Day 16
Today’s Cali became a surfer. All day yesterday she was talking about wanting to surf. Even though she had done some internet research and that a surfer was bitten by a gator years ago, she wasn’t deterred.
She and and her dad got on YouTube and watched some Ozzie surfing lessons. Then they went into town and signed her up for afternoon lessons. They only happen at 9am and 3pm when the tide comes in.
Her surf instructor was Rolfie, and looked about 17. We walked across the beach to the far side, and the waves are beginner perfect. In the sand they learned how to get on the board. He showed them once, they did it three times, he corrected them, and into the water they went. Cali got up the first time, and fell off. The second time she was up for a long time. Amazing! She has great balance, she’s strong, she’s fearless, she loves the water. All of these are a good traits for surfing.
The group lesson turned out to have only one other girl in it, which was perfect. What a great place to learn how to surf, the sand was soft, the waves consistently small, but big enough. There must have been 30 beginners of all ages learned how to surf. Two hours was perfect for the first time, and you couldn’t beat the $35 price. She was up within the first five minutes of the lesson and surfed for the rest of the two hours. It was cloudy which helped with the sun.
She was thrilled that she got the hang of it so quickly. We learned that long sleeves are helpful because the board is rough so your feet don’t slip, but it also rubs your skin a bit raw. She’s excited that we live in a place where she can continue to surf all summer, and then can continue to do so in Florida. We were all a little tired so Paul brought in BBQ. The food options in this town are impressive.
On the way home we saw a group of howler monkeys in the tree by our house. I heard them early in the morning but didn’t realize they live so close. There is nothing like that yetti howl they make. We stood for a long time watching them jump from branch to branch. We were all a little tired so we brought in bbq. The food options in this town are crazy good. We’ll have to sample more tomorrow. Good night little surfer and Howler Monkeys.
