OAM: Balsa Bill sends me to bring a gift to Guilhem (French for William) AKA Balsa

Everything I am about to write here is true.  In a creative and embellished sort of a way.  But honestly true as I remember it.  And some parts are even truer than other parts.  And there are more than a few coincidences besides my role in connecting Balsa Bill and Balsa Guilhem (William). But let me get to the story, and then you decide what is truly true and what is merely true.

I travel a bit.  Occasionally with my wife on her business trips, other times on my own or with others to surf.  Each time I go, one of the first questions is whether there is a Sways builder anywhere near and can I drop in a say hey.  I had wanted to meet Guilhem and see his cool stubbie boards for a long time.  So, I convinced my wife that because her ancestors were French, we should go to France, burn up her frequent flyer miles (I love my wife for many reasons, this being just one, albeit a big one) and see the country with people who cannot seem to pronounce the letter “n” on the end of a word. Maybe drink some wine, eat foie gras, and generally put on a few pounds.  And while we are at it, drive 16 hours on tiny 2 lane roads all the way to Biaritz so I can meet Guilhem and see his shop, surf, and check out the topless girls on the beach.  That last part, while true, was actually sold to my wife as a leisurely trip through medieval rural France sampling the food and wine of Bordeaux and visiting the scenic Basque county, rich in history and culture.  She bought in. 

Well, I hate to go without a gift, and knowing full well that I would second-guess anything I did too early, I waited until two days before leaving to get a Cocoa Beach area tee shirt for Guilhem.  Short on time, the idea was sounding really good at that point.  But I needed help.  I called Mike Daniel and begged a favor.  Mike had the brilliant idea of going ½ block over to Balsa Bill’s shop and getting one of Bill’s really cool surfboard tee shirts.  He would find it, and use my FedEx number to send it to me in time for me to pack it for the trip.  Everything was looking good for a glimpse of those topless chicks (that of course being only part of the reason to go to France.)

OK, now here is one of the really true parts.  Mike was in the store, working with Bill to find the shirt, when he heard a strange language being spoken by some customers nearby.  They were not pronouncing the “n” on the ends of their words.  You see where this is going?

Mike please pick up the story here.  (Don’t forget the secret code word, the mother of pearl letter opener and strange man in the beret).   I’m going to upload some pictures tonight and we will see if Guilhem will add some to the story.   

Afterwards, I will add a little piece on why you should not let your wife meet the wife of another Swaylockian and compare notes,  and what  means for how much time you are actually allowed to use the home computer from that point forward.

 

Mike, you there?

Bonjour, Greg! I'll be glad to pick up the story; but I gotta tell the first part from my POV also.....

It's a miracle I was even able to take part in this incredible coincidence. I had just finished my shaping for the day about 30 minutes earlier than I expected. I had an appointment I needed to get to, but when Greg called, I was just realizing I had a few minutes to kill and was thinking about cleaning my shaping room or something like that. He explained his situation; leaving for France in 72 hrs, wanted a gift for balsa from Brevard County, needed it bought and FedEx'd ASAP. Lots of other times I would have had to say that I couldn't just drop everything and help; but it seemed like the timing of the call was just right, and helping someone out is always good, so I went with it. I suggested getting something from fellow Sways member balsabill, because Bill has some cool shit and he's very close to my business.

So five minutes later I walk in Bill's surfshop/museum. He's there, which also made this possible. I told him what was going on (he had met GT at the Florida Fish Fry last October 31). We found a T-shirt and Bill volunteered to throw in a copy of his classic DVD, "The Summer of '67''. and the soundtrack CD. Bill also offered to put the whole lot in a paid USPS Priority Mail envelope, so we called Greg to confirm address, etc. All I had to do from there was drop it at the PO.

About that time I noticed that the couple who had been browsing the shop while I monopolized Bill's time are ''not from around here''. Bill looks at me kinda funny and says, 'You know, I think they're from France''. I'm looking at the clock, thinking I don't really have time to find out where they're from, but again decide to just go with it...

We introduced ourselves to Cristophe and his wife, and told him that just by chance, I was in in the store to get a gift for one of his countrymen. Going out on a limb further, I asked if he might know a Guilhem Rainfray. He didn't quite ''get'' what I said, so I started to write it down for him. He exclaimed "YES". We all agreed that there was something strange going on here. What are the odds of something like this happening? I had to swear him to secrecy lest he tell Guilhem about this before Greg got there.

It also turns out that Cristophe was responsible for that vintage board meet that balsa posted a bunch of pics from last year. He owns some nice pieces.

Then the other day I get a PM from balsa. I started laughing before I even opened it up, knowing the gift had been delivered and the story told. We agreed to let GT get back from vacation before we shared the whole deal on here.

Glad I answered that phone call....

 

 

Heres another twist on the small world / French connection…

I’m on a week long, boat-in, surf trip to a remote area of Vancouver Island…Really remote…

We decide to go by boat to some hot springs for the evening…

At the dock of the hot springs, I hear French being spoken…

My mom was French so I go up to the couple who also spoke good enough English…

I first ask them if they are from France…“Yes”…

What is their hometown…???..“Lyon”…

"Wow, that’s where my mom grew up…!!!..‘’…

They ask my mom’s family name…“Mourelon”…

The woman is surprised, since that is the woman’s doctor’s name…

I ask her what is her doctors first name…“Annie”…My cousin…

This is all very, very far from civilization, accessible by boat or float plane only…

What are the odds…???..

Yeah, it’s a small world and those French are everywhere…

Paul, thanks for sharing that. When I suggested to Mike that we could do this thread, I pointed out that maybe other swaylockians would have experienced such strange coincidences. Here is another one.

 

OK, here’s my version. Some time ago, I got a few PMs from Greg Tate about his coming to France and can we meet and see my shop and talk stubbies. I didn’t think much of it but then he suggested to invite us (my wife Catherine and I) for lunch so I said “Yes, sure, that will be a real pleasure.” Greg added that he needed my size because he was planning to bring me a T-shirt, too. Hmmmmmhhh, free lunch, free t-shirt, not bad a deal after all… Worth spending some time with a complete unknown and showing my shop and work…

 

A few days before Greg arrives, I get a phone call from my friend Christophe who has just come back from the States. Chris goes there almost every year, looking for vintage surfboards and making connections there. He tells me a bit about his trip and, matter-of-factly says: “Oh, and I was in Balsa Bill’s shop in Florida… You know him, don’t you?” Well, yes, he’s another swaylockian, but I don’t know him personally. “And while I was there I met another guy you know: Mike something…” Oh yeah, sure, I know approximately 28 Mikes… Now, let’s see, a Mike in Florida?.. Gotta be Mike Daniel. So I say: “Was it Mike Daniel?” “YES! That’s him. Nice guy…” We keep on chatting and I think to myself: “Now, THAT is a coincidence: hundreds of miles from France, Christophe walks into a shop and it so happens that both guys he meets there are swaylockians and I know them more or less… Funny…” But, after all, swaylockians, just like frenchies, are everywhere, aren’t they?

 

So, I send a PM to Mike Daniel, saying something like “it’s a small world, isn’t it?” and I get a very strange reply, like “wait untill you know the whole story…” I start wondering. Looks like a secret plot or something… Bob Dylan’s words echo in my mind: “…and you know something is happening here, but you don’t know what it is… Do you, Mr Jones?”

 

Now, here comes Greg with his wonderful wife, whose name, incidentally, is Kathryn while mine is Catherine. Another weird coincidence? Or is that part of the plot, too? Well, to make a long story short, Greg and I seemed to get along quite well and our wives too. More on this later. I got a fine Balsa Bill T-shirt and Bill’s film and soundtrack and got to know “the whole story” and the “funny” coincidence turned to an “incredible” coincidence. Unfortunately, Greg and Kathryn didn’t have much time to spend in Guéthary as they had to board a train back to Paris so we just went through the shop, had lunch and showed them the way to the railway station. I suggested that they come back in September or so for some good waves (Greg and I) and visiting the Châteaux de la Loire (wives).

 

As Greg said: all of you out there, be careful: don’t let your wife meet another swaylockian’s wife. This is a terrible threat for all.

 

A few photos:

 

The “Vintage Surf Club” guys. Christophe is the one on the left in the front row.

 

 

That’s Greg in my shop:

Coincidences ha..

 

Now I am sure swaylocks is a front for the KGB, the CIA and the Maffia... they find you everywhere....

 

LOL!!

 

On a different note, Guilhem, your shaping room walls are not contrasted blue, when I first noticed this the building was still freshly built. Am I assuming that you simply never got round to painting it or is the contrasting blue wall a mythical bit of nonsense? Or does your supershaper's eye catch enough detail that you don't require the contrast?

 

Of course, the third answer is the correct one…

 

No, seriously, the first one. I know I should do it, but… Painting is easy and fast but i’m supposed to coat, first. And I suck at coating, I really do. And so my supershaper’s eye has to work twice as much. So I get tired earlier and, instead of coating walls, I just go sleeping… It’s a vicious circle.

someone put my board in Greg’s luggage!!!

 

I had forgotten about that first PM you sent me, and how I added to the mystery by responding that you didn't know the whole story yet. Sorry it kept you up at night, wondering what else was in store. I did prescribe some medicine to help you sleep, if you remember....

Anybody else got any ''incredible Swaylock's coincidence'' tales?