Boardrider of the Month: Girard Middelton Ever since Justin DeBree completed his record-breaking 389-mile stand-up paddle journey from Key Biscayne to St. Mary’s, Georgia last year, we’ve noticed a surge of interest in this grueling and beneficial sport. Called simply SUP by enthusiasts, stand-up paddleboarding employs a variety of techniques and offers an intense holistic workout. But another of its draws is the sport’s versatility; stand-up paddleboarders can tackle waves much... [Read more...]
By: Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Skilled Labor
Local artist and gallery owner Karen McDonald describes herself as always having been “artsy-craftsy,” dabbling in disciplines like batik, stained glass, decoupage, candle making and tole painting since her teens. But she always thought she couldn’t draw and wasn’t “good at art.” All that changed when she enrolled in a night class about 15 years ago while living in San Diego. “I had an urge to take a night class and wanted something artistic,” she... [Read more...]
By: Ken Mageau
Article Category: Wine Life
You all know how to drink wine, so now I hope to teach you how to taste it. There’s a huge difference. After attending and hosting hundreds of wine tastings, I’ve found that many people just have no clue that gulping down wine doesn’t allow the palate to truly pick up on the flavors the winemaker intended you to enjoy. Once you learn the art of tasting, you can then really enjoy the drinking of wine. First off, what do you pour your wine into? A good, clear, general-purpose wine... [Read more...]
By: Rick LaClaire
Article Category: Rick LaClaire
I am not exceptionally lucky. I have never won a square in a football pool (ask anyone who has ever fished with me; my nickname used to be “Jonah”) and I don’t buy lottery tickets because I figure it’s useless. I wouldn’t win. Or worse, maybe I would. No, blind luck and I are not close companions, at least not with trivial doings. But there have been a couple things I’ve lucked out on. Now I could get sappy here and say that I have wonderful kids, a lasting marriage... [Read more...]
It’s taken me longer than usual to come up with this month’s Editor’s Note. It’s not that I haven’t had the time — I’ve had a full month and nearly 40 years worth of material to draw from — it’s just that I haven’t used my time very wisely. If I had to blame my procrastination on anything, it’d have to be the damned internet. We all know how easily it can suck you into its mind-numbing void. All it takes is one brief downspell for... [Read more...]
By: Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
Bartender of the Month: Johnny Daniels of Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill It’s no secret that I’ve stumbled around the alcoholic block more than a few times in my career as a professional drinker, but it may shock people to know that I’ve enjoyed being in very few and am unlikely to return to a majority of them — especially old Rose Finnegan’s, from which I still feel the effects of being served a glass of her painfully delicious “Groin Punch.” You see,... [Read more...]
By: Greg Gordon
Article Category: Costa Rica Surf Report
Forecast Caribbean Coast: August is mainstream hurricane season, so expect some surprise surf sessions. They’ll come and go quickly, so you need to sit on it for at least at week. Pacific Coast: This month is one of the best for waves and weather. The first part of the month has an “Indian Summer” effect with offshores lasting later in the day and less rain. The second half is rainier, but when you’re in the water surfing 1- to 2-foot overhead peaks it doesn’t matter. Full... [Read more...]
Queer Goings-On The U.S. Air Force has spent an estimated $25 million training combat pilot Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach but is about to discharge him involuntarily because he is gay. Born of military-officer parents, Fehrenbach has earned 30 awards and decorations, with tours flying F-15Es in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, and was one of the elite fighters called on to patrol the air space over Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001. Also about to be discharged solely for being gay is Army infantry... [Read more...]
By: Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Local CD Review
Mary Pastorius From Then Until Almost Now Mæric Music; 2007 Comprised of 17 tunes culled from a 10-year span of tireless creativity, local singer/songwriter Mary Pastorius’ From Then Until Almost Now fairly bursts from the surfeit of compelling musical ideas it contains. While several of the tracks have never been released until now, many have made previous appearances on other recordings she had an impressive hand in. Described by Pastorius as a kind of “clearing house” of some... [Read more...]
Authority Zero originated in the sunny streets of Mesa, AZ in the the summer of 1994. Originally made up of Jason DeVore (vocals), Bill Marcks (guitar/vocals), Jeremy Wood (bass/vocals), Jim Wilcox (drums) and rhythm guitarist Jerry Douglas, the popular punk band eagerly pushed its sound throughout the latter half of the ’90s, playing countless house parties, colleges, and club shows in and around their home state. Their live shows and on-stage energy on quickly drew comparisons to Rage Against... [Read more...]
