missing sunday surf.

a wee note about florida surf: it comes comes seldom and often when you least expect it. we get weird surf here all the time, but delicious, glassy, peeling swells come maybe once a year. sunday it snuck up on everyone, and no one i know caught it. c'est la vie.

if you operate on a macintosh, you may need to download flip4mac to access the video, which opens windows media files in quicktime. if you operate on a pc, then for once you're ahead of the game. the video is a nice look at our beaches, and at nearly never-seen waves on the gulf coast.

big lagoon, little friends.

on friday night i went camping with my good friend britt and his two amazing boys, baylen (4) and collin (3). it was their first full-on camping experience, and they absolutely loved it. by full-on i mean staying in a tent all night and sleeping on the ground. we didn't hike or primitive camp or anything, but still, it was a big deal.

we gathered firewood, cooked meat over a fire, roasted marshmallows, played cards and went exploring. the boys were happy for their new wool hats from uncle ben, and sported them enthusiastically. my favorite moment of the trip was when collin (younger and blonder) randomly began singing "i got soul, but i'm not a soldier..." while walking by himself. he sang it over and over again, and i almost couldn't contain my delight. i got video of it, but, very sadly, no audio came through with it. other highlights included collin trying in vain to remove an artificial, affixed robin from a bench, and continually referring to it as a 'turkey bird,' baylen writing the names of all his family members in the sand, and hearing both kids say, time and again, "daddy, you know what? i love you."

got me every time.

the trip was also meaningful because britt, his lovely wife marie, and his three beautiful children (baby brooklyn is almost one) are moving after the new year.

they will be greatly missed.

bunches of really terrific photos from the trip can be found here: PHOTOS!

my winter lungs.

1. "Fake Empire" - The National
2. "Extraordinary Machine" - Fiona Apple
3. "Keep the Car Running" - Arcade Fire
4. "Hard Life" - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
5. "Reckoner" - Radiohead
6. "When a Man Loves a Woman" - Percy Sledge
7. "Green Onions" - Booker T. & The MG's
8. "Tall Trees in Georgia" - Eva Cassidy
9. "OK As Long As You Don't Squeak or Bark or Make Other Animal Noises" - Linford Detweiler
10. "Shelter From the Storm" - Bob Dylan
11. "Travelin' Thru" - Dolly Parton
12. "I Started a Joke" - Kathryn Williams
13. "The Good Hand" - Woven Hand
14. "The Man Comes Around" - Johnny Cash
15. "Amy" - Takagi Masakatsu
16. "Is There a Ghost" - Band of Horses
17. "The Lakes of Canada" - The Innocence Mission

the first noel: dicristina nut brown ale

about six weeks ago i began discovering how fun it was to brew my own beer. i've been anxiously awaiting popping the caps off since then, hoping desperately to avoid skunking and non-carbonation. although there was a trial run with the fam last weekend, tonight was the official uncorking, and the critics agree: my beer is delicious.

i chose the name 'the first noel' in honor of Christmastime and of noel, my Christmassy middle name. also because this was my first brewing. i wish i could tell you all to enjoy, but first you'll have to visit.