When will I get to surf again?

It’s been two weeks now and my stitches are out and I got off the crutches a few days ago.

But the leg not healing as fast as we thought it would. And the scar will be ugly enough to warrant questions for the rest of my life. I’ll just have to sit on the beach and watch for now while David shoots the surfing. Oh well…

This handmade Get Well card came in from a good friend and we had quite a laugh over it so we thought we’d share it with you.

Peace and Aloha to all,

Donna

Your Favorite Belt “Talia” Now Available in Size Large / Discount Code

You asked for it, you got it! The ever popular hand beaded “Talia” belt is now available in size large.

ALSO: 10% off for all myspace friends at my online shop. Use the code “FRIEND” at checkout and get 10% off everything in both stores Betty Belts and Essential Surf Company. Choose from all my handmade jewelry and belts, and all the goods at Essential including Surf Videos, Books, Clothing, Packs, Travel Bags, Leashes, Wax, and lots more!

Don’t let the Targets, Hollisters and Walmarts of the world keep profiting from stolen ideas from young designers. Be authentic, buy authentic!

Peace and Aloha everyone!

Donna

My Worst Surf Injury

Owwwwww!
Yesterday the waves were SOOO GOOOD at the Sea Wall! I went out and was having a great session with a friend who came up from LA, sharing lefts and rights. Then my fiance David paddled out to join and what is the first thing I did?
I RAN him over! I didn’t mean to! Really, I didn’t!

David was just fine, only a small whack on the head, but I took the nose of his board in my calve and got a gash that required over 30 stitches (interior and exterior). The truly bizarre aspect of this is that my Body Glove wetsuit not only protected me from worse injury (it somehow came out of this ordeal unscathed, no hole, no tear, not even a weakening of the neoprene!), it also served to hold my leg closed on the way to the emergency room. It was the worst cut David had ever seen in almost 40 years of surfing. I didn’t even want to look at it. The hostpital staff kept saying stuff like “That’s a good one”. The doc who sewed me up seemed to know what he was doing, so I’m hoping I won’t be too scarred up.

Now I’m stuck on my back for at least two days, not allowed to move the leg AT ALL. But David is taking really good care of me. I am marrying such a wonderful guy!

Thank God for laptops and TV too!

Aloha,

Donna

Images from Hawaii

Here are some of the images from our recent trip to Hawai’i. They are stills from the movie David is making about the Hawai’ian culture. It’s going to be an amazing film that will take your breath away. More about this as it develops! Stay tuned…

Just back from Hawai’i / Betty Belts Sponsoring Two Contests this Weekend

Wow! What can I say, ten beautiful work filled days in Hawai’i, The Duke Kahanamoku Ocean Fest, The World Tandem Surfing Championships and a lot of good friends. David and I went with a small crew to shoot for a documentary about the history of the sport (surfing) and Hawai’i, which I helped him on. I often assist him and do hair and make-up on shoots so that we can travel together. They shot for six days at Waikiki, in and out of the water, interviewing icons of the surfing world including the original Gidget, Jehrico Popplar and the big Hawaiian surfing families.

Find out more about the Duke Ocean Fest and tandem surfing here:
duke foundation

I also had the opportunity to have my company Betty B. sponsor the World Tandem Surfing Championships, which was a very exciting event in the sexy world of Tandem surfing to say the least.

It was very exciting for me to see the men and women of the tandem couples wearing my jewelry throughoout the event. For the first time, I included some men’s styles in my sponsorship package.

I will plan on doing more of that, starting with the C-Street contest this weekend (Sept. 16th and 17th) at Surfer’s Point in Ventura and the Donnie Solomon PRO Am Memorial contest further up the beach from there (Pipe). Click on the links to find out more and how to enter.
C-Street Longboard Contest
Western Surfing Association

Betty Belts Wins Surfers Path Green Wave Award!

Wow, I just found out Betty Belts won the First Annual Surfer’s Path Green Wave Award! This is amazing!

See press release below:

June 9, 2006
The Surfers Path Magazine’s 1st Annual
Green Wave Awards: The Winners

Is surfing really at one with nature?

New York and London (June 9, 2006) The latest issue of THE SURFERS PATH magazine, hitting the shelves and doorsteps now, announces the winners of the 1st Annual Green Wave Awards, for excellence and achievement in promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness in the surfing world.
Winners include a small surfboard company in the UK dedicated to manufacturing boards made entirely from natural materials; relief organizations that helped survivors after the 2004 tsunami and continue to offer crucial medical help to people in the remote, surf-blessed islands of Indonesia; a leading US outdoor clothing brand that incorporates environmental and social responsibility into its every fiber; and individuals who have helped save whole stretches of coastline and ensure cleaner seas for millions of people.
Surfing involves an intimate relationship with raw, dynamic nature, said Alex Dick-Read, founding editor of The Surfers Path. The essence of our sport is to be at one with the power of the ocean. Yet many of the products and processes we surfers rely on contribute to the damage being done to the atmosphere, the oceans, and the coastlines of the world. These awards aim to highlight the numerous positive moves within our surfing sphere towards making surfing a clean, sustainable and beneficial activity.
A year ago readers of The Surfers Path were invited to nominate inspiring surf-related organizations, companies, or individuals in any of these categories: Surfboard Manufacturing Companies, Surf Apparel Companies, Surf Accessory Companies, Surf Travel Companies, Surf-related Nonprofit Organizations, Surf-related Media & Publishing Entities, Individuals Who Surf, and an annual grand-prize winner: The Emerald Path Award.
Winners were chosen from the hundreds of nominees sent in by readers. The response to this was really quite incredible, said the magazines US Editor, Drew Kampion. The scope of surfers efforts for the environment and the planet is enormous, and gaining momentum all the time. While it was tough to single out winners, we feel the results reflect the exceptional efforts of the many organizations, individuals, and companies which understand our the worlds desperate need for sustainable human lifestyles, especially among surfers.
The prestigious overall prize, the Emerald Path Award, is shared between the UKs Chris Hines, now Sustainability Director of the Eden Project and formerly founding director of Surfers Against Sewage, and Glenn Hening, a California academic and visionary in the surfing world who co-founded the powerful US coastal protection body, Surfrider Foundation, and now heads up the Groundswell Society.
The Green Wave and Emerald Path awards include commendations featuring the work of celebrated California surf artist Rick Reitveld.
These awards will happen annually because we want to continue to highlight the positive efforts of the surfing community, to keep the pressure on our own tribe and our industry, and to spread the word that surfing really can and should be at one with nature, said Kampion.
The Green Wave Awards are a presentation by the editors of The Surfers Path in conjunction with Permanent Publishing and SustainAbility. For more information, visit: www.surferspath.com/greenwave and www.sustainability.com
The Surfers Path is the worlds only truly green surf magazine. The bimonthly publication is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper processed without chlorine bleach and printed with non-GMO soy inks.

Categories and Winners:

Emerald Path Award: Chris Hines (Eden Project, SAS – UK) and Glenn Hening (Groundswell Society, SRF -USA)
Surfboard Manufacturing Companies: Ocean Green Surfboards (Cornwall, UK)
Surf Travel Companies: BoardX (Belgium)
Surf-Related Media and Publishing Entities: EcoSurf Project (UK)
Surf Apparel Companies: Patagonia (California, USA)
Surf Accessory Companies: Betty Belts (California, USA)
Individuals Who Surf: Brett McElheny (Oahu, Hawaii)
Surf-Related Nonprofit Organizations: SurfAid International and Surfzone Relief Organization (Indonesia and California)

Contacts:
Alex Dick-Read (Founding Editor, UK) alex@surferspath.com
Drew Kampion (US Editor) drew@surferspath.com