8am wake up. High tide. Small breakfast and Drew and I are out paddling for waves by 830.
First teleconference is at 10am PST – so that’s not until noon here. There’s time for second breakfast and I log on to casually close out an easy work item. Time for scrum! Reclined in a hammock, I dial-in with salty fingers and wet shorts. There is always a Priority 0 bug to deal with when you release every day. Hammer time.
A truck rolls up to the hostel with ceviche, fresh fruit, or fresh pastries. Time for some more meetings – these ones are fun brain storming sessions or time set aside to discuss implementation details. Then it’s time to code – today I’m consolidating one of our frameworks onto a different configuration system. The heat of the day goes unnoticed as my mind and my keystrokes drift off to Seattle. I bring elegance and order to a chaotic realm of divergent configuration solutions. The sun is softening and I race to test my changes and send out the code review. My favorite part of the day is sunset out on the break.
There is howling today as the horizon blazes. The waves are mellow and glassed and at high tide even I can drop one or two of them. Paddle hard for a Right. You got it, you got it, you don’t got it. I back-paddle and take a minute to look up. “This sport is weird. It’s about waiting.” My back is to the sunset, but still the sky is pink and purple. On the horizon, the full moon rises over the trees.
Home is a beachfront family Casona which operates as a hostel during Costa Rica's busy season. It’s a 250 meter walk from south beach. My brother Drew and I join forces with solo travelers and a group of firemen from Canada to make a beast of a community dinner. Fresco.
Bellies full, drinks in hand, we head down to the beach and find a couple sitting alone at a roaring bonfire. “Of course! Of course you can join us,” says the woman. The man says nothing and glares at us with disapproval. Blocked! as fifteen of us join in a circle around his fire. Sara and Drew assemble drum kits from drift wood, rocks, and hollowed out turtle shells. Adam, Les, and I share two guitars - my god, Adam can wail.
It gets late. Drinks get drunk and we sing and smoke and smile. But tonight is special. I've been talking about it all day. We have brought longboards down to the bonfire hoping the moon will provide enough light for one last surf. Five of us strip down naked and start to paddle out.
*
Thursday morning comes early. High tide.
“Hey Kenn?" Drew's voice comes from the bunk below me. "Surfing?”
Just another day at the office.
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| And the ladies... Photo from Emma. |
