Holly Beck

Moving To Nicaragua Webisode 1

Posted on September 28, 2009 by hollybeck27

http://www.youtube.com/v/dxa4AQhYl0U&hl=en&fs=1&
Moving to Nicaragua is actually quite an interesting undertaking. Six months out, the journey is just beginning…

Posted in Surf Life Nicaragua, Videos | Leave a comment

The New Caretaker’s House

Posted on August 29, 2009 by hollybeck27

Wondering how to get fish for free? I’ll let you in on a little secret. All you need to do is build a nice little caretaker’s house, then put out the word that you are looking for a new caretaker to inhabit it. A few weeks later, expect to have job applicants showing up with gifts. To see how we did it, read on…

As you’ve seen from previous posts, we already have one little casita built on our lot. We originally intended that to be the caretaker’s house. We worked out a deal with the caretaker for them to stay in it while we are not around, but when we arrive, they have to split and go back to their own house in town. The problem with that plan is that while we are in Nicaragua, we don’t have anyone looking after our stuff while we are surfing or if we want to head over to the restaurant for dinner. The place seems really safe, but it would only take one bad apple to notice that we left for dinner and hatch a plan to try to break in. Plus, we like to leave things out in the yard like the wheelbarrow, that could easily be snatched without someone there looking over the place.
So we decided we needed to build another little caretaker’s house. The first important step is figuring out exactly where to put it.

We haven’t run electricity yet. There’s a pole about 200 meters away and an electrician happened to be around, so we met up with him along with our neighbor, Joe, to discuss what would be required to actually have electricity. We are going to need to buy a transformer for about $1,200 and then dig a ditch and run some cable. We never did get a full estimate from the guy! Maybe we’ll save that til November when we start construction on the big house.

The next step to getting the caretaker’s house built was to head to town with our contractor to start buying materials – roofing, wood, concrete, blocks, tile, etc.

This is the glass store, where we ordered the windows.

The sawmill is an incredibly interesting place, straight out of medieval times!

Oxen are used to pull around big chunks of tree trunks that are then cut by a massive saw.

You can’t just go to Home Depot and buy everything you need. In order to find bricks you have to know where the brick lady lives, then select what you want from her stack. We chose the cheaper, more “rustico” bricks.

Next you’ve gotta start marking out the foundation.
Without power, it’s all about cutting the wood by hand. Our contractor, Don Emilio, pulled out his machete for the job!

Soon a big truck shows up to deliver all the stuff we bought in town.

Ryan, with our current caretaker Osmar.
The construction begins…

The roofing materials are used to make a little shelter to protect the tools and bags of cement from the rain.
These guys work all day in the super hot sun for $5 a day.

Ryan, Osmar, and Don Emilio chatting about the progress.
The view from the hotel of the original casita and the roof of our new caretaker’s casita.
Ryan’s parents were in town and had a chance to meet Don Emilio.

You can’t really check the surf from our lot. At ground level you can see the ocean and sometimes the tops of waves, but you can’t really see enough to judge the quality of the waves. The new caretaker’s house has a slightly better view.

It has a built in shelving unit inside.
This will be their porch scene.

The view from the front door, looking at the road.
The view of the well.
The view of our casita.

By our next trip, 5 weeks later, the casita is almost done!

Our caretaker Osmar gets comfortable on the porch, while our contractor’s son applies a few finishing touches.
The boat driver Hilson had already come by to inquire about the job. A few days later he brought over 7 lobsters, and then another week later, this big Dorado!

Ryan takes the fish towards the BBQ to cook up some fish taco fillings!

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Nicaraguan Coastal Law prompts road trip

Posted on August 25, 2009 by hollybeck27

Nicaragua has finally passed the long-awaited Coastal Law which outlines rules for property development on land within a short distance from the ocean. We had been nervously awaiting the final passage of this law to see how it would effect the beachfront lot we already own as well as some property we were considering buying. In short, the government decided to clarify an old series of laws that related to the subject that were unclear and contradictory. The final decision says that there cannot be any building on any land within 50 meters of the high tide line. The key addition is that the law will not be retroactive and any land already legally acquired with a building permit will be exempt, as well as any already existing structures. To read more about the law, click here.

While I didn’t think we had anything to worry about, Ryan was still concerned. So we took a road trip down to the Rivas area to visit a lawyer about speeding up our building permitting process for our beachfront lot at the Hacienda Iguana development.

While in that area, we always stay at The Surf Sanctuary. It is walking distance to Rancho Santana, totally affordable, and is run by super nice people.

We felt like we were on vacation. Running water, air-conditioning, a toilet that flushed without having to pump a well first, and check out the view of the pool!

The Surf Sanctuary is truly a sanctuary!

Playa Santana, a short walk from the Surf Sanctuary.

If you are lazy, you can drive along the beach from the Surf Sanctuary to Rancho Santana. It’s a great spot to go to watch the sunset and have a few happy hour cocktails!

Ryan jumps the river.

The view of the surf from Rancho Santana

Happy hour nica libres!

Happy hour with friends.

Heading back to the Surf Sanctuary for dinner.

About 7 or 8 years ago, I met a guy named Miles Walsh in the Mentawais. He bought a lot in Rancho Santana and is building a 6 bedroom surf retreat called Venana A Las Olas. Watch for it as a Waterways destination soon!

Miles hired our friend Tony (who owns the Surf Sanctuary) to manage the construction of his house. We are considering using Tony to help with the construction of our house (if we ever get the building permit), so he took us up to give us some ideas.

The house is beautiful with some amazing views!

Taking in the view from a hill within the Rancho Santana community.

We also own a lot within the Rancho Santana community, but ours is much closer to the beach. Right now it is totally overgrown with weeds and trees. To check out the story of when we bought the lot and see more photos, click here.

For a little perspective on the distance, check out this view from our lot looking back up the hill at Miles’ house.

The view from our lot.

Our neighbor’s house.

After re-visiting our lot, we decided to try to surf. The swell was small and we weren’t too motivated but we met some friends who offered to lead us on a little off-road mission to take the back road to Popoyo.

Popoyo wasn’t happening, so we stopped by the Surfari Charters camp to check in with friends. Resident photographer Erin O’Kon offered to lead us down to the Beachy to have a look.

The waves weren’t worth the effort, so we cruised back to The Surf Sanctuary to enjoy the rest of our vacation with a couple cold Tonas in the pool.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Posted in Surf Life Nicaragua | 1 Comment

Keeping my shoulders loose with TRX

Posted on July 23, 2009 by hollybeck27

I first discovered the TRX fitness trainer a couple months ago. I had a chance to test it out as a piece of workout equipment that uses your body weight to work out every muscle imagine-able. I’m in pretty good shape. I surf a lot, I ride my stand-up paddle board, I run, I workout on the ball, etc. I thought I was in really good shape until I spent 30 minutes working out on the TRX. I realized that there is still quite a bit of room for improvement in my core strength. The TRX is perfect for that. It is also totally light weight, folds up small, allowing me to take it everywhere, all over the world!
Of course I packed the TRX to bring to Nicaragua. But with the heat, the long hours of surfing, and all the well-pumping I was doing, I didn’t really feel the need or the energy to work out. The TRX was still an essential part of my daily routine though. It turns out, it’s also amazing for stretching. I found it most useful to stretch out the shoulders and back. It’s also good for warming up before running down to surf first thing in the morning. Stoked!

This feels really good!

Want to get one of these for yourself? There’s also a surfing specific workout video featuring me using the TRX. Check it out by clicking here.

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Living Green In Nicaragua

Posted on July 14, 2009 by hollybeck27

No electricity, well-pumped water, gardening, hand washing dishes and clothes, cooking on an open fire, hollow waves right out front. A lot of people ask me why I stopped competing. This is how i’d rather spend my time.
music: “Go Green” by The Wiley One

Posted in Surf Life Nicaragua | Leave a comment

California is Beautiful Roadtrip

Posted on June 25, 2009 by hollybeck27

Eager as a headlight on a northbound train
While running on rubber through Steinbeck country
Beneath greedy gray clouds
Hoarding their stash of soothing rain

California is beautiful.

It hadn’t been too long since I’d taken a drive up the California coast. A few months before I loaded my two high school aged sisters in the car and introduced them to Big Sur, Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, tent camping, and ‘smores over an open fire. Still, my energy had been focused on making sure they were having a good time, rather than quietly taking it in for myself.

On a cloudy Saturday morning I set off with a mug full of coffee, ipod full of new music, and an eager smile, looking forward to spending a long drive in the car solo.

My first destination, Los Gatos, to meet up with the Surf Stronger crew.

Scott Adams and Todd Walsh of Surf Stronger.

The boys at Surf Stronger have put together an innovative series of warmup, stretching, and workout tips and techniques specifically targeted to surfers that are available on their website. Definitely check it out! Their next project is a surfing specific workout using a new piece of equipment called the TRX.

Designed by a former Navy Seal captain who needed a way to keep the Seals in top phsyical shape while waiting to deploy, the TRX is a workout solution that is lightweight, totally travel-ready, and can be used anywhere to train the total body. Attach it to anything overhead, a tree, lifeguard tower, door, even an SUV roof rack, and you are ready to go.

They needed a test dummy for the video and I volunteered. I do not like to workout, but I figured it was a good excuse to take a road trip to San Francisco, so why not?

Luxury accommodations at the Nob Hill Motel.

Todd Walsh was nice enough to draw me a killer little map of the must-see sights in that part of the city. I was super stoked to find the Fields Book Store – “Soulful and scholarly books from the world’s spiritual traditions” – definitely my kind of place. I spent about an hour inside and ended up walking out with an armload of books.

I didn’t buy this one, and right now I am definitely regretting that. What was I thinking passing up a manual of practical teleportation and time travel? Damn!

San Franciscan sights…

Fast forward to the following afternoon, in the TRX training center for the video filming.

Coach Scott Adams and I, verbally rehearsing.

It might not look like much, but the TRX provides a gnarly full body workout!

After six hours of filming and only a few exercises needing to be done over because I didn’t “make it look hard enough” (it’s not hard when you’re having fun!) the whole crew was smiling.

The next morning with the job done and the schedule open, Todd Walsh volunteered to give me a walking tour of a few of the coolest places in the city.

I then took the opportunity to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Fremont and savor some of Uncle Gary’s famous smoked meatloaf. Amazing!

After a night with family, I took the road South, choosing the 1 along the picturesque Big Sur coastline.
Driving down a windy road lining fog-filtered cliffs
Light reflecting
Waves of emotion
Breaking through the mist.

Next stop, my college roommate Katy Walker’s home in Los Osos to sample her husband Brett’s homebrew. Good stuff!

Finally, I stood on stage as a guest lecturer and told a class of UCSB Geology of Surfing class students about my trip to West Africa.

Professor Stuart Sweeney tried to talk me into hanging out and surfing Campus Point afterwards, but as you can see, it didn’t look very enticing. So I got in the car and kept on driving South.

Quite a few empty mysto LA County nooks nearly inspired a paddle out, but after getting a call from a friend saying the surf at home was pumping, I raced back to the South Bay to find booming beachbreak windswell.

Excited to be home, I threw on my wetsuit, ran down to the beach and pushed through thumpy closeouts with tired muscles. The water was warm, salty, and invigorating.
A couple of days later after the muscles fully recovered from that six hour workout, I felt stronger than I ever had before.

I don’t like to workout, but I want to be surfing stronger and can no longer deny that working out is necessary sometimes. Fortunately with the TRX, it feels a lot like play.

http://www.youtube.com/v/EOTyNCll2ug&hl=en&fs=1
Surf Stronger TRX workout coming soon….

Check out Surf Stronger videos so you too will be surfing stronger…

Surf Stronger Vol 1
Surf Stronger Vol 2
Surf Stronger Complete Workout

Posted in Adventure Stories | Tagged california, holly beck, roadtrip, surf stronger | 1 Comment

Filming for Beautiful Wave

Posted on June 23, 2009 by hollybeck27

I’ve tried to be an actress a few times. There was Jr. High drama class, one year of high school drama, a few skits back when I was going to church camp in the summers, but nothing too serious. As a blonde-haired surfer girl living in LA with that “classic Californian” look, I’ve been invited to audition for a few commercials. After I was at the top of the pack but still turned down by Coke, Dodge, and NetZero, I had pretty much given up. I even read for the lead of Blue Crush and a few other pilots by the same director with no success.

Finally, last summer Microsoft thought I was cool enough to use and I had my first acting job. All I had to do was ride a longboard at tiny Leo Carillo and read a few lines like “I’m a PC and I ride longboards”. It was a fun day, I made a little money, and was stoked for the next few months every time I deposited a residual check. It also built up my confidence a bit.

When a friend of a friend called to tell me about a new independent feature film called Beautiful Wave, “a coming of age story about surfers but not necessarily about surfing,” it caught my interest. I was asked to drive to Burbank to read for one of the main characters. In the past I shied away from those sorts of things, but this time I really liked the character and embraced the opportunity.

I felt confident at the audition and left feeling good about it. The director even emailed me the next day to let me know that I was his first pick for the character but that the money guy in Dubai would be making the final decision. I was cautiously excited.

Of course, the money guy in Dubai liked another more experienced actress better even though she didn’t surf at all. The director apologized and promised to write me into the script somehow.

I ended up playing the part of a lifeguard that gives the main character a couple of tips in the water at Malibu and pushes her into a few waves. Once again it ended up being an incredibly fun couple of days with great people including the orignial Gidget, Kathy Kohner Zuckerman. Stoked! I can’t wait to see the finished project.

Posted in Adventure Stories | Tagged actress, holly beck, independent film, surfing | 2 Comments

High Tide and Offshore

Posted on June 8, 2009 by hollybeck27

Posted in Surf Life Nicaragua, Videos | Leave a comment

Living the Simple Life

Posted on June 8, 2009 by hollybeck27

Two weeks in and time has slowed down. We’ve settled into a routine of chores.
Living takes all day.
living can be exhausting

Up before the sun, light the stove, boil the water, top off the coffee cups with a layer of whip cream, sweep the bat guano out the screen door, pet the dog sleeping on the porch, slurp delicious sweet caffeine while sitting in a plastic chair and appreciate the sun rising through clouds over the volcano.

well pumping

High tide mornings send us slipping through a barbed-wire fence, taking a quick walk down to the beach to paddle out. Low tide mornings mean there’s time for chores before the sun gets too high and hot. Well pumping, bucket carrying, garden watering, weed pulling, rock moving, hole digging, fruit tree planting, dish washing, clothes washing, hanging to dry on the clothesline.

using a nail to put holes in a rusty old paint can and turn it into a planter. when the only solution to trash is burning or recycling, there’s good incentive to get creative.

filling the bottom with sand and rocks for drainage

filling with topsoil

baby watermelon sprouts

harvesting basil for pasta

chopping pasta ingredients by candlelight

showering by candlelight

fighting back crabgrass

Drive an hour to town to buy bricks, windows, wood, cement, groceries. Oversee the construction crew as blocks become walls.
the youth dance team showed up to ask for donations for costumes

buying ice at the local town

Drive five minutes to a smaller town for ice, eggs, tomatoes. Chicken costs just under $2 a pound and it’s all free range.

Starting the wood fire just before sunset. BBQ meat while the dog waits patiently and politely for scraps. Eating inside on the floor to avoid the hassle of keeping candlelight-attracted bugs out of the salsa. Asleep just after dark. 7:30pm.

Our vicious guard dog, barking at the local surf kids who always wave on their way home

teaching Ducha to sit

Waking before 5am to start the cycle again.
Enjoying the moment. Living in the right now.

Posted in Surf Life Nicaragua | Leave a comment

Surfers Without Borders plant some seeds

Posted on May 30, 2009 by hollybeck27

I met Aubrey Falk almost ten years ago on the North Shore. We were both staying near Rocky Point for a couple of months and became insta-buddies for the trip. It’s great to find inspired, independent, easy going, intelligent, ripping surfer girls and Aubrey definitely fit the description. I then went off to do the WQS for a few years and Aubrey continued living the cruising artistic nomadic lifestyle. I have finally decided that her path is a little more appealing. She’s hooked up with permaculture and sustainability guru Loren Luyendyk to create an organization called Surfers Without Borders. Click here for their website and here for their blog.

Aubs and Loren are traveling through Latin America, mostly focusing on Mexico, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, spreading the word and teaching people how to live more sustainably. They offered to help us get our vegetable garden going and we were grateful for the assistance!

Loren, Aubrey, and our caretaker, Osmar getting the ground ready for seeding.

Seeds of change….

After making neat, easy to water rows, we started putting seeds in the ground. Tomatoes, chiles, chard, cucumbers, and even eggplant!

Our buddy Boris can’t resist getting his hands dirty and has helped us plant a few things over the last couple of years. Boris is the team captain and catcher of the local champion baseball team!