Cruise-In Beach Slam, from the Rogue's notebook.

Watchin' the incoming. Near head-high shorebreak - Inlet Pier, 5/22/2021.

    Shorebreak. Slammin' hard enough and close enough to shore that you could feel it on the sand. Definitely hear it before ya saw it. Happen to be down on the southside of the boardwalk. Walking up towards the pier, an eerie sight. Couldn't see the shore itself, but the torsos and heads of passers-by. Watched as a near head-high incoming wave towered over a couple of young kids running back and forth on the beach. Time seemed suspended, waiting for the sucking wall of water to consume them although they seemed oblivious to the impending collision. And then, the wave folded over a few feet in front of the crowd, the explosion of whitewater in a foot of depth, framing the entertained kids as they watched the spray spread, fall, dissipate. Yeah, that'd snap a board. No question.

       Weather's on the up. Warmer days. Summer's comin.' The time of year when outta towners...family, tight friends...come to visit. Denise, tight friend. never been to the Pines or the OC. Good excuse to hit up the local dives, and scrutinize the muscle cars tourin' the Shore for the 30th anniversary of Cruisin' OC. Throw in a few brews, and we got us a stoked closeout to the post. 

Harborside...a prime stop for Cruizin'. '71-72 Plymouth Duster.

'68-69 Mach 1 Mustang

Assateague Island IPA, a New

England style IPA. Cape Charles

Brewing. Cloudy, light orange 

pour with a 2-finger plus, dense,

off-white head. 7.2% ABV. 

12 IBUs. Aromas of tropical 

citrus; flavors of grapefruit and

lemon with backside malts. Crisp, 

with a light bitter finish. Rated

a B+/A-.

Dinner with a view.

'75 Ford Bronco

Ballast Point's Aloha Sculpin

Hazy IPA. Very cloudy, deep

amber-orange pour. Fast

dissipating, finger or so head.

Pineapple, citrus, and pine 

aromas. More for the same in the 

taste. Grassy, yet resinous

hops to close on a refreshingly

bitter 70 IBU finish. The marina, the

boats, the cars, the night, the 7%

alcohol. Earned an A rating.

'65/66 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396

Seacrets entrance...beyond all the 'Rods.

Chevy Bel-Air, '57?

Flying Dog Brewery. Tropical Bitch.

A fruited version of the Raging

Bitch Belgian IPA. Mango, lemon,

zest, and pineapple in the nose.

Orange, mango, and melon in the

taste. Poured an amber-gold. 

Finger plus, white head. Thin

lace. 8% ABV means no driving.

64 IBUs. Rated a B+. Think I prefer

the Rage.

"They say you only go around once, but with a muscle car
you go around two or three times." -Tim Allen
'63 Corvette Convertible.

Givers Of Pain And Delight, from the Rogue's notebook.

Head shot comin'... wrong place, wrong time. Painfully bad position. 66th & Holidays, OCMD. 5/19/2021

Kirk: "Who are the Others?"

Morg: "Givers of pain and delight."

Kirk: "Do they live with you?"

Morg: "No, they come. They give pain and delight. They are here. 

You will see. The Others will come for you. They come for all like us."

- Star Trek, Stardate 5431.4, "Spock's Brain."

   A return to the Bay and Ocean. Finally, after a long restrictive winter. Stoked, but felt the pinprick of the layoff. Not a lot to report in terms of performance. Picture perfect day on the bay.  But the water's still chilly (right around 60F) and didn't catch the tide right. No tight lines for me. However, it was good to get the jet-boat in and take it through it's first trials of the season.

No fish on the line? Boat drinks! Sunset Marina, 5/15/2021.

The following Wednesday, had the first surf session of the season. Surf report called for 57F Atlantic temps in the AM, but when I checked again in the PM before heading out...63F. So, I nixed the gloves. Paddled out. Turned around. Caught a wave in. Got the gloves. 57F was the more accurate. Conditions were again, picture perfect. Semi-clean. Waist-plus. Less excuses here. The older I get the harder it is to be nimble in rubber. The Kook came out. Got on my feet once, went down immediately. Face planted a couple times. Struggled to get position. Not in surf shape. Made a promise to myself at the end of the evening when I got out...going to go more than once a week this season. Painful sesh, but good to be on the water again. Good to get wet.

     Beer. Pain relief. Couple of strong brews to help displace the water logged parts. Baltimore's Heavy Seas Night Swell. A dark, not black, IPA. Poured a cloudy mahogany. Tan, 2-finger thick head. Thin lacing that lasted. Swirled with sediment as it was can conditioned. Aromas of  floral hops and coffee. Tasted more like a hoppy brown ale. Roasted malts, some cocoa, and light citrus. 71 IBUs favored my palate. 7.5% ABV favored the pain reduction. Rated a B/B+.

     Wicked Weed Brewing outta Ashville, North Carolina. Startin' to see 'em around about. German Chocolate Cake Imperial Stout. A sweet, chocolate-coconut brew. Thick, black pour. Brown, finger or so dense head. Sticky lacing. Heavy smell of toasted coconut, roasted coffee, cocoa, and yes, booze. Flavors of coconut and chocolate like it's namesake. Burnt coffee, brown sugar, and dark fruit. More booziness detected to account for the 8.8% ABV. Balancing bitterness to the finish. Estimated IBUs at 50. Very nice beer to forget the lost fish and missed waves, and close the night. Rated an A-.

"...I've learned that there is always another wave coming. Translated
that means there is always tomorrow."   -Gerry Lopez