Surfing is one of those things I really (really really) want to learn to do. I love surfer culture and want to enjoy the ocean in this fun way. I always enjoy vacations where I have an activity (other than just walking the streets of my destination) that physically exhausts and taxes me to a point where I am completely guiltless about enjoying the foodie delights of where ever I am. I have snowboarding in the winter, but in the summer, I just don’t have anything…and surfing seems like the perfect answer. I just need to overcome one thing….an overwhelming fish phobia. So for now I don’t know how to surf…still working on it.
Surfer style is the best of laid back, colorful, bohemian eclecticism. I have happily recently discovered two surfer gardens that I want to share.
image by Magalie L’Abbé
Garden 058:
The Surf Lodge in Montauk on Long Island is a place I would never have imagined would exist in NY. To me it is seems so Hawaiian, or Floridian, or southern Californian. Having never been to a beach community or spent any summer time on Long Island, I could possibly be basing this on completely wrong stereotypes. But seeing what the Surf Lodge has to offer, my impression has completely changed and I think a road trip to the Hamptons in order (soon).
Image by bymylaces
Image by bymylaces
Garden 059:
The Second of my surfer inspired gardens is from a garden designer’s garden in Santa Monica California and was photographed by Abby Lane.
I am so interested in that basket roof at the Surf Lodge that hangs over the deck and the mish mash of pieces that go together so well in the Santa Monica garden is very inviting. What do you think of these beachy surfer inspired gardens? what are you taking from these as inspiration?
Both surfer gardens look inviting to me.
I find the use of color interesting in an east coast / west coast kind of way. Sand washed whites on the east and vivid festival colors on the west.
Currently I’m working on a seaside surfer garden on the west coast. It’s been an interesting process because the architecture is a stylized New England Cape Codder painted a warm gray with white trim.
It turning out to be an cool fusion of east coast meets the west.
Lots of drought tolerant and sea salt tolerant ( the house is a hundred feet from the beach)
plants with bright colored foliage and flowers. Drift wood lines some of the paths and a mosaic carpet is inlaid with abalone shells.
It’s been nice to have a beach side project this summer .
michelle – I never thought about the difference between east and west coast…so interesting…
Not being a surfer at all, I must admit I lust after the little yellow surfer hut and can imagine myself spending many happy hours making colorful and happy paintings and mosaics in its cheerful little space.