.......the money shot.......

.
.........Ninja training at 8am....you know....for someone going on 52 years old......sensai.....is one tuff mother f'er.....he is one person on the planet I would not want to tangle with.....his skills....power....and size....not to mention his past......makes him one lean.....mean......fit...."teddy bear"......and with the boss in the picture.....I know he bites his tongue.....eats a few slices of humble pie each month....and.....that is way more then he would like to or deserves too.....for that matter....anyhow.......back to training......I am a lanky....clumsy.....2 left foot havin....out of shape.....44 year old once was......and it feels like I am on dancing with the stars every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.....that I am healthy enough to train.......I know sensai thinks if you can breath you are healthy enough to train....but....to be honest......the best part about training is the kneeling on the slate stone dance floor of our dojo....then....deep breaths......head to the earth for thanks......shower with my clothes on......follow immediately by a dive in the pool.......thank god it's friday.....2 days off......so I celebrated by going to Ulu's.....once I am there......I decide to shoot....now there is a bit of technical stuff to do with the camera....before you put it in the housing and go in the water........today I f'ed up.....it was a card issue.....so I only had 135 shots.....I know that sounds like a lot......anyway.....I shot till I had 8 and came in......dropped the card on the boys.....and managed to put the housing on and off 3 times before I got everything right.....trying to rush.....so frustrating as the process takes 10 minutes or so.....I got it together.....finally......and went back for some more......a few of the indo pros were out.....as well as the local indo's......and even the tourists were surfing real well......I shot another 700 pictures......by the time I got to the top of the cave......the locals were blah blah-ing and saying stuff in Balinese that I knew was about me......anyway....i go shower....dry off bring the new card down to Dodo's....when Ropik says..."oh....pictures bagus"....I say some good ones?....he says not good.....the best.....once I pop my head in they are all gathered around looking at the computers.....needless to say I got some shots of some of the Balinese Pro's......a couple really good shots....like the one I labeled the money shot......it's of Gobleg......I am feeling more comfortable in the water......i am figuring where to sit.....on which tides......it's fun.....a challenge......and I feel good when I see the results......today I love my life.....my friends......and dinner......which is where I went after i got out of ulu's....to the Bandung where Petey joined me for a meal.....home for a slide show......a couple episodes of the unit.....and bed.....taking the potato chip out to the race track at dawn......we'll see how that goes.....it's an old board that was in Peanuts attic for the past 2 or 3 years.....small...thin(hence the title of "potato chip"....and out of my comfort zone to ride......good nite to Friday the 30th of April and the whole month of April actually......