New Hobby at 50

Went surfing for the very first time this weekend in SoCal and what a blast! Never thought that surfing could be so exhilarating. Only wish I had started this oh so long ago when I was a youth (seeing my 11 & 14 yr olds pop up on the boards was one of the best things I ever saw of them). Big thanks to my cuz's husband who has been a lifelong "surfer dude" who showed us the way and was oh so patient.

Anyone else try this at such a late age?

I liken this to when I discovered reggae music on the beach in Mexico; never knew what it was until really did it.

 

Congrats. Better late than never. Now you know what a lot of us have known for a long, long time.
Time to learn the vernacular: You were stoked.

 

Being the same age, I am both happy for and impressed by you, Q!

For me, since I'm still active physically, I'm going to try the acoustic guitar. I can't sing, nor dance, nor read music, but it's something I've always wanted to try so why the hell not, right?

Thanks for the motivation, friend..

 

Sailing school, blues harmonica and a return to ultimate Frisbee are on my recreational to-do list. But I would definitely try surfing under the right circumstances, which is to say the absence of sharks in the water.

 

Tripindicular, dude! Which beach were you at?

I've written a bunch of stories about a local oil painter in the gallery who was a newspaper ad director for 20 years, retired, moved back home, couldn't find a job then picked up a paint brush for the first time in his life and began painting like a master. He was 47.

 

Don't worry. Not being able to sing or read music has never stopped anyone from learning guitar.

 

You give me hope, qt -- I've always wanted to try it since I moved out here almost 20 years ago, but the timing hasn't been right and doesn't seem to be getting any more right as the years pass. Next year, baby!

 

Which beach, qt? My son graduated hs this spring, played sports all four years, and took up surfing with some buddies this summer. He loves it.

I've taken up ocean swimming, which I have never done before, this summer. I am doing a mini tri at the end of the summer. I bought a swimming wetsuit.

Ocean swimming is really hard for me.

 

I wish I had taken up surfing when I was young.
No plan to do it at 43, but it always interested me.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/magazine/im-with-stupid.html?_r=0

 

Thank you... I needed that!

 

I'm with you, Colton. I'm 46 and always wanted to play. I actually picked up a Stratocaster and and amp and dove in... and quickly remembered why I bailed on the earlier attempts. It's, you know... hard. But I'm determined to go after it again and make it stick.

My 15 year old has been playing for a year now and he's amazingly good. I'm in the process of converting a spare bedroom into a music room, and I'll feel like a jackass if I do that and don't learn the guitar.