SurfWriter Girls: May 2015

Friday, May 29, 2015

Summer Songs Countdown

SurfWriter Girls Top 10 Beach Songs

Written by SurfWriter GIrls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

With the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer almost here it’s time to start the countdown on the best beach songs for catching some waves and soaking up rays.

Whether it’s the words, the beat, the pulsing guitars or the synchronized harmonies, SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel’s list of Top 10 Beach Songs all evoke a feeling that makes you want to head to the beach.

So, get out the board wax and sun screen, load up your woodie and crank up the radio. Then let the countdown begin.

10. Surfer Girl, Beach Boys, plaintive and sweet

9. Ride the Wild Surf, Jan and Dean, energetic ode to surfing

8. Blue Hawaii, Elvis – romantic the way the King does it

7. Distant Shores, Chad and Jeremy, ballad of summer romance

6. Kokomo, Beach Boys, fun with a Caribbean flavor

5. Surfin’ Safari, The Beach Boys, makes you want to ditch everything and go surfing

4. Wipe Out, Surfaris, with a throbbing drum solo and sound of a board breaking

3. Ebbtide, The Righteous Brothers, romantic and sensuous with lush imagery

2. Surfin’ U.S.A., Beach Boys, an exuberant trek from one beach to the next

1. Surf City, Jan and Dean, a mythical place where it’s two to one and lots of fun

From vinyl to digital, beach music has set the tone for endless summer days and nights of sand, sea, and romance…and the beat goes on!

SurfWriter Girls

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Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Beyond Cactus – Lots of Choices

Color Your Garden Drought-Friendly!

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

With California in the middle of a serious drought now is the time to start thinking about low water-usage plants for your garden.

You might be surprised to know that there’s a wide variety of drought-friendly flowers, shrubs, trees, and ground cover that can give your garden a splash of color.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel learned that you can have a colorful, vibrant garden that’s low maintenance and beautiful at the same time. It just takes a combination of planning and planting.

The best way to start is by sectioning off a part of your garden and designating this for plants that require less water. By separating these drought-resistant plants from the others, you can ensure that both types of plants are watered properly.

SurfWriter Girl Patti’s husband Greg did this to part of their backyard...

and an area next to the driveway, replacing the grass with a variety of low-water usage plants.

Depending on your preferences and desired color palette, some drought-friendly plants to consider are:

Wild lilac, one of Sunny’s favorites.

California Poppy, a state classic

Western Redbud with bright purple-pink flowers

Island Snapdragon, rich, red flowers from the Channel Islands

San Diego Sunflower, a plant ready for any weather

Rockrose, evergreen shrubs with white, yellow, pink or purple flowers

Purple Smoke Tree, with stunning, dark purple leaves that change to scarlet in fall.

Citrus trees - orange, lemon, lime, and tangerine – add a burst of color with fragrant smells and delicious fruit to enjoy.

Coast Dudlyea succulents, known their coral color

Ice Plants – in yellow, orange, purple and red

When Surfrider Foundation Ocean Friendly Gardens specialist Greg Goran and his wife Sharon

decided to make their garden more water-efficient, they chose “several species of manzanitas, California fuschia, and a ton of drought tolerant succulents.”

One of the key features of the garden is that it is made up of about 80% native plants, including sages (clevlandii, black sage, and white sage), which are suited to a drier landscape.

Once you start planning your own garden, you’ll see that there are lots of options to choose from. For more ideas, contact the Surfrider Foundation and/or the California Native Plant Society.

By doing your research and adopting a phase-in/phase-out strategy that replaces water-thirsty plants with water-saving plants, you can have the colorful garden you want – one that’s beautiful for you...and beautiful for the environment.

SurfWriter Girls

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Monday, May 4, 2015

Have a Beach Burger Blast!

May is National Hamburger Month

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Popeye’s friend Wimpy would be in Hamburger Heaven if he could eat hamburgers every day for a whole month.

Did you know that Americans eat 48 billion hamburgers a year?

The hamburger got its name as early as 1896 when an article in the Chicago Daily Tribune newspaper called a 5-cent steak sandwich a “hamburger sandwich.”

The hamburger, which traces its origins to Hamburg, Germany, became an American star when it was served at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. And, by the 1950s it was being served at hamburger stands everywhere... including Hamburger Handout in Culver City, CA.

Today hamburgers have their own Facebook page – a definite sign that hamburgers have come into their own with some even going gourmet.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel find it hard to resist a good hamburger, especially when we’re relaxing at the beach.

If you really want to jumpstart your taste buds on a SoCal beach day, then make a pit stop at Sunny's favorite spot, Volcano Burgers (3652 Cerritos Avenue) in Los Alamitos, a restaurant that’s been making burgers for over 30 years.

You’ll get a hamburger ($2.59) unlike any other that you’ve tasted. When you see how big it is, with the ingredients spilling over the bun, you’ll be glad that the take-out orders come in boxes instead of bags.

The same goes for the chili cheese fries ($3.69), which are hard to consume in a single sitting.

The melted cheddar cheese covering the fries in lava-like splendor tells you that these fries are fit for a king or, in this case, a goddess – Pele, the Hawaiian Volcano Goddess. Be sure to ask for extra napkins. Lots of them!