Christian, Greyson and I will be taking off for Europe soon. We'll be traveling with Julian Schnabel, surfing, going to various events, getting some good culture in us, working on some art. Just making the best out of a great opportunity for pretty much the whole month of September. [caption id="attachment_1447" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Julian and Greyson during some down time in New York."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1448" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Summer in New York 2011"][/caption]

When we weren't shuttling around from one event to another ("Flip Flops and Popsicles" art presentation at the Tripoli Gallery, and the Hamptons International Film Festival showing of "Savage Beast" and "Supernatural"), our down time was spent hanging out with Julian Schnabel at his palatial Manhattan digs. While I loved checking out the breathtaking view of the Empire State Building from Julian's living room, and watching Courtney Love dance (per my request) and strum her guitar at Julian's outdoor art studio, after an intense day of skateboarding, Christian and Greyson enjoyed beating down the summer heat by lounging around and swimming in the Schnabel family pool. Or maybe I should clarify. Greyson so much didn't lounge around and swim; He ran and leaped into thin air, literally making a lasting impression with his photogenic splashes. Look at him. He's having the time of his life! [caption id="attachment_1413" align="alignnone" width="401" caption="Ready to launch."]...

[caption id="attachment_1375" align="alignnone" width="333" caption="Greyson and Christian Fletcher at Julian Schnabel's House."][/caption] I spent much of July in New York, and depending on who you've been talking to, I was there for a variety of reasons. The heat was, often times, agonizing and unbearable. But despite the exhaustion from that, I really enjoyed my time on the East Coast; from Montauk to Manhattan, I was hanging with the natives. First came Tripoli Gallery's presentation of "Flip Flops and Popsicles", where my artwork was featured. I had several pieces displayed there and it was a really good opportunity for me to expand my works in front of a broader audience. (http://www.tripoligallery.com/) Then came the Hamptons International Film Festival where my surf movies, "Savage Beast" and "Supernatural" were featured. Long-time family friend and ...

Quiksilver recently flew out Christian and I to New York for a promotional kick-off and VIP book party. The book is a collaboration by Jamie Brisick and Mike Moir and is entitled, "The Eighties At Echo Beach". It features a colorful cast of characters (including Christian tearing it up as a grom) with, what else?... Astrodeck on their boards, all along that stretch of water and sand popularized in Newport. The book has imagery that can be described as nothing but full-on '80s attitude and glam, in and out of the water. While we were in New York, I got to demonstrate on how to apply Astrodeck. Check out that Pottz Front Foot pad! Haven't seen one of those in awhile, huh? And look at the boards, too. How's that for New Wave retro? Pretty cool, right? I don't care how long I've been doing this and how many times I've applied ...

So we just got the report in, and it seems like Herbie's trip to New York was a great success. He met a lot of new people -cool people - hung out, explored SoHo, and even sold an art piece. Seriously, how rad is that? Despite the frigid temperature, New York and its inhabitants were more than welcoming to Herb and he had a blast. Herbie stayed with artist Julian Schnabel at Julian's place. Julian's son, Vito, who is the curator for the art show that Herbie is featured in (Brucennial 2010: Miseducation), was at opening night wearing a Christian Fletcher t-shirt. So sick. And as is always the case, Herbie's back here in good ole San Clemente, already back to the grind with other numerous projects in the works. Among them, he's working on restoring all the old Wave Warriors series and Adrenaline Surf Series so all you guys out there ...