North Shore O'ahu Billabong Surf Trip 2012

Meet the ladies of Billabong Girls Surf Trip 2012 - left to right Fast E, Asil, Darling L, LouLouHEll, Sexy V, Ripper Em, and Spicy Cat.



Photo outside the Billabong house Dec. 7th 2012 for the Pipe Masters



Billboard photo op - Dec 7th



Outside the main area



Sunset at the Billabong House with view of pipe in the background



Pre- Contest Party at the Billabong house - Keala Kennelly Pro surfer DJ'ing at the Billabong House - DANG!



Big Party for the Billabong Girls Surf Trip 2012 - Lots of dancing.



Surfer Poll Awards Dec. 7th - A tribute to Andy Irons. Hanging with the guys from Tracks Mag; Australia's Premier Surfing Magazine.



Spicy Cat and LouLou hanging with Reef McIntosh and his trophy



Darling L picking up her longboard. We rented our own boards for about 25 dollars a day at the surf shop in Haleiwa called Surf and Sea. They are located at 62-595 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI



There are several cute shops and cafes near Surf and Sea. While we were there, they had an amazing sale on their swimming costumes.



Chips and salsa while we wait to be seated at the mexican restaurant called Cholos! 66-250 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712



Cholo's Homestyle Mexican food was good with big portions and fresh fish. I had the Fajitas with grilled onions, red and green bell peppers and marinated steak, chicken or seafood. Served with rice, beans, tortillas, salsa, guacamole & sour cream & Fresh Ahi...$17.00.



On any day/night during the Pipe Masters you will run into someone you know or met that day at the food truck Sharks Cove Grill - located at 59-712 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712. In the morning I'd order their Banana Protein (6.00) smoothy with Frozen Bananas, Peanut Butter, Soy Milk and Honey. For dinner I really enjoyed the Fresh Ahi Sandwich (8.00) with Local Ahi Tuna Drizzled with Creamy Oriental Sauce. Side note: do not go if you are in a hurry.



Day activities other than surfing. Jumping off the Waimea Bay rock into beautiful warm water. Background info: Waimea Bay was made famous to the general public in the 1964 film Ride the Wild Surf and in the Jan and Dean song which played at the end of the film



I jumped with my GoPro. Below is a little video I put together of our jump. It's a little shaky



Jumping Waimea Bay Rock in O'ahu



Parking lot of the Waimea Homestead Farmers market... you never know who you will run in to



Waimea Homestead Farmers Market on Thursday afternoon is located on Hwy 19 next to the 55 mile marker at Kuhio Hale West Hawaii Office of DHHL. Today we are shopping for sunrise shell jewelry. They are believed to make the wearer blessed and bring them good fortune.



These shells (Sunrise) are one of the most sought after for their history, beauty and rarity. They are only found in Hawaii so that alone makes them very special. Their history goes back to ancient times when only the Hawaiian royal family was allowed to wear to this unique treasure. They are still around today but are hard to obtain because they live in depths of over 200ft. By the time they get to the beach they are usually destroyed from our powerful surf.



While on the Billabong Girls Surf Trip, we had a bunch of photo options. Here we stopped by the city sign to do a group shot.



Maybe one day on the board, but currently on earth only.



After the trip was over, I stayed another 6 days. Check out my view!!  I rented a studio at the North Shore Backpackers in their Beach House located right smack on Pupukea Beach Marine Sanctuary or “Three Tables Beach”. Three Tables has some of the best diving and snorkeling on the Island. Also located just a 5 minute walk away are 2 other famous beaches including Waimea Bay and Sharks’ Cove amazing diving location.



Big room with view of ocean, TV, private bathroom, kitchen and bike rentals - I loved it.



I wish I had these bikes. The ones for rent for 5 bucks are worth 5 bucks.



Three Tables Beach right outside my studio for 6 days! I was in heaven on my empty beach.



Beet Box Cafe - Haleiwa, HI is one of my favorites and it's vegetarian. Located in the back of a store, btw.

I had the 3 LITTLE BIRDS on toasted multigrain bread lays a delicious chipotle aioli which is then topped with Fakin Bacon, avocado, tomato, carrots, red onion and sprouts for 10.50. Their french press coffee is amaz-a-balls!!!



Traveling around the island in a 4 Runner was a little tight with two in the back, 3 in the middle and 3 in the front with surfboards and all...



Party Wave at Ali'i Beach

Billabong Pipe Masters - 2012

Billabong Pipe Masters 2012 with the girls from Billabong Girls Surf Trip



Shane Dorian surfing on Saturday (Backdorian)



Kelly Slater competing at the Pipeline Masters on Saturday 2012 (backdoor)

Billabong Pipe Masters



Kelly Slater killing it on Saturday at Billabong Pipe Masters 2012



I think this is Joel Parkinson GO PARKO!

Billabong All Day Ls Rash Guard (Google Affiliate Ad)



GoPro at the event! GoPro is stoked to welcome Kelly Slater to the team! GoKelly Video



The 3 Three - Van's surfers (3 brothers) Pat, Dane and Tanner Gudauskas. Dane Gudauskas — at North Shore Billabong Pipe Masters Competition.



All the Girls at the Billabong Pipe Masters on Saturday. Girls Billabong Surf Trip 2012



Keala Kennelly Pro surfer DJ'ing at the Billabong House Pre Contest Party Friday Dec. 7th 2012 - DANG! Keala Kennelly is a professional surfer. She was featured playing herself in the movie Blue Crush and was also in the movie Step Into Liquid.



Damien Hobgood signing boards at the Billabong Pipe Masters 2012



Damien Hobgood is a professional surfer from Satellite Beach, Florida. He's been in movies too! A Bowlful of Chile, Pure Surf, New Emissions of Light & Sound.



Joel Parkinson (Parko) wins the World Title! After the win, shirts and beers — at Billabong House.



Views from the House at the Billabong Pipe Masters 2012



My big crush since way back when... Shane Dorian Years Pro: 16 Stance: Regular Favorite Spot: Pipe (Haw), Cloudbreak (Fiji)



Gerry Ropez Not Die! Trukey Melt grilled up some mean shirts. I'm so sad I didn't get one! Next time!



We ran into Rob Machado just before he was going to surf somewhere on North Shore.



After Parko won the World Title and the Billabong house party ended, we went to Surfer, The Bar for more celebrations. Look who we ran into: Gary Elkerton, known as Kong, an Australian surfer and three time world masters champion (2000–01, 2003).



Derek Rabelo, blind surfer and complete inspiration — at Billabong House.



Talkstory with surfers Gerry Lopez and Randy Rarick at Surfer, The Bar. It's worth the hour to watch these two talk about surfing in the late 1960ies, starting Lighting Bolt the company and life as a surfer. TalkStory is every Wednesday night at Surfer, The Bar.


Video of Gerry Lopez! Must watch!



Tuesday night with Todd Hannigan

If you aren't familiar with Todd Hannigan's music visit his website at www.toddhannigan.com
Todd is an Ojai based singer-songwriter, producer, film music composer and studio owner whose sound reflects influences like Nick Drake, MarkKnofler and Cat Stevens. He is well known in the international surf and folk-rock community having played with Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne and BenHarper. He is recognized for his work on award winning surf films"Thicker Than Water", "September Sessions" and SXSWaudience award 2012 "Big Easy Express."



What a treat and thanks Todd for putting me on the list to see your amazing music! Very fun night!

Day 2 Highlights - 2012 Billabong Pipe Masters

Videos I took from a practice day before the competition - Billabong Pipe Practice Day

Practice day part two - Billabong practice day


Day 1 Wipeouts and Airs - 2012 Billabong Pipe Masters

Sound track for the trip - lykke li, let it fall

Billabong Black Out Lace Dress (Google Affiliate Ad)

Stikman Streetart in San Francisco

Stikman in North Beach, San Francisco on the window of an abandoned historical jazz club called Jazz at Pearls. This is the first time I've seen him in a window and not in a crosswalk. This photo was taken in 2010 during winter. Columbus at Broadway in San Francisco.

SimoneSmith writes: "Should you see a stickman or stikmen in San Francisco, or in any place for that matter, take a moment to appreciate your discovery of one of the world's many fascinating little mysteries. You can enjoy your discovery even more by snapping a photo of the figure and adding to the growing stickman >>STIKMAN<< flickr pool."



Stikman on Broadway at Battery in San Francisco 2011 in the Summer. He's just a mystery and The Washington Post calls it well, "Created by an unknown guerrilla street artist from corrugated plastic, vinyl records, burlap sacks or scraps of wood, metal or cloth, the robot figure, dubbed stikman, can be seen all over town.But stikman is seen most often in crosswalks, as a sticker pasted to the pavement." On the Trail of the Mysterious Stikman



North Point near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco - Nov. 2012

I don't know the creator of Stikman and it's not that important to find out, but I'd like whomever it is to know that I love discovering the little guy around our beautiful city. He's definitely made me smile on many occasions as well as almost get hit by a car while trying to snap a photo.

If you see this little guy, please take a photo and add it to the Flickr Group.

“MY WORKSPACE” - BY STIKMAN on Wooster Collective “I actually work in several different spaces but I’ll just stick to two here. The first picture is of the bench where I assemble the classic small stikman. The second photo is of my outside painting area where I do all of my painting. I really love working outside with a sky above me. That light gives me a real sense of how pieces will look installed. Of note is the hollow core doors I paint on. You can find them for free in dumpsters and they are very lightweight for easy carrying. They also constantly evolve as paintings in their own right. I sometime jigsaw stikmen out of the painted doors and attach them to buildings” peace and love stikman



Stikman on the Embarcadero - a main street along the waterfront in San Francisco near Pier 39. This was taken in the Fall of 2011

UPDATED FROM 2010 - Always on the lookout!

Feb. 12, 2013 - Stikman in San Francisco



Stikman in the Crosswalk at Francisco Street and Mason Street in San Francisco. I was riding my bike when I saw this little guy! He's BACK!!! Who is the artist? Anyone know?



Close up of the Stikman on Francisco Feb. 12, 2013

Nikon D3100 18-55mm VR Lens 14.0 MP Digital SLR D3100KITOM (Google Affiliate Ad)

Mung Bean Soup - Vegan

I started a photo album on Facebook, Eat Good Food, after reading about the Chick-Fil-a controversy and how people were waiting in line for fast-food to support the comments made by chief operating officer Dan Cathy opposing same-sex marriage.

Since starting Eat Good Food, I've had several people ask if I could forward the recipes to the many dishes photographed in this album. Here is one I posted last week, Nov. 2012, for an Ayurvedic Detox Diet. Mung bean is Ayurvedic - good for clearing chronic, troublesome digestive issues and helps balance all 3 doshas. Read about Mung Bean Nutrition at Livestrong. This dish is vegan.



What is MUNG bean? Mung bean is a seed of Vigna radiata. Yeah, whatever. Most people know it as a bean sprout use in pho soups or just plain ol' sprouts. I purchased my mung bean in Chinatown, but I've heard that Rainbow Grocery carries it as well.



Mung Bean Sprouts - Now do you recognize them?



Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole, green mung bean
- 1 cup quinoa
- 6 fresh sprigs thyme
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped Basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 celery sticks
- 1/2 head cauliflower (white or purple)
- 4 large carrots or 1 small butternut squash
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 handful of spinach
- 1/2 head of purple cabbage
- salt / pepper (as you wish)
- 3 or 4 cups of veggie broth or homemade chicken broth

Tools:
- Stub Dutch Oven or soup pot
- chopping board
- knife



Directions:
- Wash mung beans and soak them in water over night (8 hours). Toss water out the next morning.
- Add broth (veggie or chicken) to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Add mung bean and turn heat to medium. Cook for 30 minutes with lid off pot
- While mung beans are cooking, chop veggies into bite-size pieces, take stem off kale and chop leafy green (toss the stems).
- Add carrot or squash, cauliflower, cabbage, and celery
- Cook for another 25 to 30 minutes on medium heat. If the pot is boiling, turn down temp. You don't want to burn the bottom of the pot. Stir often.
- Now add all spices and stir the pot
- On low heat, add the kale and spinach (use one or both)
- Add water if needed and let cook for another 30 minutes to an hour on low heat with cover on pot (put lid on pot). Occasionally stirring.

If needed, add protein:
- Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups water.
Add small amount of cooked quinoa to individual cup of soup or eat as a side-dish for a cholesterol-free and low-fat source of protein. One cup of cooked quinoa provides 222 calories.

Secrets to Firing Up Your Metabolism

Aim for 25 g to 30 g of fiber per day. To get the most benefit for your calories, load up your plate with these 10 foods, which, in addition to having fiber, Norwegian researchers have found are high scorers when it comes to antioxidant capacity: walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate, blackberries, cranberries, boiled artichokes, dried apricots, curly kale and red cabbage.

Amaranth with Apricots and Walnuts in Coconut Milk

Amaranth with Apricots, Walnuts, and Flax Seed in Coconut Milk is what's for breakfast!

Amaranth is a grain comparable to rice or maize and is unusually high in protein according to the ECHO.  I was reading on Wikipedia that at one point this grain was banded by the conquistadores (Spanish and Portuguese soldiers) upon their conquest of the Aztec nation. The outlaw grain is gluten free and at one point considered a weed.



Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, then add 1/2 cup amaranth grain. Cook for about 30 minutes or until water evaporates.

Once the amaranth is cooked, add:
-- 2 Apricots chopped into bite-size pieces
-- 2 or 3 tablespoons of coconut milk
-- Chopped walnuts
-- Flax seeds
Stir on medium-low heart for about 1 minute.

Bobs Red Mill 21126 Organic Amaranth Flour (Google Affiliate Ad)



A perfect way to start your day with a healthy Gluten Free, Soy Free, Daily Free,  and Vegan breakfast

Thai Kitchen 18910 Coconut Ginger Soup (Google Affiliate Ad)



If you want to add meat to your diet, you can grill up some organic gluten free chicken sausages.

Ingredients:
-- 2 Apricots
-- 3 tablespoons Organic coconut milk
-- 1 tablespoon Flax Seed
-- 1/2 cup Amaranth grain
-- Handfull of Walnuts

Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Honey Reduction and Walnuts

Summertime in San Francisco isn't always perfect grilling weather. It's been foggy for the last month here in the city. We call these foggy months by July-uary or Fogust. It's just too windy and cold. However, it's perfect for indoor grilling.

I've served my grilled peaches as an appetizer or antipasto (before the meal). It's a unique, seasonal dish to start a dinner party off and your guest will be impressed by the light, flavorful dish.  It's a very simple dish and takes less than 15 minutes of total prep/cooking time.



Historically, peaches were native to China and then moved to other peach-producing areas like Iran, France, Italy, Spain and Greece. Cool to know, I think.

I've purchased California organic white peaches to grill today, but you can use any fresh, almost ripe peach.



-- Wash, dry and cut peaches in halve
-- Remove the stone or pit
-- Brush oil on the cut-side of the peach







-- Oil the Staub 12-inch grill pan and preheat to medium-high on a stove top
-- Place the peaces cut-side up for about 2 to 3 minutes
-- Flip peaches to the cut-side down for 4 minutes or less

While waiting for the peaches to cook, start your balsamic reduction.
-- Balsamic vinegar
-- Raw Organic Honey

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon honey until it thickens or until liquid had reduced by one half. Stirring the whole time. Afterwards, remove from heat and let the reduction cool for a few minutes to thicken.




Transfer the peach halves to individual serving dishes, and drizzle with honey balsamic reduction and fresh walnuts.

Ingredients:
-- 1 peaches (1/2 peach per person. If cooking for 4 people, purchase 2 peaches)
-- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
-- 1 tablespoon Raw Organic Honey
-- Walnuts

Tools:
-- Grill Pan
-- Sauce Pan