November 3, 2014 Monday - Part 1

Stinson Beach	Right out front
10:15 am to 11:00 am	2' to 3', occasional 4'
High dropping tide	No wind, glassy smooth
Air temp: 65 degrees	Water temp: 61 degrees
Sunny with high clouds	Fun session

In 45 minutes I caught three waves and missed dozens of them. All three I rode on my knees, two to the right and one to the left. On my first wave I jumped up to my knees, turned the board to the right, cut high in the curl, hung there for a couple of seconds as the wave formed into a suck-out wall and over the falls I went – straight down free fall into swirling white water. I was proud of myself for hanging onto the board. My next two waves weren't any better, and with the tide going out and the waves walling-up I called it quits.

Though my session was a bust, I had a good time. Reason: this was my first time back in the water since September 11 – 53 days! On September 15 Dr. Agbayani operated on my Surfer's Ear; a hospital procedure where he put me out and literally chiseled off the bone material that had built up in my left ear canal. The recovery required three weeks of staying out of the water, keeping my ear dry and taking eardrops and antibiotic pills. During this period I caught a nasty cold that would not go away. When Dr. Agbayani gave me the ok, I didn't feel like going into the water due to the cold – drained of energy, aching joints and overall blahs.

After another couple of weeks, I went to my local doctor to get some relief. He put me on a five-day regiment of antibiotics, which meant I had a bacteria infection. I asked him if I could have caught this infection from the hospital. He didn't think so because my ailment didn't affect my ear. I wasn't convinced. Twice I have gone to Marin General for operations and twice, after three weeks, have come down with internal bacteria infections.

Why was this day special? The antibiotics worked, I felt much better, the weather was warm and sunny and the swell was small – perfect for getting back into shape. As has happened numerous times before, there's nothing like vigorous exercise, warm sunshine and a dose of cold water to shake a cold. After this session I felt great. The cold was gone and I was back.