Slackers and Other Beach People

Walking along the beach in Santa Barbara is a favorite past time of many people, be they locals or tourists. It's a great place to take in the sun, surf, sand, and "local color" (read: weirdos). I mean, people love to people-watch and there's always a lot to look at among the palm trees: homeless folks, in-line skaters zipping past, joggers of all shapes and sizes, surry bike parties, segway enthusiasts, sand sculptors, and even musicians (OK, really just people plugging away at guitars or various percussion instruments). Well, in addition to all that you may now add "slackliner."

Slacklining is a hobby my hubby picked up last year. He really enjoys it and I gave it a whirl when he first bought his gear and I immediately didn't like it. For some reason balancing on some nylon webbing just didn't float my boat.

Tim is getting pretty good now. He can walk backwards, turn, jump onto it, sit mount, and other cool stuff. He wants to include Germany to our itinerary so that he can participate in their 2nd annual slackline festival. Well, if I'm going to be in another country surrounded by a couple hundred slackers, then I want to slack, too! So yesterday afternoon we went to Santa Barbara, set up his line between some palm trees next to the bike path, and I gave it another try. At first, I needed Tim to help me mount the line and help me balance. Then, it was his turn to show off to me and be an object of much commentary amongst the passersby. We continued in this manner for over an hour, me improving until I didn't need him to get up on the line anymore! I could even stand for a few seconds all by myself! My goal is to be able to get on and walk all the way across and start to turn around by the time we get to Germany. I want to be part of the slacker-crowd and not a spectator.

Anyway, the nicest part is that this is another thing we can do together. And folks can point and stare at the both of us! XD