Beaches, boats and ballads.

I finally arrived in Florida to visit my marvelous mom and naturally, we had our toes in the sand within moments of my arrival.

Surprise for me! On this night we got to go to a show of my ultimate favorite local band, Heritage! You may remember these quality fellas from the post, “A man becomes what he thinks about”. With music that feeds the soul and energy that boosts the mood, you really can’t go wrong by surrounding yourself with their unique vibe!

This is my favorite photo of the evening simply because of the bright smiling blonde enjoying the music. Priceless!

Who’s this? No seriously, you can barely see us… but standing next to me is a fine gentleman by the name of Tyler. Within moments of our first eye contact, the conversation was flowing as if we’d known each other for years.

2 days later

Did I mention that this new pal wake boards? With my quick acceptance to his casual offer, I found myself on a boat with non other than fun loving Tyler and a handful of his closest buddies. Yep, it happened.

The drive inland takes us lakeside to a perfectly placed country house that just so happens to be the home of Andrew. I didn’t ask permission to expose his full name or his professional past… Let’s just say some may consider him to be “kind of a big deal”. (To be said sarcastically but half way serious).

Time to suit up, stretch out, get wet and throw some tricks! I’m speaking in regards to their abilities of course. Mine would go more like, “Suit up, cross your fingers, get cold and score some bruises!”. Either way, good times all around.

I forgot to have someone snap a picture of me doing super-skills (ha.ha.ha), but I did snag a few sweet ones of the boys!

Check out the clouds in these next photos. Definitely a typical Florida sky showing signs of potential rain with a side of rolling thunder!

That’s our cue to head in and tie up. My curiosity peaked when I couldn’t see a dock, but was quickly tamed when they informed me of the plan. His backyard had flooded a bit which made for a smooth transition from boat to water… to slimy mud… to grass… and finally to his deck. Ignoring the idea of water moccasins tangling between by ankles or swamp alligators sniffing out my new lotion, I jumped off like the rest of them and made the trek towards his house.

With the barbecue fired up, we made time for quality conversation and an assault attack of some yellow flies (please google them if you’ve never heard of these aggressive insects). Not pictured below was the entire group running, swatting, slapping and yelling threatening phrases at these vicious little creatures!

The sunset brought a calm ending to an energetic day and the perfect opportunity for a handstand.

Much gratitude for the open invitation and hospitality shown by this group. I look forward to the next adventure… Soon to come!

ADDITION:
A week later, I got to head out again except this time there was twice as many riders and some of the best in the world (seriously). These famous athletes were shooting film to promote next seasons gear. From England to Australia and a few Cali kids, this boat towed some extreme talent and I was lucky enough to observe!

Without much explaining, here are some photos I captured throughout the day. I’m sure they’re not as incredible as the ones snapped by the professional (that’s using a waterproof-inspector gadget camera getup), but hey…