Alex's Life/Beach and Around Town

...floated to the shores of Tampa Bay, grew up on the streets of West Tampa, got the Surfing bug at an early age and pursued it during most of my waking hours. Listening to and playing music was my second passion. Traveled all over Florida and when I became old enough, traveled to different parts of the world to pursue the cosmic glide. Even though I have much more responsibility than when I was young, I still get as much (possibly more) of a thrill (rush, natural high, excitement etc.) out of surfing and exploring new surfing spots. Surfing, to me, means a very deep or even spiritual journey in my life. The early surfers in California called surfing "The Church of the Open Sky"and I can see why. All the beauty that one is surrounded by is beyond comprehension. Beyond the spiritual outlook, surfing can be a good physical outlet and an excellent aerobic exercise to enhance one's health.

MY SURFING SUPPLIERS AND FRIENDS

Need a new wetsuit this winter, a new board or just some colder water wax? I'll give you two Florida locations and one Georgia/South Carolina location to check out...Sunrise Surf Shop @ 834 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach. Fl. 32250 (904)241-0822/The Island Shop @ 309 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach, Fl. 33785 (727)596-2244/ Underground Boardworks @ 1213 E. Hwy 80, Tybee Island, Ga. 31328 (912)308-1249/If not the locations I mentioned, support your local surf shop!

ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE

We (the Arnold's) moved to the Jacksonville Beach area on the 15th of June. We have enjoyed our time in the Savannah/Tybee Island area and will miss our many friends who we have spent time with. My youngest son, Michael, was born in Savannah (St. Joseph/Candler) on the 27th of June, 2005. The rest of us arrived in Savannah in February of 2002. I will always remember the fun times I have had in the Coastal Georgia area in and out of the water and wish everyone all the best! Keep in touch and if and when you come down to the sunshine state to surf, send me a message and we can go out and catch a few waves!

SURFING LESSON/40 + YEARS OF SURFING EXPERIENCE!

Anybody out there need some surfing lessons!? Feel free to send me an email (rockawayalex@aol.com or hotmail.com) and we can arrange for a time and place for a surf lesson. I am Red Cross First Aid and CPR certified with lifeguard and surfing experience for over 40 years (I'm giving away my age)!

Eastern Surfing Association North Florida District

...2009 ESA North Florida District-The season is over, had a great time meeting and hanging out with some new surfing friends and a few I already knew! Did pretty good, came in 2nd against some good seasoned surfers. Just want to shout out a thank you to Mitch Kaufmann who runs the North Florida District and is a very good surfer in his own right (check out my facebook for picks of Mitch and more)! The Tentative schedule for the ESA South East Region Surfing Championships is April 17th through April 19th at the Ft. Pierce North Jetty.