I first met Damian when he was a little boogie-boarder. We were among the few still out at the breakwater late one morning when a seemingly endless series of much larger sets started to barrel in, creating a strong rip and essentially stranding us outside. There was no way I was going to attempt to ride one of those things and so there was really no choice but to bite the bullet and paddle in. The only problem was that I didn't feel comfortable leaving this little kid out there alone.... so I asked him if he was OK and he very wisely said that no he wasn't, so we waited for what seemed like a lull (it wasn't) and started in together. The rest is a blur as we tumbled, rolled, bobbled and sputtered in . I do distinctly remember finally feeling the sand beneath my feet. I suspect a lot of salt water was swallowed that day..

I did vaguely know who Damian was because his grand-parents lived down the street from me on Cabrillo. His uncle, Kenny Thompson was an excellent breakwater surfer who didn't really hang out with the standard locals. There's a picture of him in the collage:
[ https://pbase.com/venicepix/venice_locals_surf_and_skate_5 ] and the actual picture at:
[ https://pbase.com/venicepix/image/46031334 ]

Damian wasn't really a surfer at first. I think he was into bicycling in those days, but then later he showed up with a board....
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Please see also a memorial Gallery for Damon on this site
https://pbase.com/venicepix/damon_m
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