Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Coming Back to Life

Hey everyone!  It's been a while.  Sol Stories was an incredible experience, but we decided we wanted to find a bigger way to give back. Here it is:

https://www.bravesea.org/



Tuesday, April 7, 2015

For the Children - Trailer - Sol Stories Ep. 3

 


Full Episode coming in May!
(yea I know, I know it should've been out months ago...)
Painting for auction for the Orphanage: (CasaHogarcabo.com) 
send your bid to Art@insearchofsol.com
(Acrylic on paper unframed)


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Lend a helping paw




Asociacion Pro Bienestar Animal - www.mckee-jaco.com  - is an animal rescue organization in Costa Rica saving lives one at a time.  How can you help them save lives?
1. Match my donation-- Send $$ to  http://mckee-jaco.com/about-us/
2. Volunteer
3. Foster a Rescue 
4. ADOPT a RESCUE!!
3. Share their website with your friends and family
4. Bid on the art auction by Gary Lynn by May 1th 2015 (Winner sends the money directly to the charity via Paypal, then we mail you the painting!) email your bid to art@insearchofsol.com.  Note: painting is unframed, acrylic on canvas.   )



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Action, Choices, and Attitude


 Three simple ideas to live by: 
1. Action:
good things come to those who go out and f**ing earn it
I love this quote because while I am a strong believer in the power of positive thought, I also believe that action, what you put into the world, is crucial.  You want to change? You want the world to change? Do something about it.  You are human.  Humans can do anything we set our minds to: we can fly into space, dive deep into the sea, harness electricity, create anything we dream...  we can do the most incredible things.  Why sit around complaining?  You are capable of AMAZINGNESS.

be patient waiting for the garden to grow, but remember you must plant the seeds, water the soil, and tend to the weeds so that it can. 2. Choices:  You will make good ones, you will make bad ones.  Learn from them.  Every choice we make affects the world around us and the world in turn affects us. There are thousands of simple ways to save the world every day. Just  make the compassionate, intelligent, brave choice. 

3. Attitude:  Imagine that you are working toward your goal, but stressed out and fearful.  Then you reach your goal.  You could have been living every moment up until that point in joy.  Even if you never reach your goal, why not live in gratitude for the moment before you?  The present moment is all we are ever given.   May as well make good use of it.  

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

On being way layed, delayed, and otherwise behind schedule.

Seven months is a pretty long time to be running late, but somehow the days slipped by and here we are.  It has been both a devastating and incredible time lapse. Come back at some point for the premier of the first 2 episodes of Sol Stories, our latest art digs, and a handful of written tales of our latest whereabouts and adventures!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Good Vibes, Saving Lives and Surfing all the tides

           We arrived back in Costa Rica wondering what was next for us. Chasing waves and competing last year was fun, but somewhat unfulfilling. We wanted to do more with our time. That's when we ran into our friend Willy Alvarez. What he has done inspired us. He saw a major issue going on and instead of turning a blind eye he used his unique life experience to make a change. To make a difference. To save lives.
          What Willy did for life guarding in Esterillos, Costa Rica inspired us and showed us that we could use our passions to make a difference in the world.  Danielle is going to compete at a variety of events and donate all of the prize money she wins to local charities. Gary is going to auction one of his paintings at each event and donate the proceeds as well.
         Check back next month for the first episode of Sol Stories, a video series documenting our journey to give back and showcasing the efforts of people like Willy who are making a difference in our world.


Facts about Drowning :
      Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury or death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury related deaths (est. 388,000 deaths by drowning in 2004, excluding those due to natural disasters), with 96% of these deaths occurring in low-income and middle-income countries.  In many countries, drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children under 12 years old. (source)



search and follow

search your heart, art by gary lynn
check back soon for full album!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Learning from Nature - Fence Post Trees



                In Central America there is a special tree that is used for fencing pasture lands  - you can cut off a limb and stick it in the ground and it will grow into a new tree.  Or you can lop it off in the middle and the tree will just sprout new limbs and branches as if nothing ever happened.  It keeps growing.  It is unfazed by the axe wielder.   It may not grow as tall or strong as some of the trees in the rain forest,  but it is incredibly resilient.  These fence post trees are a huge inspiration and reminder to keep moving forward regardless of circumstances. 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Learning to appreciate the simple things in Nicaragua


            It is amazing how something less than a centimeter big can cause so much damage.  We arrived in Nicaragua a healthy ten days before the ALAS Latin Tour event.  After unloading our gear into the small room on the beach in Las Penitas,  we set off to check the waves, hoping a surf would wash off the long travel day.  Spotting a few fun ones we ran back to the room to suit up.   That's when we noticed a small flying creature hovering around. With night coming and fifteen geckos living on the ceiling, we figured the mosquito would be a goner.  We headed out for our sunset session and two days later discovered just how wrong we were.  Who knew that single pesky mosquito could give two people dengue?
    Gary got it first,  woke up feeling battered and woozy,  He tried to tell me how sick he felt but I wouldn't hear it.  "Your just tired from the travel day, Cowboy up.  Let's surf!"
 He took a deep breath, most likely cursed under it, and we headed to the beach. 
The waves were incredibly fun- peaky beach break with no one out.  I didn't notice that Gary was severely teetering side to side by the time we got back to the room.
        The next morning I woke up feeling like someone beat me with an electrified baseball bat.  My fever was so hot that I swear I could see my cells evaporate.  I was moaning on the bed in a puddle of sweat and he crouched over me laughing.  "Cowgirl up - lets surf!' he cackled.  Feeling too sick to respond with words I threw him the a menacing look,  wishing I had enough strength to whack him with my pillow.  
    A few days of tormented bed rest passed,  where we'd meekly venture out of the room into the blaring sun and shuffle quickly back to bed. There we could be found laying prone in a swirling pool of dread and sweat.
    Dengue is a mean mean sickness.  I have never felt anything so debilitating before.  Thankfully,  keeping in excellent health can expedite your recovery rate and we were both able to crawl out of bed on the fourth day and get back in the water.  
    The contest flew by in the blink of an eye and next thing I knew I was standing on a stage in torrential downpour being handed a trophy for first place.  A few days after the event, when my health returned to full normal, a little excitement crept in. I won!  I finally realized.  I was so ecstatic I did an awkward little dance that I'm glad no one caught on camera.
    We said adios to the fun beach town, and headed to a spot that offered faster, more challenging waves. The first bit of time the waves were amazing, but the crowd was less so.  Having heaps of people in the line up made it tough to get waves;  even if you were aggressive,  you'd paddle into one and have three people in the way of the takeoff or pushing the section over.  
    Regardless, we had some fun sessions and to our delight, Alan Saulo surfed with us for a couple weeks - which was pretty much like having a live surf video to watch all day.  He is an incredible surfer with a full bag of tricks. We also had the honor of meeting his friends Alex Chacon, Araia Asensio and Daniel Ellwanger of Salty Conscience project.  Alex is also a super amazing surfer,  Araia an incredible visionary,  and Daniel a talented artist.  Check out their project here!

    Our time in Nicaragua was incredibly eye opening.  Living the simple life,  occasionally without things like running water and electricity can really make you appreciate how easy things are most of the time.   Seeing how the locals can live with dirt floors and plastic walls;  many of them have so little and yet they still find a way to smile at you and help you out if you need anything.   Most of the locals attend church to sing and give thanks everyday- imagine the scene in the Grinch who Stole Christmas when the people of Whooville  gathered round holding hands and singing songs in joy even though all of their Christmas delights had been stolen. That is what the village feels like.  Alive with a special joy and a strong reminder that moments not things,  are what happiness  is made of.