Never Say Never, from the Watt's notebook.

Sun sets on an iconic journey. Empty break, 66th and Holiday's.

We had joy we had fun

We had Seasons in the Sun

But the beer and the song

Like the seasons have all gone

-Terry Jacks ed.

     Been thinking about this one for a while. As one may have noticed, it's been a year and a half... Christmas season 2022... since our last post. Now, I understand that nothing lasts forever. One could blame Covid. But, everyone blames Covid. I mean, let's face it, politically driven or otherwise it was a global pandemic. Hell, businesses are going belly up everyday. Why blame management, or a poor product when you got Covid?! No. It wasn't Covid. Just Life. Family. Jobs. Health. It's like going to the gym. You have the routine, the commitment. And then the unforeseen, lasting interruption. Hard to get restarted. And we didn't. As the Grateful Dead reminisced, "lately it has occurred to me, what a long strange trip it's been."

Crew MIA.

     When we began this trek, there were six of us. 2001. The year of the 911 attacks. A mid-week break slicing the OCMD waves, big or small, to blow off steam from the work week (really) and the stress of the nation (sorta, but not really). Then finishing off the job with wings and beer at Smitty McGees in West Fenwick, DE. Word spread and we quickly grew to a Team of 11. Even had our own free website. We were a thrifty bunch. Families grew. Addresses shifted. Conditions changed. We shrunk to three. The Crew. The Cheeky One hung with us for a while. The surf was the focal point, but an added challenge of finding and rating the ideal post-surf tavern became the backbone. Combined, we built a camaraderie that lasted year 'round. I looked forward to 'em each week.

More life changes and the Target and I became a Crew of two, squeezing the lines in the surf each week, snapping the elusive action shots, and ripping through local foodie establishments until at one point, we began doing repeats as we began running outta places to critique. We made it through my move to Chicago for a year and a half, and picked up without missing a beat when I moved back, my wife joining the Crew's weekly Revivals.

     Which brings me back to present day. Like Lady Atlantic, conditions- always changing, always unpredictable, not to be controlled. Severance usually means it's over, never to return. However, I am a firm believer in the cliché, "Never Say Never." I mean, even when you graduate High School, or College, there's always reunions, right? Yeah, that's it! A Reunion. Friends getting together. Have the surf. Break the bread. Score it. Post it. Or not. In closing I say I will miss the stoke of our weekly jaunts, and echo the thoughts of the Target, "I will always be grateful to be part of our Crew. It was an incredible journey that I will never forget."

"What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is!

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!"

-Senator John Blutarsky