Sometime within the last few years, Patagonia began making wetsuits. Green wetsuits. This had me pretty excited initially, because it combined two things I really care about. But when I looked at the lineup, I was disappointed, as some women in similar climates may be with surf companies. The wetsuits Patagonia offered came in R1, R2, R3 and R4 for men, and R1, R2 and R3 for women. It can be a little discouraging paddling out in the winter when the water is 48 degrees maximum, and the air temperature is below freezing without factoring in the wind chill. Duck diving feels like getting hit in the face with a frozen bus. 3-4mm just ain’t gonna cut it.

Last winter, I only managed to stay out for about 45 minutes in my O’Neill 5/4/3, while my buddies were all toasty warm. I missed some pretty nice looking waves, and felt pretty tragic. I understand the marketing perspective; that the niche of women surfers in cold climates may not be super profitable, but dammit, it’s there! Why do men have dozens of wetsuits to choose from, and I get to pick between 3?! What if those three styles run out of size 4?! Men’s wetsuits push your boobs to the outside, and leave enough room between your legs for a russet potato. Kid’s wetsuits have short arms and legs and no boob space. What do I do?!

Recently, however, those frustrations have been put to rest… the moment I saw Patagonia’s Fall Surf 2009 Catalog. There is a women’s R4 coming in 2010! That means that this time next year or sooner, I will be able to hang out and not worry about frozen tatas and hypothermia while my buddies are all stoked on how warm the family jewels are, all while feeling a little better about the impact my gear has on the environment.

I’d post a picture, but… I can’t find any without stealing from Patagonia… so just check out the catalog for a peek.

So, Patagonia, thank you!

December 7th, 2009 by erly | No Comments »

Alright, so I know I am a day late, but I found a video recently on Surfrider Foundation CEO Jim Moriarty’s blog that just blew me away.

Since I was a little kid, when my parents used to take me to a local beach where I would explore tide pools, I have been a big fan of the ocean. I’m still a big fan; I’m going to major in Biology and Marine Science. To me, anything involving the ocean is kind of a big deal, which you will come to see if I manage to keep up on this.

Anyway, given the state of our oceans, with huge gyres of plastics that have grown to twice the size of the state of Texas, the rising acidity levels from absorbing carbon dioxide emissions, fish species being disturbingly overfished… frankly, I am thankful that I get the chance to see what little of the ocean’s abundance we have discovered, in case we are fringing on ‘too late’. It’s melancholy for me to watch, but it is just too beautiful.

Kuroshio Sea – 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world – (song is Please don’t go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

November 27th, 2009 by erly | No Comments »

So I have been pretty busy since I got home from Alaska several months ago. I’ve been up to quite a bit.

A few weeks after I got home, I went back to work, pulling 80 hours a week for about 2 months straight. I was planning on buying a nifty new MacBook Pro, but I found this boat on Craigslist instead…

I Have a Boat!

I also started school full-time (yay!) to move closer to getting a BS in Biology/Marine Science; and I got PADI Open-Water certified (so cool!)

Oh, and I got a puppy…

Meet Tulah!

She is definitely spoiled, and if you can’t tell by the pictures, training is tough because it is hard to be stern when that face is looking up at you… even though a lot of my stuff has teeth marks on it now. Besides eating things, she loves (trying) to herd the three cats at the house, and digging up my Dad’s carrots and radishes in the back yard.

So… that is most of my life lately. Lots of school stuff going on, lots of being stressed out about bills, getting out of the city when I can… so I guess it’s exciting.

November 10th, 2009 by erly | No Comments »

Living in an RV can make it difficult at times to access the internet, or at least sit down long enough to post to the blog. But, I will make up for that today, as I have quite a bit of show-and-tell to do.

On the 10th, I left for Alaska to visit family. My cousin and I ended up camping near Homer a couple of nights, as well as paying a visit to the rest of her family in Seward when we weren’t hanging out in Anchorage. I got back on the 16th. I took about a million pictures, but I picked out just a few to show.

This first picture was on the way to Homer, when we saw the bay covered with clouds.

Kachemak Bay @ Cook Inlet

This was at our first campsite outside of Homer.

Wading in Skilak Lake after hiking.

Second campsite on Kenai Lake.

Taken around 1:00am Alaska Time.

From the waterfront in Seward.

Driving to Anchorage from Seward.

For once, I was above the clouds :)

Overall, it was a good trip. One thing I found to be awesome was the minimal hours of darkness. The sun would set around 1:00am, and rise again around 4:30am. I am, however, happy to be getting my normal hours of sleep here at home.

July 22nd, 2009 by erly | No Comments »

So today I woke up at 2:30am, after going to bed at 12:30, to go to the airport. My flight to Alaska didn’t even board until 5:30, but I did an incredible job of getting my ride lost and forgetting my purse, so I guess leaving early was a good decision.

Once I was in the airport, I had no idea where I was supposed to go. The last time I went on a plane was in April 2001, so I was pretty much a newbie. I did figure out how to check in for my online boarding pass, and that I should have worn socks.

The weather has been nice in Seattle, and the sun had just come up, so taking off was pretty fantastic (save the nauseous feeling I forgot about from gaining in elevation so quickly). I did get some pretty nice pictures, even though the air has been pretty hazy for a few days.

It’s been a big day so far. After breakfast, my cousin and I found some pretty amazing stuff at some Anchorage thrift stores, including some ridiculously awesome 80′s or early 90′s cropped jackets, among other things.

It’s also a lot warmer than I imagined it would be. The forecast has been telling me the temperatures are in the 70′s, but my cousin said there are fires inland that are making the air hazy, trapping in all the heat, so it feels like a balmy 80+ degrees. It’s warmer here in Alaska than it was in Seattle! Score!

July 10th, 2009 by erly | No Comments »