he wanted to learn to surf.

brown eyed handsome man had 2 goals
for our trip.
1. to visit Pearl Harbor
(will post later on that)
2. he wanted to learn to surf.

okay.
he investigated several options and had
settled on taking the beginner class
from Sunset Suzi, on the north shore.
she's been in a surfing movie so she oughta know more right?

plans changed.
he met a man at a church on sunday
and casually asked if he knew of a surf school.
of course! the man himself!
Clayton.
" i can teach you."

times were set, plans were made,
and we arrived at the appointed time.
the parking lot is full to the brim with lots 
of people.
but no Clayton.
okay 
we wait.
finally get an answer to our phone calls.
"oh i can't do it now...yatayatayata"
my man asked, "how about at 3?"
" oh yes.. i can do it then,"

so we go back at 3:15 realizing
the persona and culture.
but nope, he's not there.
another call.
"on my way."

finally we connect. head to the place
he thinks will be best.
this is after we have attached surfboard racks
to the top of the convertible's vinyl.
cringe-city for both of us.

well the "best place" is closed.
sigh.
come back monday.
more sighing
okay.
we make arrangements.

and then brown eyed man and i discuss this.
i've decided i will not give another afternoon to
this wild goose chase
when my man can get lessons elsewhere.
he agrees and said " i guess i'm just too trusting of people." 
we agree on how much time to invest on monday.

monday 8 a.m. the pre-arranged time.
no Clayton.
phone calls, etc.
we wait 20 minutes.
just when 
i am 5 minutes away from leaving 
and up he saunters.
dog on the leash w/him and surf board in hand.
"my son dropped off this dog and we have to take it to blah blah..."
oh boy. but...okay.
such a character.
this time we put the top down on the car
and Clayton, board and dog hop in the back seat.
i'm thinking "does it get any more hawaiian than this.
bright blue convertible, native man, board and dog in the back"
and 1 trusting man who's wife is admittedly a bit of a skeptic?

i feel safe however
and it sure adds to the adventure of it all.


Clayton is all Hawaiian, dark skinned, 
buff, walks with a swagger and fast talker.
and nice.
he is retired from the army,
now does odd jobs for a living.
one is to go diving at night for fish
for restaurants.
he uses just a spear btw to get the fish.
wow huh.
the drop off place for the dog is behind 
the high school in a weedy area.
i decide to not ask any questions.

a skinny kid arrives on a bike.
turns out it's Claytons son Patrick.
we converse a bit.
his goals for the summer..
'i filed my...uh..you know..so i'm waiting on a letter"
me: "taxes?"
Patrick: "yeah. then i'll have some $$$ and can 
take my friends...mumble mumble"
okaaaaay.
i decided to stop asking questions. 
and i'm thinking 
oh can this adventure get any better?
 
finally we get to the army recreation center 
where we can rent hubby a board and 
the water is calmer.
well, you must be military to rent.
okay, no problem.
or not.
but Clayton can't find his i.d.
he calls a friend.
" sure no problem i'll be right down."
sigh....
oh funny.
so
hubby and Clayton talk to rental lady.
she's a sweet little hawaiian lady who 
remembered our bright blue car from sunday.
and...she lets hubby fill out some papers,
pay his fee and he's got a board. 
no military i.d or nothing.
?????
she was being nice..
"it's the aloha way" she said.
i decide to not ask any questions.

here's the board in the car.
i wasn't fast enough to get photo of dog in it
too. 

  

the fellas with their boards headed to the beach.
 the best way for hubby to learn
was with a BIG board and a paddle. aka Clayton.

very quickly he was in the water, standing on the board
and balanced. woo hoo. i'm not surprised though.

 lots of practice controlling the board, balancing and getting the feel of things.

 that blur in the front is my hubby. WAAAY out in the water
waiting on a wave.

 
 two things became apparent rather quickly
for brown eyed handsome man.
1. it was a LOT harder than he realized.
2. he was wearing out quicker than he thought.

so they decided to have him ride on his 
knees to catch a wave.
that worked.
he did catch 2 waves and rode them part of the way.
said it was lots of fun.
but..
his 55 yr old body,
no longer in shape was 
exhausted.
he was done.

so Clayton took the big board out.
he was back soon.
said it was too awkward.
he was weary too.
remember this man has not one ounce of fat
on his body and he dives. 
 

it was quite the experience.
Clayton is quite a character.
he was wearing a bead and tooth or claw choker.
wish i had gotten a photo of that.

we took him back to his apartment
his wife came out and inquired about it all.
then she said to her hubby
"you've not surfed in years. how did it go?"

doncha love this?
the instructor hadn't surfed in years.
told ya he was a character.

all in all it was successful for both men.
they got to surf,
we all got good stories to tell,
and Clayton came out a bit ahead $$$.

p.s.
on Sunday Clayton told us about his momma.
she plays bingo.
calls it going to work.
yup ; )
she makes enough $$$ to pay her rent
and bills.
so.... 
he also told us where the gambling places were.
just in case????