Stu and me taking it in stride

Saturday, August 20 @ Zuma Beach

1 mile swim (3 circuits around the buoys)
25 mile bike ride
3 mile run

Surf Goddess Living

I blame House Hunters International for my latest junket into delusion. This HGTV show is a mainstay in our home. It affords us an opportunity to snoop in someone’s home – in fact – three homes – in some foreign locale while never having to pull our carcasses off the couch. It serves to tickle our wonderment and stoke our wanderlust.

The premise is that a couple – or individual – is relocating to some foreign shore or searching for a holiday home, and is shown three houses/apts to purchase, based on budget and specifications.  In our house, we look at it as a 30-minute cultural immersion program. And being betting folk, we like to wager on the results, enthusiastically and sometimes aggressively guessing which home in Merida or which apartment in Amsterdam the buyer will select.

Not too long ago, we were cuddled up on the couch watching the latest HHI, which featured a young American woman who was touring three properties in Nicaragua with the intention of starting a women-only surf camp. The woman, Holly Beck, is a professional surfer – young, cute, smart and ambitious. I liked her and liked the concept even more. A surf camp for women only. No worrying about the fit of the bikini.  No care about looking less than athletic on a board.  Hmmm. The idea resonated and ruminated, percolated in the back of my mind, as the rationalization process slowly worked its magic behind the scenes of my conscious thought, until at last I found myself uttering those two words – those two small words that throughout my life, have served to set the course of a new step, path, chapter, experience. “Why not?”

Surf Goddess Boards

That was roughly a month ago.  Flash forward to now and I am squashed in a middle seat of a Cathay Pacific flight, heading to – not Nicaragua, I’m afraid – but to Bali. To a women-only surf retreat. I actually contacted Holly Beck, the American who was scouting properties in Nicaragua. Great girl. Really liked her and liked that she had incorporated community outreach programs into her “surf camp” experience, with opportunities to meet and support locals. Suffice to say I will hit her next.  (www.surfwithhollybeck.com).

Ultimately though, my inner surf diva took me in a slightly different direction. Yes, I wanted a rigorous surfing focus, but I also wanted a private villa and plunge pool. The classic yin/yang that is the often difficult underpinning of my life’s decisions.  The contradictory nature that had me wearing Lacoste shirts with miniskirts when I was a teenager.  Espadrilles with safety pins through my ears.  My inner surf diva found just the place – a surf & spa retreat that in its very name – Surf Goddess Retreats – appealed to my physical and spiritual aspirations and fulfilled my need to surf seriously combined with my passion for seriously-chic travel experiences.  Voila surf chic.

Big shoes to fill indeed, but based on their website, Surf Goddess has got the goods, with an aesthetic that comes right off the page. The fact that it is located in Bali, a destination that has been on my mind for years, sealed the deal. All of a sudden this innocuous Sunday afternoon watching HHI with my husband, took on a life of its own. And so, back to reality and here I am, sitting squashed in my middle seat, winging my way to Hong Kong and then Bali, my yoga mat tucked into my carry-on bag, my excitement quietly sitting alongside the anxiety of the quest, which is to learn how to surf. Surf well.  A big difference.  To be able to put my body through the paces of a regimen that includes daily surfing and daily yoga sessions. Will I be able to do it?  I don’t honestly know.  I guess we’ll see tomorrow when they pick me up.  More to follow…

Surf Goddesses in action

19th Floor & Cupola

Ensconced in Philadelphia.  Staying at the Hyatt at the Bellevue.  What a great find!  When was the last time you were in a cupola?  19th floor.  30′ ceiling.  Wrap around balcony.  360-degree views.  I had the whole place furnished in my mind – couch there.  Conversation pit there.  Beaux arts building – grand.  Original marble hand tiled floor (1904).  Original Edison lights.

Terrace with 360-degree view - 19 floors up!

Tattered a bit, but character for days.  Great ghost stories.  Debutante got too rowdy and tried to slide down banister to her demise.  Apparently still walks the stairs.  Had a good poke around tonight.  They were kind enough to leave ballroom doors unlocked.  Walked in one that had balconies and stage.  Soooo fabulous.  Reminds me of growing up when we would take over a hotel and play sardines at night.  Best time ever!  Great neighborhood, too.  Block from Union League.  2 blocks from Anthropologie.  Great running – Yo Adrienne!  The steps are right here!  Fun!

Bar on 19th Floor

Bottom of the Board - Buddha Face

Having a wonderful time in Sayulita?  Check.  Trying to figure out a way to get back sooner than later?  Check.  But how will I make this happen? Hmmmm.

I’ve got it!!  I’ll arrange to have a custom surfboard made for Cooper!  That’s PERFECT!  Not only will it be useful (I am already envisioning all the myriad of things that we can do with the board – coffee table, shelf, hood ornament for Stuart’s ungodly big car), but it will be ready in...a month! Awesome! My surfing muscle memory may still be in tact and it gives me time to work on my abysmal Salsa (don’t get me started on this one)!

Enter Rogelio Ramos – surfboard maker extraordinaire.

Rogelio - surfboard designer extraordinaire

We were introduced to Rogelio by Nando, our beloved surf instructor, adopted son and all around outstanding young man, who unselfishly, without any questions or retort, spends hours and hours each and every day with Coop, shooting the breeze, hanging out, looking for the perfect break and deflecting hard core locals from shredding my poor son as they jump onto a 5-footer.  Coop shadows Nando like a groupie, and to his eminent credit, Nando is such a good kid, that he is happy to put up with it.  He is a local treasure bordering on iconic in status, and likely accounts for a significant portion of Sayulita tourist dollars.  But I digress.

As we walked up the dusty street – barefoot – to Rogelio’s studio one bright day last month, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect.  What we found was a serious and dedicated artist.  His understanding of surfing and knowledge in crafting a board to meet specific capabilities, to enhance and indeed, improve your surfing ability, was obvious.  As I inhaled the toxic fumes of fiberglass and airbrush ink, I knew this guy had the goods.

Nando, taking the big brother lead, discussed Coop’s surfing ability with Rogelio, his style and preferences.  Coop input enthusiastically, eliciting more thoughtful conversation.  Jesus, you would have thought they were solving the climate crisis, with such seriousness did they undertake this interview.  I watched with interest and pride and just the slightest notion of yet again, being the oldest person in the group by two decades.  Feeling confident that Rogelio was up to the task and that Coop would be able to provide the artwork via email, I counted out the 50% deposit, and set my sail on how I was going to essplain this to Ricky. I mean Stuart.

Coop & Nando Debating & Discussing

Arriving at Rogelio's Studio

Fast forward – Rogelio finished the final artwork of the board yesterday and it is truly a work of art (even Rogelio thinks so).  The experience – which could have been iffy – was anything but.  Communication was a breeze, which I take full credit for as I carefully and painstakingly translated all my emails into espanol, a task I took enormously seriously for fear I might accidentally mistake a word for another, like buddah and, well, doodah (clearly, a common example) and end up with a completely different design.  Again, another case of perception vs reality as each laborious, painstakingly exacting email I crafted in Spanish to Rogelio was met with an equally accurate English response, using actual contemporary jargon versus my high-school antiquated and hokey nonsense, giving me every reason to believe Coop when he said, “mom, he speaks English really well.”  Aye, Dios mio!!

Most importantly though, Cooper is thrilled.  The board is completely custom, down to Coop’s specific artwork choices, sort of a poo-poo platter of Hindi, Buddhist and traditional Kaizen symbols, initials, and a personal message from the artist.  In 72 hours, its a safe bet that Coop will be tearing up the Sayulita surf on his new board, with Nando politely running interference.  With any luck, I’ll be right alongside, patiently designing My custom board to pick up in August!

Author’s note – while this strategy ultimately worked for me, I would not necessarily recommend this ruse to everyone.  Thankfully, I have a husband who, for reasons that I cannot fathom and test constantly, simply wants to make me happy.  As confounding as this is, he quickly got on board (sorry!) with the plan, and is looking forward to riding his new investment this weekend.  And of course, when I say riding his investment, I am referring to the surfboard (get your mind out of the gutter).

Artist's Message

Top of Board

Another View of Bottom

A War Zone

In support of the most soulful city in the whole US of A on this Superbowl weekend – a favorite NOLA memory.

For certain personality types, the generous piles of powdered sugar that cover the beignets served at the famous Café du Monde in the French Quarter are one of life’s little temptations that must be indulged.  I don’t mean the sensuous joy of eating the fried dough goodness but rather, the childlike glee that comes with a food group that is perfectly suited to war.

Recently, on a trip to New Orleans with my two teenage kids, I found this confectionery call to arms too tempting to resist.   While visiting the Café one evening to try these pillows of luscious pastry, practically drowning in powdered sugar, I quickly identified the opportunity to sink us all into dessert depravity.   When I could no longer restrain my evil impulse (and after eating my beignets), I fired the first shot – well, blow.  Discreetly raising my plate to mouth-level, I quickly locked onto my target and blew the piles of left-over sugar with the force of Old Faithful.  In a matter of seconds, my son Cooper was covered – brown sweater, face and hair all generously coated with the white substance.

As anticipated, his response was swift and immediate.  But – like a routine

Coop post-fight

straight out of a Three Stooges film, his whoosh of white powder missed me completely and instead, covered our beloved, innocent Juliette – a French exchange student who was living with us for the year and who, in her typical manner, was completely unaware of the goings on around her.  For Cooper, this was a grave mistake.  Juliette is French.  Beignets – all pastries – are held in the highest esteem, right alongside Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité.  This was a blatant act of provocation for Juliette, compounded by the fact that her much beloved navy blue “I Love NY” sweatshirt was now defiled with white dust (not to mention her face and hair). Thus, the Battle of the Beignets had crossed international borders, and Juliette’s war cry was audible within a five-mile radius.

The instigator and the blissfully unaware young girl

Thankfully, due to finite sugar reserves, the battle was quick, relatively controlled, as battles go, and huge fun.  I am happy to report no patrons (or beignets) were harmed in the melée, although there were some terrified stares.

And as we slunk out of the restaurant into the warm night, leaving a trail of glowing white footprints across Jackson Square, we knew without uttering a word that in this small act of civil disobedience, a bond was forever forged between us, proving there are certain experiences in life that should never be influenced by good judgement.

Jules - not une heureuse camper

David Redic - Singer, Artist, Designer, Really nice guy

I am happily ensconced in a small booth working the LA Art Show for an important client, a well-know art publication.   And I’m buzzed by all the art and creative people around me.   Artists, hippies, bohemians, eccentrics, taggers-turned-fine artists, hip collectors, hot curators, kids living in an art collective, just doing their thing. Completely inspiring to be around this energy.

I spotted David Redic yesterday and fell in love with his style on the spot. When he opened his mouth, the deal was  sealed – his personality and energy are completely infectious.

A singer (check out his  video on youtube) mixed media artist, and now fashion designer, the man has talent to burn. His outfit – his design – consists of a faded pink corduroy jacket which he’s turned into one-of-a-kind artwear, with leather and fabric patches added to the back and sleeve, and his words written onto the left front and side.  Paired with an orange zip neck sweater, shirt untucked, baggy pants, and perfectly-shaped fedora, his look speaks directly to my sense of color as well as my appreciation of a confident man who happens to look like a million bucks in clothes.   Just heaven.

The LA Art Show – west hall, LA Convention Center, goes on thru Sunday, Jan 24.  Admission $20.  Great collections to check out.

Sleek & Spare Pop-Up Hotel Room

When life gives you  lemons, make lemonade.  So the saying goes.  Apparently the travel industry is following suit, and doing a little squeezing of its own for the budget-constrained, on-the-go traveler who doesn’t mind a bit of pre-fab construction.

Pop-up hotels have been well, popping-up all over the world for a couple of years now, most recently in Europe. According to a recent report on travel trends in 2010 and beyond from Euromonitor International, pop-up hotels are stacked up to become a major tourism phenom. The key advantage is the ability to quickly provision portable and affordable hotel rooms in conjunction with longer-term events and festivals. Not surprisingly, the rooms are small, though efficiently laid-out.  The decor -  urbane chic – sleek and spare – Ikea meets modern prison cell. In the best possible way.

London will get its first pop-up hotel in Spring 2010 in the form of uber cool and luxurious  M-Hotel, designed by UK architect Tim Pyne, whose construction concept is frequently likened to snapping Lego blocks together. “The hotel can go up – and be taken down – in three days,” says Pyne. “Each room concertinas down into a shipping container, so they can be easily transported by rail or road.” Other advantages? “The M-hotel concept can explore the opportunities to construct hotels in underdeveloped areas and can also be relocated around the world,” says Pyne.  Design-wise, M-Hotel rooms are chic and well-laid out – interior walls can even be moved to create a bigger room or conference space.

Other chains are quickly setting themselves up to be players in the porta-tourism space. In the UK, Travelodge has already launched its Travelpod and plans to build nearly 40 hotels a year by 2020, half of which are expected to be pop-up. At about £29 a night, there’s money left over to buy a nice bottle of wine, unfold a paper wine glass and medicate yourself through the inevitable claustrophobia of spending a night in a box, albeit a fabulously hip and eco-chic one.  Hmmm.

The Travelpod - Habitrail Chic

M-Hotel Cool and Customizable Exterior