2014 - Year of "da Swinx"

sunset

 Our holiday trip found us heading west to a beautiful, secluded beach resort. We filled our days with boogie boarding, skim boarding, body surfing, wave-slamming (this was not planned and in fact hurt quite a bit), sand-scultping, canoeing the mangroves, & strolling through the local village a mile down the beach.

sunrise

We met a German family (living in Nigeria - for 9 yrs!-) and a Canadian family while there. Our last evening was spent in a sand-sculpting challenge. My team's attempt (myself and Rock) at AT&T  Park ended like the Giants 2013 season, in shambles.  However, Travis and Hannah rocked the beach when they chose to go international. The German family walked over to check it out; the mother and daughter lit up and enthusiastically said "Ah! Da Swinx, da Swinx!" in the most lovable English-w/-a-German-accent.

da Swinx

So, we beat most of you to 2014, that is if you live west of the Prime Meridian. If you're our friends living in Thailand or Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, or South Korea, well, I guess we'll always be playing catch-up.

 Our New Year in photos:

Black Star Surf Shop - Busua Beach. Boy in blue recently won the surf comp, the board he's holding was the prize.

Trav's idea

"Shoot me! Shoot me!" means something totally different here: their plea for a photo.

two words: big & poisonous

-this is kind of like 'crossing the tracks' - this bridge separates & bridges the old/new part of the village

 These sand sculptures held up to high tide!

Christmas dinner w/ Pres and Sis Shulz, Ivie's and the Crittenden's.

~ Roman Candle Madness ~

Happy New Year!

A random photo tour from December

Business Management at the Abeka Deaf School.

Hannah learning names at the Abeka Deaf School...by drawing in the red dirt.

Rock leading his 'soccah' team to the pitch at the Deaf School

I really like The Thinker - and am offended at this abuse.

Heather whole heartedly agrees.

A profound mathematical observation...and a shop name that betrays a lack of business acumen.

Business Management notes on the board near the Deaf School.

Hannah has really changed...changed her music tastes and wardrobe...her friends in Davis won't even recognize her when they see her skating at Community Park.

A valiant attempt to adopt a 'best practice' from commercial drivers in the US. Anyone want to give 'em a call?

Hannah is experimenting with the 'macro' setting on the camera...big bug...big nail.

The first time I remember sitting at someone's table with something strange on my plate and wrestling with the pressure to eat and 'enjoy' it I was on my mission in France. Hannah and Rock are WAY ahead of me. I was a proud father watching them...knowing all too well what was running through their sweet heads during this meal!

~ Merry Christmas ~ From Ghana, with love.

The simple joys of Christmas – our motto this season. Time spent together. Gifts from the heart. A Christmas tree made from strips of brown paper placed strategically on our green wall, stars made by our Family Home Evening young single adults, and ornaments sent to us by thoughtful friends. It’s one of our favorite trees.

A 'snow' man, Ghana style.

Ghana fashion

Skimboarding is a lot like bull riding

Nearly a month ago, when our friend Jill was visiting from Davis, Rock and I started plotting to build our own skimboards. It started with Jill saying something about skimboarding when we took her to the beach…I had forgotten skimboarding even existed, but instantly saw the skimboarding potential of our beach.

Since then, we have done some research, designed our boards, contracted with Emma – our local carpenter – to cut the boards out of ½ inch plywood, and worked to sand and shape the boards. We tested them at Brenu beach a week ago without varnish – and got banged up but started getting the hang of it. Earlier this week, we went back to Emma’s shop to paint and varnish them. Rock couldn’t wait to get back to the beach with his board.

In the first 15 minutes, we had both taken some hard falls. Rock darn near busted his trailer hitch – in three consecutive falls. A quarter inch of water on wet sand is not soft. He actually got quite good on his homemade board by the time the sun was setting (photos below), but the experience made me realize how skimboarding is like bull riding.

1.  I will always remember hearing a rodeo clown’s comment after a bull rider landed hard on his tailbone: “Whoa folks, that’s gotta hurt. He darn near busted his trailer hitch!” Anything that involves nearly busting your trailer hitch has since reminded me of bull riding. 
2. When you go down on a skimboard, regardless of how bad you’re hurt, you are back on your feet in a snap trying desperately to get a visual on the shaped plywood that is often hurling back to shore somewhere in the next wave looking for an unsuspecting shinbone. Rock looked just like a bull rider: When he couldn’t see where his board was (plywood does not bob to the top of a churning wave), he would turn and scamper frantically up the beach and away from the next big wave. Once I made this connection, I felt much tougher the next time I scampered up the beach to flee my hidden board.  
3. Bull riding is a great spectator sport – just like (our version of) skimboarding at Brenu beach. 
4. I’ve learned that not too many things can make a 10 year old boy sore – possibly only mutton busting and skimboarding. Rock groaned constantly about his trailer hitch as he tried to get comfortable in bed tonight. Since I have him by a few years, I feel great that I’m not more beat up than I am. As I hobble to bed, I feel a real kinship with bull riders, which helps…a lot. 

A few shots from this afternoon at Brenu Beach...you visit, you too will fall in love.