here’s to another year of galleries, pooping, halloween costumes, pup cups, commuting to bellport, riding the N train, swimming in the bay, weddings, napping, shopping, and more. i love my life !! happy birthday to me, Fay!! i am 6 years old today 🐣🐣🩵🩵‼️‼️

ROBERT MOSES STATE PARK TO SMITH POINT COUNTY BEACH: PRONE PADDLE completed by @johnny_knapp . 22.7 miles solo and unsupported. 🏴‍☠️💦 “Time and tide wait for no man.” - @johnny_knapp Date of Completion: 10/26/2025 Full write up at link in bio ✒️☠️ #point2point #robertmosesstatepark #fireisland #smithpointouterbeach #raisingawareness #2025

sturgeon full moon water island-inspired disco fete 8/9 thank you @bonitasashita & @cassius.luber & @jonblesshifi ✨ at one point in the night, ‘let love flow on’ by sonya spence came on and i darted across the party to Sasha - she didn’t know this - it was one song i’d always go back to in the planning process, a dreamy and delicious one that set the tone in my mind for the vibe of the evening. my final tip: leave room for surprises!! 🫶

Ship shape and Bristol fashion.

Church of the open sky.

I’d committed to staying on the boat, determined not to set foot on land for as long as possible. Others jumped at the chance to catch a ride to shore and explore, but for me, the charter was home and it floated. The tiny island we were anchored beside had earned the nickname “Snake Island,” which didn’t exactly tempt me to leave the shaded comfort of the upper deck, where I spent my time with feet up, book cracked, watching the horizon. One of the most surprising takeaways from our time in the Mentawais was the sheer lack of wildlife. Being so far off the coast of Sumatra, migration is no easy task for most species. The islands are small, with limited resources to support life and there’s just not much for anything to eat. Rumor had it the island’s earliest inhabitants hunted with such resolve that anything that could fly, crawl, or swim was not spared leaving behind a silence where life once stirred. So rare was a sighting that we’d call out to each other with childlike awe anytime a bird flew by. A single bird in the sky became an event worth announcing.

Dodi. Father. Husband. Skiff driver. An all-around kind soul. Soft-spoken and relaxed, legs often crossed with a cigarette lit, he ferried us from boat to break and back again. He works for long stretches on the boat far from his family who are 24 hours of travel away in Northern Sumatra. A three-year-old daughter waits for him there, and his wife is pregnant with another child on the way. One day motoring out to the break we talked about his pregnant wife. He explained that as she’s entering her final trimester he needed to be there and aid her pregnancy through lovemaking. At the helm, tiller in hand, he started bouncing and shouting ZI ZI ZI ZI ZI ZI !!!!! as to mimic what’s to come once he returns to Northern Sumatra.

The Gath isn’t mine, but it was interesting to see how many surfers, in this day and age, are taking precautions to protect themselves. Padded wetsuits and helmets were common on days with some juice. The reef here has some bite. The inside section of HT’s is affectionately called “the surgeon’s table”—if that helps paint a picture of what’s waiting for you. There were even a few Euros wearing headgear that looked more like Stahlhelms. Kind of odd. Not wanting to donate any skin to the reef, I treaded lightly. The power of the waves was magnificent. It didn’t take much for one to snap my leash on the second day of the trip. It wasn’t even that big of a wave—just caught inside in the wrong spot and pop! The swim in wasn’t too bad, and my board was resting high and dry on the reef, miraculously without a scratch. In the end, the airlines proved more of a threat to my boards than the waves did. What I found most impressive was the positioning and movement of the surfers who have dedicated their lives to riding these waves. They never wiped out too badly and always seemed to know the keyhole to slip out the back after a failed ride. They threaded the needle through countless barrels, their boards teetering on the foamball, disappearing from plain sight until being exhaled onto the shoulder. These were the black belts.

Indian Ocean in digital.

This day was good. Crossed over into a new decade and spent it with my two LOML @jeweltonez & @faytonez doing what we like to do most. Post up ocean side, grill, take in some sun, let Fay roam as she pleases, and ride some waves. This day was particularly good because we listened to Jimmy Buffett and Hayley finally saw the light when it comes to his music. She got why it is so special. And I’m not claiming to be a parrot head, but the right place, right time, with the light just hitting a certain way and a hint of salt air and the world just feels right. #apiratelooksatforty - Surfboard by @troyelmore @elmoresurfboards

Less talking more living except for this life update here. To say this past year has been a rollercoaster would be an understatement. More like you are stuck in the impact zone and there is just one set after another on the horizon baring down on you. In June of last year we went from thinking our family was growing +1 to learning the opposite was actually happening. We had on our hands a molar pregnancy and the only remedy would be months of chemotherapy to remedy the issue after failed D&C’s. Fast forward and almost a year later we are in the clear of this health crisis. As for the future in that department, we can only hope and pray all while setting ourselves up for success mentally and spiritually. Life is hard and it seems like it is easier these days to wake up angry and upset but that’s just letting the bullshit win. We aren’t perfect but what is? Today is our 8 year anniversary, Fay’s birthday a few days ago, I’m crossing over to another decade this week and life is feeling better already. This summer we are getting married and a new chapter begins. Life is better with you by my side. Love you lots @jeweltonez 🦀

@poemsurfcraft for @primitiveskills issue #5.