It was 2013 when I first met Matt from Venice Beach, California.
I was living in the woods of Chiba, in a humble cottage,
100km east of Tokyo where I could be more close to the surf.
Matt was visiting Japan on his honeymoon with his wife Courtney.
We were introduced by a mutual friend but had never met before
so like many other of my guests, I just convinced them to
come to Chiba to surf, check out the local spots and hang out
because I knew they would love this cozy surf town .
So he came and stayed with me for few days.
I just love when people discover this part of Japan and just like every other
surfer in any other country, we froth on good waves, good food, good vibes
and good people. And that’s what I wanted to share with them .
After sharing waves, home cooked meals and stories, Matt wanted to do a story on
me and my beloved house on his blog INDOEK under a new series he started
called “SURF SHACKS”
Without hesitation, of course I said Yes and without thinking too much,
I responded to his interview questions .
As a result, he put together this beautiful story and photos that makes me smile and where
my heart still feels strongly connected ,even today.I
I was also pretty chuffed to be amongst these creatives in the Surfing
industry.
Now, Four years later, 2017, did I ever think that this blog will grow
so big , full of inspiring surfer’s homes and stories and that it was
going to get published globally.
Matt was super excited and super busy with the whole project and
he had book launch parties lined up in US.
I was super excited too but when I saw the actual print, I was like
“Out all the great photos, why did you have to pick that ONE ! ” and or
” Arghhhh, I should have answered or articulate this question in a more
thoughtful way… ”
It’s fantastic that its now turned into this great coffee table book
going around the world but you can never edit it
Then he messaged me that he was going to do a book launch in Bondi
so again I convinced him to fly to Byron to organize a book launch !
From there, things were smooth and fast.
I couldn’t have asked for a better venue than McTavish
and the amazing crew there to help me set it up.
PHOTOS BY McTavish Surf
Full report of the event on McTavish Blog
Meanwhile, Matt enjoyed some fun waves of Byron, bought a new board
at McTavish and we went on a mission to do more SURF SHACK stories of my
friends who live in beautiful homes.
In my Surf Shack interview, I had already told Matt that I wanted to move to
Byron Bay and now Matt was visiting again but this time in Byron ,
surrounded inspiring people and beautiful communities where I now call home
Thanks Matt for visiting !