Book Buzz – DARK SURF awards

DARK SURF wins 2nd place in General Fiction in 2016 Northern California Book Festival; RISING wins honorable mention! The 2016 Northern California Book Festival selected DARK SURF as the Runner-Up in General Fiction, and recognized RISING with an Honorable Mention in the same category. This is the DARK SURF novel’s 7th award and RISING’s first award. The Northern California … Read Entire Post

Crave – food & drink

My friends and I rarely leave the coast. (It’s a graysuit thing.) So, when we do head for the hills, we have to have a really good reason—like fabulous wines. If you want a quick getaway to a wine lover’s paradise, try Murphys in the central Sierra Nevada foothills in Calaveras County, … Read Entire Post

Crave – food & drink

I’m stoked to see that Coronado Brewing Co. topped Coastal Living magazine’s May 2014 list of the 6 “Best Coastal Breweries”! (Wanna know my favorite beer there? Check out this post from last February.) But if you’re reviewing the best coastal breweries, why stop at 6? I can name several others that … Read Entire Post

Crave – food & drink

More and more olive oil boutiques are popping up in California—and that’s a tasty trend. We visited The Quail & Olive in Carmel Valley to sample an array of premium olive oils and vinegars. Tasting of the olive oils and vinegars is free, and the staff are extremely knowledgeable. What’s unique … Read Entire Post

Crave – food & drink

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales (SARA) is a small brewery & tasting room in Capitola, just south of Santa Cruz, Calif. SARA says its “approach to beer making is one of whimsy, highly inspired by the Belgian tradition, but also in harmony with brewers all over the world who push against … Read Entire Post

Shark Bites – news & sightings

Good news & bad news for great white sharks… Bad: The federal government has decided not to list great white sharks as an endangered species. This means they don’t get the additional protections that go along with being an endangered species. (California is expected to make its decision next winter.) Good: … Read Entire Post

Dusk Patrol – surf news & initiatives

Can a love of surfing influence public policy? In this video, the California Assembly’s informal “Surf Caucus” encourages participation in Earth Day and conservation of the state’s 1,100 miles of coastline. Happy Earth Day!

BeachStyle – art

Artists strive to be original. From writers to painters to musicians to photographers, we are constantly pushing ourselves to create something unique in the world. This weekend, I attended the opening reception for an exhibit called “Hanji ‘Reborn’” by Ham Sup. The artist, who hails from Korea, began his career … Read Entire Post

Shark Bites – news & sightings

For sharks who want to escape the perils and stresses of everyday life, swim on over to French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. These locales have created ocean sanctuaries for sharks, which are now off-limits to shark fishing. According to a Washington Post article, these adjacent shark sanctuaries span 2.5 … Read Entire Post

Shark Bites – news & sightings

Speaking of shark bites… Many Californians are calling 2012 the year of the shark. Last year in Santa Cruz, great white sharks were spotted at the Coldwater Classic surf competition in November and at Seacliff State Beach in July. In July, a shark also knocked a kayaker into the ocean near … Read Entire Post