San Luis Obispo Senior High

Figuring out the "re-admit slip" routine so we could get back into classes missed when the surf was REALLY good.

Hanging out in "surfers corner" and talking about the important things in life (waves, tides, girls, parties, etc.).

Those big keg parties where just about anyone in the school who liked to "party" would show up, regardless of group or "clique".

That was the "coolest" thing I think, being in high school and having fun times with lots of different people. OK, not ALL of it was fun, but it WAS a pretty great place to be during those "formative" years. I actually can't imagine having had a better high school experience. Do they still make high school experiences like that? For the sake of today's kids, I sure hope so.

Returned, visited my family, now living in Mammoth Lakes. Stayed to evolve from surf bum into ski
bum.

My parents bought an old lodge that summer, which our whole family (9 Asher's plus some spouses, etc.) lived & worked at over the next 10 years.

Visited Ben Beauchamp, living on his families property near Hearst Castle. Stayed 4 months before we both went to Mammoth to run the funky little café at my families lodge, due to my "extensive" restaurant experience; several months washing dishes at Jolly King Restaurant on Madonna Rd. and a summer working at PJ's burger stand in Avila.

Ben moved to the Ananda commune (western Sierras), and later died there due to a congenital stomach blockage condition. He was a really good friend whom I still miss a lot.

Started Cuesta, transferred to Cal Poly as a business major. Hated that so left and worked at two jobs to finance traveling.

Flew to New Zealand, bicycled & hiked around for 3 months, (& visited & surfed w/ Ian Johnston, class of '74).

Traveled around Australia, flew to Singapore, through Malaysia and Thailand.

Flew to Athens, visited some Greek Islands, Turkey, back into Greece, over to Italy and up into the rest of Europe. Camped & surfed near the French / Spanish border, then to England & Scotland and back to U.S.

Returned to Cal Poly, graduated in Graphic Design.

Hired by Club Med to do stage set design (at the Copper Mountain, Colorado ski village, then the West Indies Island of St. Lucia (started windsurfing).

Moved to San Francisco, worked for a small design firm, then for myself (plus windsurfing, surfing,
skiing & snowboarding when possible!)

Married last fall to a wonderful woman, on the Cambria ranch property Ben Beauchamp's family owns.

Now in the process of moving to Maui, cause I'm TOO OLD for the cold California water.

The "coolest" thing about the last 25 years is that I somehow have bungled my way into doing most of the things I really wanted to. I have a lot of gratitude for my parents and the life changes / moves they have made, and for the fact that my family actually LIKES to spend time together.

During the 5 years since our last reunion: Moved to Maui to surf, windsurf, and raise a family, though not necessarily in THAT order...which probably explains why I rarely surf / windsurf anymore, except sometimes on Sunday afternoons with my family in small, gentle surf on big boards!

and...I AM NOW LEARNING TO PLAY THE BAG PIPES! My mother is a red haired, fair skinned, blue-eyed lass whose maiden name is MacDonald. Both of her parents grew up on Cape Breton Island, Canada, which many say is "more Scottish than Scotland". So growing up, Scottish culture was always part of our family, though sort of subliminally, submerged below the dominant California culture we were surrounded by. Our son was born - like my mother and also my father-in-law - a fair skinned, blue-eyed red-head (yes, PERFECT physical characteristics for living and surfing in the intense sun of Hawaii!). Thus his traditional Scottish names "Innes Muir". Anyhow, there is (somewhat surprisingly) a small but very active local Scottish band here, the "Maui Celtic Pipes and Drums". We kept seeing them marching in parades, at craft faire's, etc. At one of these occasions I innocently said to my wife "I would like to learn to play the bagpipes someday". Meaning, you know, in that mythical future time when I actually had "free time" again, and was totally "caught up" (i.e. - probably never). But, for some strange reason she took me at my word and arranged through one of the pipe band members to purchase a "practice chanter" and get me set up with lessons as a Christmas present. Yikes, and I don't even have time for my great passions in life: surfing and windsurfing! The good thing though is that I can practice at home, without driving 20 minutes minimum each way as for surfing / windsurfing. And, it's FUN to be learning a musical instrument, though admittedly you may need to be of Scottish ancestry to consider bag pipes a musical instrument. So, THAT new interest is something I think is pretty cool...possibly a sign that I truly AM getting older!?