SPIDERBYTE

PR, The Prequel

Having said our goodbyes to beautiful Puerto Rico & our amazing Spiderbyte extended family, we're settling back into the groove in snowy New England.  And I have finally been reunited with my camera cable & can share some of our photos from the adventure.

I thought I'd go Hangover style & start at the very beginning....Rincon!

The memory I cherish most from Rincon was arriving at our first break together & paddling out as a family...all six of us.  Such a rush!

The main items on the agenda in Rincon...family time + surfing, and our groms are finally at an age where those things go hand in hand...

And out of the entire week, there was only one day when the surf conditions didn't deliver.  But it all worked out just fine, since we ended up having a blast doing some impromptu free diving at the local coral reefs!

Rincon proved to be the perfect spot for family/surf/R&R time before we headed to San Juan for the wedding of the century. Stay tuned for The Prequel Part II, San Juan!

 

Plan B

Day Six in Rincon.   We woke up to dismal surf conditions (even by Rhode Island standards).

Not to worry, folks...there are plenty of diversions to keep us out of trouble.  For the better part of today, we went all out Cousteau down at the local coral reef.   Totally worth losing a day in the lineup!

The only downside was actually seeing what lies beneath us when we're out there on our boards...hell knows we've felt what lies beneath us...

 

The (Maybe) Finale

This weekend might be considered the Grand Finale on a couple fronts.  First, because we officially closed the Spiderbyte Birthday Season with back to back kids' parties....9 third graders trashing our house Friday night, not to be outdone by 18 first graders Saturday afternoon for the twins' birthday bowling bash.  Done.

The best way to recover from birthday madness?...A bottle of Grey Goose A day of surfing, of course!

And sadly, every day of surfing past October 1st needs to be treated like the Grand Finale, because you just can't predict the point when that water temperature will begin to feel just a little too painful.

And what's even better than bowling parties and birthday pinatas?...Scarfing leftover cake, surfside!

All in all, it was a great last* surf session of the season.

(*maybe, but hopefully not)

SpiderMOM does it again!

Guest post by SpiderDAD: 

If you haven’t noticed, September is the marathon month of birthdays at Spiderbyte HQ.  Errr…let’s just say New Years Eve is a (re)productive holiday for us. 

But it seems like every year, when the smoke clears from the rootin’ tootin’ birthdays, we’re bleary-eyed and saddle sore by the time poor SpiderMom’s big day rolls around. 

Another party would seem daunting and redundant – thankfully, like her son Spicoli would say, “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz and I’m fine.” 

And tasty waves, we did feast upon.  Seems the surf gods bestowed a clean Indian summer swell just in time for the special day. 

..and so, the Spiderbyte clan raises their goblets (juice boxes) to the most fierce party animal of all!  We love you Mom!  

Goodnight Irene!

In hopes of keeping my own psyche from plummeting into a very dark place, I thought I'd start this post with PRE-Irene memories...oh, the joy!

In the days leading up to Irene and when more responsible folks were securing their lawn furniture, we were doing what Spiderbyte does best...frolicking in the surf, of course.

And it was worth it, we had our favorite surf spot practically to ourselves (go figure?).  

It was great to have some quality time before Irene, I was hoping the bank of happy memories might be enough to sustain us for what was yet to come.  The calm before the storm you might say...

And then Irene rolled in.

Actually, we fared quite well considering our town reported the highest wind gusts in New England. Spiderdad rode out much of the storm in the backyard, psychically willing branches away from the skate ramp...

The aftermath has been a bit of a downer...our power/internet/phone lines are down, and it's reported that we may not have electricity restored until the end of the week.   Luckily the public library downtown has power/internet, which I'll utilize until they kick us out (from the looks of the librarian in the children's room, this may be soon).

But the really crushing news is that today was supposed to be the first day of school...and school's been cancelled until further notice (please pass the voldka).

These are some dark times....

 

Island Time

SpiderDAD here with some fun pics from our weekend.  We celebrated "Cape Style" with family from down south, Florida! ..and even further down south, Puerto Rico! 

 

We claimed the point of Bassetts Island which is not easy in the height of the summer! 





Puck had some beer too!  ROOT Beer! 


Thanks to Nona & Papa for hosting the festivities...estupendo! 

The Secret Spot

By guest blogger SpiderDAD. (Cue lowered expectations.)  

If you ask me, the Beach Boys were telling the truth when they sang, "Everybody's gone surfing!  Surfing USA!" You see, when a tropical storm comes to the NorthEast kicking up a swell, most waves are crowded with hoards of surfers battling for the next ride.  This is a major bummer.  

Every surfer yearns to find a break that no one else knows about. The Secret Spot!  A beach with clean open water where the waves are free for the taking, or in this case, shredding.  This weekend our hosts, "Cool" Chris and Karen, treated the Spiderbrats to another epic session with long rides on tasty waves and summer fun! 

I could tell you where to find this hidden oasis, but trust me; you DON'T want to mess with the locals!  

Bourne on the 4th of July

We celebrated Cape style this weekend  with double birthday festivities...the US of eh? (can't resist me some Canadian humor) and Spiderdad who turned 29...39... just plain old.

Family, beach,  boats, pool time, and last but never ever least, bikes.  Bikes you say?...Why yes. Mainly, a new addition to the Spiderbyte bike brigade which surely deserves its own future post.

Happy Birthday Spiderdad!

All is Quiet on New Year's Day

After a rousing New Year's Eve celebrating with friends until well past the appropriate bedtimes for both the under 6 set and the over 40 set, we spent the first day of 2011 catching up on some down time.  And with the balmy 50 degree weather, a relaxing walk on the beach was just what we all needed.  Certainly no better place for Spiderbyte to kick off the new year.

Happy 2011!