History! Cuba...libre?

Today has been a historic day. President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have come together to announce an easement on the 50+ year embargo that has all but stifled the relationship between the neighboring nations. It is a major step in a path that could very well lead to the end of the stalemate that has caused suffering for so many, and while political parties have already started mounting their verbal attacks on Obama's move, I can't help but think of how it affects the many Cuban friends that made my two stays in Havana such an unbelievable experience.

My thoughts wander to Yessica, my patient dance partner that talked of visiting Italy if she could ever afford a travel visa, to Laura and her family, who wholeheartedly adopted our entire class into their loud, chaotic, and laughter-filled circle, and to Ruben, a skater that, without a steady stream of supplies from the U.S., kept his board rolling on a steady diet of spliced wire and bumper stickers.

These are the people that will finally benefit from an announcement like today's. Sure, maybe a few more people will get Cuban cigars in their stockings, and maybe it will be easier to plan a trip to the island (a trip I highly recommend to all of my travel friends), but it also means a new chapter for so many that have made things work in next-to-impossible conditions for far too long.

The above photo is perhaps my favorite in the whole world. It was taken by my friend Delia and it shows Ruben (green shirt), his skate friend Roberto, and me going through photos during a skate session on the Prada in Havana. The mutual joy and respect in the photo, them for my shot and me for the opportunity to hang with such an inspiring group of guys, is so locked into this moment. It's one of those shots that brings you back no matter where you're at in life. When I think about Cuba and everything that is going on, I think back on this day, and these people.

There is still much to be done on both sides to make this a truly sustainable relationship, but if this truly is the tipping point for an open Cuban border, I'm excited to see my friends again, and can't wait to repay the favor.

A Thin Line

Me and heights....not so much. If I don't have skis on my feet, things get pretty dicey once I get a few dozen feet off the ground. Well, I faced that fear head on last weekend when I was visiting friends and family in Bend, Oregon.

Somewhere along the line my buddy Sam had gotten bored of climbing and decided to push his limits a bit further, jumping on the highlines above Smith Rock State Park. For those that aren't well-versed in obscure adrenaline sports, highlining is essentially slack lining but hundreds of feet above the ground with only a harness separating participants from a certain death plunge.

I wasn't really keen to join in on the action, but I did eventually scoot close enough to the edge of the cliffs to snap a couple pictures. It's good to feel small sometimes, and setting up highlines high above the park definitely had me feeling pretty tiny (see what I mean in the last photo, can you spot the highliner?). Maybe next time I'll tempt the wire...

(Like last time, click the image to see the gallery)

Flow

I'm still pretty green at this whole surfing thing, but my friend Nick and I decided to venture north across the border to seek out waves in Canadia a few weekends ago. We ended up on Vancouver Island along the beautifully wild coastline of Tofino. I snapped some shots of the journey (click the picture below to access gallery), but naturally I was having too much fun in the water to take any actual surfing pics—maybe next time.

I also snagged a copy of Coast Mountain Culture at the local surf shop and was particularly struck by this passage from Malcolm Johnson. The image of being battered by waves is one all surfers can relate to, but the words strike a metaphorical tune that can resonate with all of us. 

Forcing your way through the sets is futile…Find a friendly current and let it carry you. Relax when the sets sweep over your body. Be as yielding as water is. Think too much and you’ll be wrenched backwards. Take your deep breaths, dive under the incoming waves and let the remnants of the river bear you outward. Newer surfers…would blindly charge out into the maelstrom, only to get batted back every time; the older ones, wiser through observation and experience, put themselves in the correct places and let the water do the work….The surf zone, where the sweet meets the salt, tells us this: Any challenge, any confrontation, can be met with fluid grace. Move as if you were a thin stream that had begun in the mountains weeks before….The only way through is to flow.

Keep paddling, my friends.

To give a little perspective of our beach locale, Nick snapped this iPhone photo from the top of a nearby mountain. Pretty stunning.