The Resurrection of Pepe and how we rode into the sunset...

Three days, one tiring walk to the mechanic where I had to walk Pepe about two miles to the garage and 40 shekels ($10) later, Pepe has been resurrected to his normal smoke-sputtering self. The problem was one starter plug which the mechanic found, fixed and replaced in about seven minutes. It was such a relief to have it be something so simple and I felt so liberated once again having transportation.

The intervening days I'd been forced to take public transportation. The truth is I don't mind public transit at all, and I'm very glad its there. Its just that there are certain times I really need a vehicle, such as for surfing.

So, I celebrated this miraculous resurrection and return to freedom of mobility by getting into my wetsuit as if I were Clark Kent getting into a phone booth and heading to the ocean to surf into the sunset. Literally. I actually surfed well past the sunset and into the dark. It was really exciting. On a side note, I'm loving surfing these days and totally hooked. I recently progressed to a whole new level and its making every session so enjoyable.

New student

Yesterday Amy (the girl) and I went surfing. She has been wanting to learn how to surf so I started to teach her. It is amazing to teach people things. I love to learn new things, especially things that are very different from something I've ever done before. I really enjoyed being part of that process with someone else. Learning to surf is not easy and can be very frustrating. It is physically exhausting and a beginner often feels so weak and inefficient before something so massive and unforgiving. Still, Amy did great. Yes, she go tossed around like a small mouse under the paw of large cat, but she came up out of the water, hair in her face, mouth and nose full of salt water, and still managed a smile (most of the time). We were sharing my board and when she got tired I would paddle out and ride a few waves in and then give the board back over. She would want to know how I made it look so easy and I just promised her that by sticking with it what seems so foreign and uncomfortable now, will gradually become part of her catalog of abilities like typing, yoga, or playing the flute.