Liquid Lines
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•January 22, 2014
Bridgegate as Comedy Rather Than Tragedy, Freaking Out Over a Wetsuit and Enjoying the January Thaw
“The nominees for best comedic take on Governor Chris Christie’s GWB Scandal are: …”
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•December 18, 2013
2013: The Year in Photos
It was certainly an interesting year. Winter stayed way too long and came back way too quick. The summer was fun and the waves went on vacation this fall. But we had some great events, definitely…
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•December 18, 2013
Wrapping Up the Waves and Haps of 2013 for LBI
Seems like only yesterday we were rushing to throw up Sheetrock and make it look like a giant superstorm didn’t swallow us up for the summer crowds. But the year has come to a close.
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•December 5, 2013
Reviewing the Thanksgiving Monster Swell
I’m going to go ahead and call that a Thanksgiving miracle.
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•November 21, 2013
A Holiday for Giving Thanks, for Some Waves … Finally
Being as this column is every other week now, this will be my last before Thanksgiving.
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•November 7, 2013
Conditions Won’t Fully Cooperate But We’re Far Better Off Than This Time Last Year
Hopefully you went easy on the Butterfingers. Your teeth are still singing from the Spree. But now all you can think about is hot cider.
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•October 24, 2013
Creepy Tales: Frightening Nor’easter Refuses to Clean Up; Surf Breaks Back From the Dead
So, two weeks ago, I had this dream. I was surfing on the South End of LBI. After picking off this left, I got to the inside section and realized there was a bowl setting up. It pitched over and the…
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•October 9, 2013
What Does the Government Shutdown Mean for Surfing and Beach Life?
“Thanks for a great season.” “See you in April.” “Closed Until Summer.”
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•October 2, 2013
A Perfect Time of Year and a Way to Quantify What Good Beaches Are Worth
This is it. October. Rocktober. Oct”tube”er. Does it get any better than this? Every day for the past two weeks has been in the mid-70s. Are we hitting 80 on Wednesday? Yes, the sun is starting to…
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•September 26, 2013
Tired Trends, Full Moon Waves and One Massive Tidal Pool on LBI
I am so tired of bacon. It’s enough already.
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•September 18, 2013
Reeling From the Classic Gabby Swell and Celebrating a Local’s Results in the Belmar Pro
The wind was offshore. The swell period was ideal. You could go right. You could go left. It was magical. I don’t think it matters if you surf or not. If you were anywhere around Long Beach Island…
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•September 11, 2013
September Sessions, Late Start to Hurricane Season and Locals Competing in the Belmar Pro This Weekend
When people describe the ephemeral scene of monarch butterflies flitting across the dunes to half-full, humidity-freebeaches and blue tropical swell traveling from thousands of miles away to be…
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•September 4, 2013
The Party’s Over for Some, But the New Month Has Its Own Appeal
The final guest has left your party and you just locked the door to assess the cleanup ahead. It’s not bad, right? A few warm PBR cans. That stain in the couch will probably come out. It got a little…
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•August 29, 2013
A Labor Day Forecast Without Tropical Swell Is a Strange One
About a decade ago, I was living in a rental owned by a family that enjoyed the Island on weekends and most of the summer. They crammed too many people into the first floor and we crammed too many…
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•August 22, 2013
August Notes From In and Out of the Water
I’ve often written that good waves, or anything good on this coast, come with a certain amount of struggle, or at least torment. In this case, it was weather.
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•August 15, 2013
New Surf Film from Reef; Cramming for Hurricane Season; Humanitarian Award for Rose
Last week my buddy Walt popped into my office to talk about the surf. I look forward to these little chats. We discuss the morning’s conditions, the forecast and the water temp. He always has a lot…
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•August 7, 2013
Dude, Where’s My Summer?
This week I got emails from all the different surf companies about the great back-to-school gear they have. I’m not going back to school, nor am I very interested in turquoise polo shirts or…
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•August 1, 2013
Rough News, Decent Swell and a Couple of Great Events as We Wrap Up July
Unfortunately, I have to start this week off with some sad news. In the last week, at least 18 dolphins have washed up on New Jersey’s beaches. Eight of them have come ashore on LBI, andthey were…
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•July 25, 2013
Storms of Summer and a Big Week for Local Waterwomen
I love a good storm. Thunderstorms are a part of summer. Sometimes they’re like a sweet serenade. Sometimes they’re like a dude blasting music from his new muscle car. (Side note: why is it that…
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•July 18, 2013
As Water Warms and Clean Surf Returns, Things Get a Little Lighter Around LBI
Have you noticed how serious this column has become? I’m starting to stress myself out. People used to read Liquid Lines for a break from all the pressing news on LBI like Harvey Cedars bike lane…
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•July 10, 2013
Shore Protection and Sandbars in One: A Straw of Hope Regarding Beachfill?
This one never ceases to amuse. It’s a beautiful early summer day and the beach is a sunny landscape of umbrellas, lotion, skimboards and secret beverages in Solo cups.
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•July 3, 2013
Talking Upwelling, Bacteria, Sand Pumping, Shred Sticks and Rob Machado as We Float Into July 4th
They say there are two certain things in this life, death and taxes. Let me add a third to that list if you live by the beach in New Jersey – upwelling.
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•June 27, 2013
Looking at How Music Has Shaped Summer Surfing
Last weekend I saw Social Distortion with Hot Water Musicat the Stone Pony Summerstage. All the greasers, rockabilly types and surfers who’ve been at Social D shows for decades were there, including…
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•June 20, 2013
Anything Goes on LBI for Summer 2013
I’m probably going to feel differently by the end of the summer, but right now, everything and everyone on LBI is just awesome.
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•June 13, 2013
Hot Slices: Surf and Pizza With Tropical Storm Andrea Swell
Have you ever had bad pizza? Due to our close proximity to New York and Philly, New Jersey has the best pizza on the planet. This region isn’t “one of the best” or “arguably the best,” it’s the…
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•June 6, 2013
Surfing’s Artistic Mediums, From Wood to Water to Film
Did you know architects and scientists are working on designing an organic home of living plants that actually grows over time to accommodate a growing family? It’s 2013. You can check the surf from…
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•May 30, 2013
A Tale of Waves and Woe From Memorial Day Weekend
The governor was on the Island again, and Obama made another quick visit to the Jersey Shore. There’s probably very little they agree on, but they both can reach across the isle to say that 2013 has…
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•May 23, 2013
Welcome Back. Here’s What Happened While You Were Gone
Welcome back. Let me get the door for you. Can we get you a cold drink? We’ve been expecting you.
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•May 16, 2013
As We Rebuild, Will We Learn From Our Mistakes?
After World War II, our country went crazy producing asbestos. In addition to its use in military construction, it was hugely popular for home building materials. Eventually we figured out that these…
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•May 2, 2013
Building the Best Forts Ever With Waves Breaking, Bay Cleaning and Spring Stalling
I like to think that Liquid Lines reaches a wide range of folks of all interests and ages. But this week I want to specifically reach out to the little dudes – particularly males of the 8- to…
