These are the Days

The past two months around the shop have been crazy. This is the time of year where we’re prepping for fall shows, squeezing in extra classes and trying to enjoy as much of the fall colors and swell patterns as we can.

We visited California recently for Sacred Craft, where we’re always in amazement at how surfing is so much a part of the culture. You can’t ignore it if you try – surf shops on just about every corner, old VW’s with longboards stacked on the roof and beach after beach with crowds of people in the water. For those of us trying to earn a modest living building boards, you can’t help but appreciate what a beautiful thing it is to see.

On the other hand, I can remember back to some dark days last winter, and one day in particular when I almost lost it. We had a major nor-easter blow through, and had lost power for the better part of a week (at home as well as at the shop), trees were down, snow and ice covered the road, it was all I could do just to keep my small old dog alive and warm. Sleeping in a cold dark house, on a cold dark peninsula on the cold dark north Atlantic Ocean sure can build character – if that’s what you call it.

It often takes an outsider’s perspective to reinforce what we already know but often forget. And that happened recently when we had a small piece of the California surf community here in Maine. Between classes, tradeshows and parties, we had the opportunity to host Kassia Meador, Mikey DeTemple and Scotty Stopnik here at the shop. We met each at different times over the last few months and they all showed a real interest in building their own boards (even when we offered to build them for them). Luckily, they nailed the timing perfectly, 4 out of 7 days had waves, not big, but perfect waist to stomach, epic Long Sands conditions. They couldn’t stop talking about what they saw – and what we sometimes take for granted.

Though we may be physically removed from the thrum of the California surf-scene, we feel beyond lucky to be living on the coast of Maine. It’s a special experience to come to work each day, especially at this time of year. If we drive by the beach, we might see four or five people out surfing, and with a quick glance to the lineup we can pick out who’s who, even from 300 yards. Heading to the shop, we pass boat shops more than surf shops, we see wild turkeys more than tractor trailers, and the height of the tidal creeks that wind inland give us hints about the current wave conditions on the sandbars.

After a week of hard work, each of our visiting pro’s had built their own board; Kassia a 5′4″ fish, Mikey a Simmons-inspired 5′0″ and Scotty, a 4′5″ Paipo. Each board came out beautifully, with plenty of customization thrown in for fun. We’ll be glassing their boards over the next week or so, then we look forward to getting them under their feet. While it’s nice to have a little California influence here in Maine once in a while, it’s even better to know that a piece of hand crafted Maine will be enjoyed out there.