Kristen Bednar Paddle Out, Jan 10 2010 at Smith Point

About 60 surfer paddled out in memory of Kristen Bednar.

The Larcombs

When I started getting into the world of surf and skateboarding it was 1989. I was just 10 years old. These two were already doing it for a few years. They taught me the ropes. That was 21 years ago. Holy shit. Time passed, love lives floated and sank, friends were buried, babies were built, miles were walked. They are still out there today, meeting up with me along the shores of LI doing exactly what we did for two decades.

Here's to two homies who never forgot where they came from.

Sunday morn, Smith Point

Sunday wound up giving us a lil bit of that summer feeling back. And it delivered a little fun swell.

Feeding and Fall Collecting

Clam Bar Coming!

Well I have nowhere to confirm this. Complete hearsay. You ain't heard it from me. But rumor has it the Smith Point Lounge will oneday house a 50's style Clam Bar. Now finally something to get excited about. After surf beach stops will never be the same. Hopefully its done right. With all that space out back, hopefully the makers of this joint are looking to the eastern most parts of Long Island for inspiration (cough cough Cyrils in Montauk) and thinking about outside dining. There's room to set up some serious drinking grounds ah la Bier Garten stylee. Hey, and if you know something more please elaborate in the comments section.

Clams, Antique Shopping and Beach

Did try to surf both days labeled weekend. Yes it was clean and glassy but weighing in at knee knocker status. Still the water is beautifully warm and the summer souls have parted. Peaceful.

Did however cook-up some Manila Clams and bought a ton of antiques.

Outer Beach driving.

Found this article that was a great point of view piece on sharing the beaches with fishermen.

Sharing is caring.

Now back in 1958 the beach was a much different place. Surfing was at best a seasonal sport with a handful of dedicated players on Long Island. The beaches were empty except for the main bathing areas during the summer season. Endangered plants and birds were of no concern. It’s not hard to imagine how they came up with the “keepers of the beach” credo.

Smith Point Locals

Growing up there was SIB (Strong Island Boys), there was BWA (Bitches With Attitude), there was KOS (Kings of Style) and than there was SPL (Smith Point Locals). The three before were there to cause trouble, gangs of sorts, and the SPL was a group of kids, having fun, sliding on waves. If it was to be written, it was SPL with your house number, so the cops can easily find the graffiti maker.

Last weekend at Smith Point and around Mastic Beach

Yes there was an absence of waves but the water was beautiful anyways. Here are some images collected at the most summer feeling weekend yet. The no-wave-weekend will not hold for long, Hurricane Bill is in the house now.

The dawn patrol

There is something about being in the water as the sun rises, before the sand becomes pocked in foot steps, earlier than any other soul, bobbing among clean humps of water that I just keep daydreaming about all day as I sit in front of this glowing monitor listening to the rotations of the fan, wishing those clock hands were moving as quickly towards the weekend.

Keep me happy among the reeds and sand.

Image: Spooner Central

We're a peninsula. We are three towns mashed between two rivers and a bay to the south and further beyond we are a barrier beach with ocean slamming against that. The word Mastic scares some, disgusts others and puts question marks in place of lips among the rest. People of Shirley claim its nicer there, people of Mastic Beach are becoming a village, and well Mastic has just a great name. The letters work well together. Graphically, it works. Shirley, as a name I don't dig it, it reminds me of a nasty women wearing a 50's 1 piece bathing suit, some red sunglasses and fatty deposits where they don't belong. She has a huge rack but it's torpedo shaped. But I say Mastic/Shirley as it encompasses the tri-hamlet. Hamlet sounds quaint. The train station is named thee. People are using Smith Point now but yet rocking the same zip code 11967. Mastic has it's section Mastic Park, others claim Manor Park and when you go to the reaches north they rid themselves Mastic/Shirley all together and try to claim East Yaphank. We all come together and share the same shoreline. Smith Point is so uniquely Mastic/Mastic Beach/Shirley/Mastic Park/Manor Park, but East Yaphank you can have the middle of the island if you want it.

Dans Paper Cover

Cover by Michael Paraskevas

I was only 9 I think, my first footstep into the nude beach. When you walked west along the crashing shore, following the footsteps of all those with boards clenched under their arms, the crowds bathing suits starts lessening. My mother would bring us to the break that was than known as "Bagels" to watch over my brother and I as we bodyboarded 5 to 6 hours straight every chance we got. She sat there engulfed in a ring of nudity, eyes peeled on her two sons, afloat among 2 footers to hurricane swell. The sandbar showed up year after year among the nudies. The nudist community is forced to mix wih these sandbar chasers. Its startling when you are out among the outer-break line-up, and a fully bronzed muscle man floats by on a bodyboard wearing nothing. Two cheeks surfacing like sperm whales. One-upping us clothed ones with use of rudder.

I remember Dave Mims of Autumn Skateshop flying a kite, we must've been 16, and one such Bronzeman, as we coined the fully tanned nudies, yell over to us while stroking his hardened piece, "Don't just stare...Join the show"

And that asshole up there on the cover, I hope he never joins my show.

Sunday fog on the beach

By the house it was clear but as you passed over the Smith Point Bridge the air became heavier and shrouded in fine liquid pellets carried among the intense heat.

A close to another weekend.

It was another great one. A sizeable swell graced a morning sesh with Toddy and Thad. Fun stuff.

From Endless Bummer

The other day I met up with Toddy out among the shitty mushie swell at Smith Point. As I was walking back to the car, Toddy was armed with a fine machine. A Hasselblad. And here is the results, and I especially love the loupe stylee.

July 11th and 12th

Surfed a bit. Met up with Toddy of ENDLESS BUMMER for a messy morning sesh. Did a lot of house chilling. A few friends from the city rented rooms, Scrabbled late night. A surfcaster threw in right where everyone was surfing of course. Sunday evening surfed in skins. Perfect.

That there clock...I bought in Sarajevo, its from a bombed out home from The Balkan War.

A friends dope surf mobile.

When I see this I get giddy. I need something of this sort. I've also been thinking of getting a moped with surf racks.

City dudes on sand

Pic 1- Erica Recto, fashion designer for a lot of cloth you sheath your body in.
Pic 2- Jim Kim Miyagi, Art Dealer of Fine Art.

Forge River and Smith Point at Sunrise

Friday before the crowd from the city arrived I had a day of quiet in Mastic. Went down to the river with some coffee to see the tranquility. Hopped in car to hit a dawny session at 6am down at Smith Point. Was some amazing lighting show going down. They even brought the smoke machines.

Mastic during a real summer weekend

So I finally experienced a real summer feeling weekend. Surf Smitty's 5:30 am on Saturday. Little mushy but fun none the less. Beached a bit. There was a rainbow Friday and the entire sky turned pink turning the rainbow pink.