Check p. 23 of your Windblown Witness...

[ttweed]

Not a PCA event, doesn't have anything to do with P-cars, but you are all invited anyway!

As some of you know, I have an alter ego named Stewart Parks. He got his handle from the maiden names of one of his great-grandmothers and one of his grandmothers. This guy is a writer and just published a surf-themed novel--a story about a kid named Bob B. Pilhaus (BP or "Beep" for short) growing up in the surf culture of San Diego during the turbulent decade of the '60s. This Stewart fellow has quite an imagination, and of course none of the things he writes about really happened--it's all a bunch of fiction, but I couldn't make the guy shut up. He said it all just had to come out, somehow, and he would change all the names to protect the guilty...

Anyway, we've finally scheduled the formal book launch event for Beep! Beyond the Frogpond and Back at the California Surf Museum in Oceanside for Thursday, May 13th. Susan B. was kind enough to allow us to buy a one-time ad in the WW to invite you all. The author will be available to "meet and greet," answer questions, and sign copies of the book from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Museum, 312 Pier View Way, Oceanside, CA, 92054. Admission is always free on Thursdays at the museum, so you can check out their new exhibit, WOW (Women on Waves), presenting the history of women in surfing, at the same time. All profits from the sale of books at the event will benefit the museum. Donations are always appreciated, naturally, to help maintain their mission of preserving and presenting the history of surfing and its culture. It's a worthy effort, IMHO, and we want to support them.

The launch event coincides with MainStreet Oceanside's “Sunset Market” evenings, which is a fun event by itself. From 5:00-9:00 pm in downtown O’side, they close off about 4 square blocks by the pier for an open-air farmer’s market/street fair, including vendors selling everything from fresh organic produce to prepared food of every description, as well as arts and crafts booths, a bandstand for live entertainment and street musicians wandering through the crowd, etc. It’s really a casual and cool family-type event, and very well-attended.You can stop in at the museum to check out our event, then buy some dinner from a street fair vendor, maybe shop for some fresh fruits and veggies to take home, listen to some music, mingle with the crowds, do some "people-watching," take a twilight walk out on the pier, or whatever. Free parking can be found on Cleveland Ave. (there are big parking lots, but they fill up fast!)

Hope to see you there! More details about the book launch event, directions, etc., are available on the Event page at the Museum's website: http://www.surfmuseum.org/events.htm Basically, you go up the I-5, get off on Mission, go west to Cleveland, and try to find a place to park by the pier. More info on the book is available on the publisher's website: http://plowsharemedia.com/beep.htm
You can find Stewart Parks on Facebook now, too: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=703432261#!/?ref=home

Aloha and mahalo,
TT (aka Stewball)

[John Straub]

Tom...this sound like fun...see you there!

John

[Jackie C]

Finally! Congrats Tom. We'll be there.

[Rsylvestri]

Congrats Tom!!

I'll see if Jeff and I can make Thursdays event

[Otto]

Congratulations Renassaince Man Will be there to celebrate your accomplishment.

[mrondeau]

Tom,

Congratulations. Read the first part of the book and I'm looking forward to reading the rest. I'll try to make it to help you celebrate.

Otto, Nice Avatar!!

[gulf911]

Great accomplishment Tom! Congratulations !

[ttweed]

Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone! It should be a fun event. I invited my surf club too, so there should be an interesting mix of folks there.

C'ya,
TT