's warm embrace

Ground, sound, profound
rhythms sweet, sweet sweet sound

Friend - By Seth McNew

Your minds aflame
the sacred and the profane

What did they do to you
what have you done to them

put down your gun
what's done is done

Music by Anne Porter

When I was a child
I once sat sobbing on the floor
Beside my mother's piano
As she played and sang
For there was in her singing
A shy yet solemn glory
My smallness could not hold

And when I was asked
Why I was crying
I had no words for it
I only shook my head
And went on crying

Why is it that music
At its most beautiful
Opens a wound in us
An ache a desolation
Deep as a homesickness
For some far-off
And half-forgotten country

I've never understood
Why this is so

But there's an ancient legend
From the other side of the world
That gives away the secret
Of this mysterious sorrow

For centuries on centuries
We have been wandering
But we were made for Paradise
As deer for the forest

And when music comes to us
With its heavenly beauty
It brings us desolation
For when we hear it
We half remember
That lost native country

We dimly remember the fields
Their fragrant windswept clover
The birdsongs in the orchards
The wild white violets in the moss
By the transparent streams

And shining at the heart of it
Is the longed-for beauty
Of the One who waits for us
Who will always wait for us
In those radiant meadows

Yet also came to live with us
And wanders where we wander.

I've been reading Martin Luthers commentary on Romans as of late. I find it quite amazing how contemporary something from the year 1515 can be!

Teak Handboard

I built this handboard for one of my brothers a few years ago out of teak. It's the same shape as the first plexi boards I built but, a lot heavier and more expensive! Although it looked really nice when I finished it, using it is kind of like having a log strapped to your hand.

Ask, Listen, Wait, Do - Part the first

I believe my life in the Lord is governed by four fundamental guidelines. And I also believe that the lack of even one of these guidelines leads to disaster.

The first guideline is to ask God what his will is for me. It says in 1st. John 4:19: We love because he first loved us. Paul also says in Romans 3:10: as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one. God does us a real favor when he saves us. He comes and gets us. There is no way we would ever seek God on our own. And while we may have knowledge of God having a will before we're saved, the understanding of God having a will for us only comes through the spirit after we've been saved. To then NOT ask God what his will is, is to behave as if we were again blind and had no understanding. Jesus says in Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you". God is waiting for us to ask so he can give. If we don't ask then we don't REALLY want. It's all a matter of the heart. There is always a reason why we don't ask. It's usually because we know that if we ask, God might answer and it might not be exactly what we want to hear. We really value our own reasoning, opinions, and will. Often more than God's. Having a heart that's ready to hear is a real obstacle and, most often that obstacle is the one that keeps us from asking. This leads to guideline number two...

Excuses vs. Reasons

There is a big difference between excuses and reasons. When we stand before God we have no excuse for the sinful things we've done. We either stand justified by grace (unmerited favor bestowed on us by God) or we stand in guilt not covered by grace. There's no excuse that will adequately justify or explain ones actions when transgressing God's law. James 4:17 says; "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin". That implies that there is a decision and that the person deciding knows enough about the choices to choose correctly. There is NO good excuse for committing a sin. Now, reasons are an entirely different thing from excuses. Reasons are of the upmost importance. God cares immensely about reasons. They are the things that lead up to and influence most of the decisions in our lives. The following is an example of what I mean. I've made some really awful, sinful decisions in my life. The kind that you don't forget for the rest of your natural life. Most of the decisions had to do with things I did in my relationships with women. When I was ten, my Mother passed away and my Father raised me and my three brothers by him self. I'm a deeply insecure person and God's shown me lately that it's almost completely related to my Mothers death when I was so young. Children look to their parents for approval the way we as adults look to God for ours. I always had my Fathers approval and acceptance but after the age of ten was without that of my Mother. Fast forward to my teen and early adult years and I naturally and unknowingly sought to gain that approval and assurance from women. I had relationships with women I had no business being with. I did things in those relationships to get comfort, acceptance, and assurance that were sinful. I knew they were wrong but, there was something I needed desperately. Now, I know that there is no excuse for me choosing wrongly when presented with those decisions. I have only the grace of God to rely on for that. But there are reasons that led me to those places of decision. Those reasons are in effect who I am and also show me where I need God's healing.

Handboard Design Number Four

I'm pretty happy with this board design. I think the handle is my favorite element. For a while I've imagined some sort of forward swept molded handle design. I decided to carve one out of walnut and I'm pretty happy with the results. The hull Is made from three scrap sheets of ABS plastic. I solvent welded the sheets with black ABS pipe glue. It's the longest board I've built so far. Any larger and I might as well make a bodyboard. I left the fins off of this design for now. After some testing I may decide to put one on.

I Met Tom Wegner!

I went to a presentation by Tom Wegner on saturday night with my wife. He came to the Patagonia surf shop in Cardiff California and showed off one of his newest passions, Alaia boards. The parking lot out back of the shop was transformed into an outdoor theater where Tom gave a talk and showed some great pictures and video. His Alaia boards are finless, oiled wood, paper thin wonders. Watching videos of guys riding the boards was an experience I'll never forget. It was the same feeling I had the first time I saw film of people riding Mavericks. From my perspective It's a movement that will change the sport. No fin and hard rails opens the door for so many "new" and cool ways to ride a wave. The funny thing is his Alaia boards are modeled after some of the oldest surf riding implements on the planet. No foam, resin, glass, or plastic. Just wood and oil. Tom's seems to have the opinion that the ancients were riding waves in this really creative and advanced way for a long, long time. You can find more info on Tom Wegner and his designs at: tomwegnersurfboards.com

Bodysurfing Boomer Beach - Video

I get so fired up watching guys bodysurf this place. This is one of those places that is mostly unknown outside of the people who live and surf here in San Diego. It's a point break called Boomer and it's thirty feet south of one of the most photographed places in San Diego, La Jolla Cove. There are no boards of any kind allowed so, It's bodysurfers only. I've never been foolish or brave enough to paddle out. It's a really dangerous break due to the rocks inches below the surface in some spots. It gets really spectacular when the surf gets overhead. I was down earlier this week with my wife and son watching the boomers crew and took some video. I only had a little point & shoot so the video quality leaves somthing to be desired.

Handboard Design Number Three - Final

Another board in the bag!. I shaped the handle sealed everything with furniture oil and got stupid with a sharpie. I built this board mainly to test out a new finless shape and see how it performs. I'll be happy if the board lasts for a couple months. If the shape works well, I plan on building a version out of Paulownia wood and finishing it with a linseed product.

My Surfing Roots

Well, I think I was finally able to track my enjoyment of the water and surfing to it's early beginnings on my family tree. My Grandmother grew up in a place called Horse Mesa Arizona. Her Father was part of a dam building and power project on the river there. They had a house that was built right on the river and they swam pretty much every day. My Grandmother always says "well I used to surf you know". They used to anchor a rope in the middle of the river and ride a wood board back and forth across the current. It was kind of like an endless wave. She says when the river got low it was really fun because the rapids would begin to grow larger. One of the best parts of the story is she has this old photo to document the whole thing.

Handboard Design Number Three - Update

A little more shaping on the bottom and some sweet blue stain...

Ply Paipo Numero Uno

The guys on the far left and right of this photo are my heros! As I get older, have more children, and less time, I really enjoy simplicity and function. As a result of these life changes, I find the scope of my projects changing. I've seen the photo of these guys for years and finally got inspired to build my own out of ply, not some long drawn out foam and glass fiasco (not that I have any problem with foam and glass). I raided my Father's wood pile and started "Designing". I finished shaping and color but still need to seal it. Here are some photos of my progress so far.

TOP

BOTTOM

Meaty Barrel Crew Logo

We decided we needed a logo for shirts and what not. So, here is our current version:

The Young Man And The Sea

When I was six years old, I dreamed of being in the ocean. I'd spend hours playing with my mask and snorkel and dreaming of what it would be like diving the depths of a great blue sea. I suppose this was a little odd since I lived in the desert city of Phoenix Arizona. A dry hot metropolis hundreds of miles away from anything oceanic. Though not the best of circumstances, I got my first chance to actually see an ocean when my Mother passed away. I was eleven and we moved to San Diego California to be closer to my Grandparents. I finally stood on the shore of this world I'd only dreamed about. My first experience was completely overwhelming. I walked down to the water and was disoriented by the motion of the water rushing back and forth and all around me. The smell of rotting seaweed and salt air was totally foreign to my senses. The sand was rough and got on and in all my clothes. I came to savor every one of those things. They were signs telling me I was close to the amazing adventures I'd always dreamed about. My Father introduced me to wave riding as soon as we moved to San Diego. He himself had grown up in San Diego. He was a waterman and grew up diving, surfing, and building some of the first belly boards ever ridden on these shores. The first time he took me out was incredible. I was totally scared out of my mind and more stoked than I knew was possible. The sun was out and the water looked like blue green glass. It was so clear I could see the bottom as if I could reach out and touch it. We paddled out on two boards my father built when he was young. They were wooden, heavy, and didn't float very well. The waves were two to three feet and gentle. My first adventure had officially began. These pictures are of the circa 1961 belly board I rode that day.

Handboard Design Number Three - From Recycled Wood

The latest project I'm working on is shapped from a broken Ikea box. My wife said "I sould've guessed what you were going to do with that wood". I got inspired by boards built by some guys (Thierry & Eff) on the paipo boards forum (see link). Here is the progress in pretty pictures...

Handboard Design Number Two

This is my second hand board design. I made it a little bigger so it will get you further out of the water. I also put some rocker in the nose and switched the strap for a knob/handle. I really like the feel of the handle over the strap.

Materials list:

• Polycarbonate sheet scrap
  
• Walnut wood
  
• Scraps from crappy bodyboard leash
  

Handboard Design Number One

It all started as an idea for my brothers christmas gift. I had seen some hand boards years ago I figured I could build one at least as good. This is my third board of this design.

My Materials List:

• Scrap acrylic sheet
  
• Wake board deck pad
  
• Wake board fin
  
• 2" velcro
  
• Nylon cord