Got up at 6 this morning, got to Limantour Beach around 7 and started the 2-mile beach trek to pick up my surfboard. For how it got there (I buried it in the sand 2 weeks ago), click here and here. I put my 2-wheel surfboard carrier in a backpack so I wouldn’t have to drag it after me. Here are pics of it. I had marked the spot in the lee of a north/south sand dune with 2 pieces of driftwood. Everythng was as I left it. 2 miles back to truck, enjoying many birds and a few sea lions in surf zone.

Caught 2 eels Friday, plus these nice little rock crabs (with 20′-long bamboo poke pole). Then I got a 10-lb. salmon from local fisherman (who says there are salmon up and down the coast right now—yahoo!). I smoked salmon and eels.

   Went surfing Saturday, too many people for me. That’s one thing that really was good about the ’50s: uncrowded waves. Think 8 feet and glassy at Steamer Lane, 4 of us out. (Oh I gotta stop this!) So I did a lot of paddling Saturday, working on shoulder(s) rehab. It’s always a plus to get in the ocean, in any manner. Surfing, paddling, swimming, diving…super energy gain.

I’m at Ritual Roasters on Valencia Street, serious baristahood + good wi-fi. BTW, Valencia between say 18th and 22nd Streets is a vital and hip part of SF these days. Just walk along these blocks and check out the cool shops and cafes.

   The City Lights event last night was great. I’m getting overflow crowds. This book has hit a nerve — or nerves. Everyone seems to relate to it. People show it to a friend, and the friend won’t give it back. I feel honored to appear at City Lights, one of the most gutty, independent, and artistic bookstores in the world.

   I’m just going to toss out some images from yesterday, all in North Beach except for the surfing:

I could swear this guy had an abalone on his belly and was hammering it with a rock. Floating around just outside the wave zone, livin the good life…

“The sea otter is a secondary consumer and feeds on animals such as sea urchins, clams, mussels, mollusks, abalone, snails, crustaceans, small fish, etc. A fully grown sea otter can eat over 25% of its own body weight.”

4 to 5 months ago I slipped stepping off a ladder, spun around, and stuck my arm out to absorb the blow — acute shoulder pain. I lay there thinking, just how bad is this? Well, pretty bad, not so much in the severity of the injury, but in the time it’s taking to heal.* But finally, it’s getting better bit by bit. I’ve gone to an acupuncturist, a traditional Chinese massage guy, a great physical therapy lady, and done light shoulder exercises when I can remember them during these busy times. Trying to avoid surgery.

   I’ve found during the course of many injuries over the years, that you get to a point where you’re not making any progress, and you have to push a little into the pain zone with rehabilitation. The trick is to work the injured area enough to get circulation going and repairs started, but not screw things up even more.

   So, feeling a bit better, I went surfing last night, and it was a thrill to be back in the water for the first time in four months. I only got one ride, and that was on my knees (more than a bit rusty), but it was a start. Getting into the ocean in any manner whatsoever gets the chi flowing.

*I heard a comedian one day talking about how fast young people heal. He said when you’re 18, you can get fairly badly hurt, then stand in front of the mirror and watch yourself heal.