Indian Summer, from the Target's notebook.

Snagging a shoulder as the chop began to outstrip the clean laundry.
Hurricane Michael still in the southern distance. 65th Street break, 10/10/2018.

    Due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Michael we had once again moved our beach night to a Wednesday. But, another important element remained. Though summer officially ended several weeks ago, we have been enjoying a continual Indian Summer. With air temps in the 80's, humidity in the 90% range, and the Atlantic still in the lower 70s, the jackets (and rubber suit) remained in the closet.

However, this evening's session was most likely the last warm one of our season. Cooler, autumnal temperatures are expected to come racing onto the shore next week. Chilled winds, and cold nights will mean dropping degrees in the ocean as well. Thus as LWatt and I sat and kept watch in the twilight, we took comfort in the last warm days that always seem to slip by too quickly. Wattman spent his time focused on the horizon, looking for that elusive crest point. It seemed the best wave of the night happened just before my untimely late arrival, and unfortunately LWatt missed the pic. No proof of a ride meant no said incident. Darkness descended quickly. Mid-tide and a strong northbound current combined with little sunlight made judging waves more of a guessing game than skill. But with prospects of thigh to waist, Watt didn't leave the field of battle that easily. After a number of attempts, a couple of clutch frontsides were secured and the night came to a close, as much by lack of light as by choice.

   A mid-week night is not a busy one in the off-season. Needless to say, as we stood outside the locked doors of Brass Balls Saloon, I became cognisant of the fact that Wattman forgot to check to see if the bar would be open. After getting over his dismay and a brief discussion, we headed downtown and made a quick detour into Pickles Pub on 8th. We had been here before, more than once, the last as Spring was taking hold...always seemed to have a crowd. The Pickles following are mostly locals, service workers looking for a laid back night out. So, I was surprise when we found the innards of the bar was filled with an eclectic mix of blue and white collars. Half price specials loaded the place up as we got the last seats at the bar. This place was set up; pool tables, video games, lots of tv's and a combo big screen/stage in the corner. However, our first order of business were cold beverages. 25 plus brews on tap. Served up in fancy, chilled, beer chalices, LWatt and I both went with a sour beer while Watt got a local IPA.

We ordered the half price special, The Big Kahuna, a half-pound angus beef burger topped with pineapple, bacon, cheddar, spices, and a special sweet chili sauce on the side. We'd seemed to have had a good run with burgers lately, and this one did not disappoint. Next we had the Wing Dust, a mix of Old Bay with a hint of cinnamon. Again, we all agreed they were above average wings with an original take on the dry rub Old Bay. Lastly the major disappointment, and I mean Major Disappointment, were the Pork Tacos. The pork was very dry and hard to chew. The cheese, lettuce, and salsa inside were almost non-existent. Only one of us was able to finish...Wattman- big surprise. One must wonder how is this possible, as we have had tacos at several locations recently that were big time fails. Tacos should be one of the easiest things for any kitchen staff to make. As we finished our chow and Watt downed his second brew, we realized the crowd in the room had started to change over to a slightly younger version of ourselves. So with tab paid, the Patrol moved out. We gotta say, Pickles was true to it's name...a local legend for all locals and those in the know.

THE RATINGS-

The Big Kahuna Burger: B+

Wing Dust: B

Pork Tacos: D-

Beer: A-

Atmosphere: B

Value: B

Overall Score = 2.79