A Message to Garcia

Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. - G. Michael Hopf

The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.

The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. - Commodus

24 DEC 2023

To: Dan B

From: C. A. Sumner

Subject: Elucidation

Dan -

It’s been just over a 7.5 year cycle since departing from the Vista Detention Facility / California Penal System. An essential stand up paddle sure off Boneyards Reef had me compelled with clarity to try and explain some of my actions on this comeback.

Standing on my 8’8” carbon Infinity V2 over the reef after some decent rights & lefts there was a quick emotional contemplation of current circumstances. Introspection over the past 2 years with some people including my girlfriend and soon to be fiancé has helped me better understand the amount of anger I was processing during those years of self sabotage. It would be inappropriate to list the discovery process surrounding my experiences during my awakening much less the years of personal Guernica against myself for feeling shame. Introspection to know everything one was doing was for the best when called upon to serve helped pull thru in addition to some work with vets at a recent 6 month stint at Veterans Village. One of my counselors was USMC spec ops in Afghanistan and frankly I felt foolish for being so upset over the policy response to those poor people I felt I could not help in Tower 1.

Life in California saw accelerated goals achieved during the year 2002 living out of a VW Eurovan. Morgan Stanley, financial markets and goals of riding sizable surf were daily focus but my internal resentments with past programming and new adversaries not seen before clouded my judgement to seek more objective counsel. Much of my success as a ‘contrarian’ was due to “confusing a bull market with brains” & “misunderstanding timing the inevitable with eventual.” [Rick Rule-isms]. Possibly I saw a continued focus in gold as I learned of the fragility of our no collateral financial system given many ironic changes since the Bretton Woods Agreement. [1]

Summary: Anger intensified > conflated a possible feeling of retaliation.

The gift of almost becoming Cannon Fodder & gratitude was fully appreciated today on some nice tricky rights and lefts of a shallow reef. There was a dinner in Dallas, Texas where my older sister ensured to mock my once fragile philosophy or belief system - Most successfully. I now feel for those and only see love as they may not have truly understood or awoken to some who are in troubled waters. Part of the reason I entered USNA / Navy Lacrosse was to be a part of people still humble to help others when they are down. Still remember walking back from practice as a plebe with ‘Duke’ or Big Johnny Wade [now Admiral] asking about the older frail guy getting out of a 1970’s turbo diesel Mercedes in front of the entrance to our locker room at Macdonough Hall… “oh that’s Admiral Stockdale… he’s kinda our mascot around here for N* Lax.”

Andy B was the only guy who wrote letters to me at Newport NAPS boot camp and helped me enter the crease at Navy with a different outlook. Only later to discover I was by far the slowest guy on a Division One team with a heavy schedule the impetus was immediate to discover new tactics in war to tilt the scale. Covering Rodney Dumpson during fall ball of 1989 I was fortunate to see the chessboard moving to where Paul Gate was going to go and did an ‘illegal slide’ from the wing to blindside him… coach Hogan let me know I was incorrect but made the team. My first lesson on not all rules are made to be followed.

Past comments to my family questioning the system were plausibly so upsetting that my 6 months in the California Penal System resulted in no mail except for my mom and her brother in Texas [couple of cousins sent correspondence]. A mere $5-$10 on a food credit in there helps feed a starving ex-drunk and nothing from a sibling was something to process for a few years. What used to be consider a rough time with hard industry jobs were actually all gifts … but during breaks should I drink and open up was when I inappropriately sent you messages on face-choke. Suspect I looked up to your family and never thought I could reach out of my brother with their disgust in my personal weakness. I’m hoping you accept this gift as sincere appreciation for possibly understanding of this situation and my love for your parents and lessons learned at The Bowen House.

Things haven’t been all bad with a life of going for it - with possible more calculation than my family may know right now… As a former M16A2 Instructor or Broker to clientele in Del Mar, California [requiring delivery of gold coins at $305 / $4.12 almost resulting in a loss of job] there may be some gas left in the tank… Never got to see my fathers funeral and pretty sure he was out there with me during this incredible fall. Offshore Santa Ana winds and a few overhead Hawaii size bombs off select reefs from some years of tacit knowledge [much less scar damage]. My father was kinda the small John Wayne of golf understanding the true nature of the mental game with class and pure competitor. He enjoyed the appearance of a less than threatening opponent only to turn the table on the card post session > hard data. Wish Warren could have seen the day at Asilomar Street during the 20+ foot 2004 swell but in retrospect those are private moments to see whom we are… now finding some peace.

Rebuilding mind & body and finding a girl from home is kinda like the Thesis to the Book ‘The Alchemist.’ Fortunate to reign in some capital to possibly give a go at one of our locations in Manantiales, Uruguay to start the business for next December 2024. Still have 3 properties [one small feral surf home > Casa Walden > was literally consumed by the sea but this spec opened up the door to the second Oceanview home I have in Manantiales]. I’ll be heading back to Meredith, New Hampshire this June to move in with the future wife starting a new chapter never thought possible. Maybe we can get you out on a paddle board off the coast someday soon… Matunuck, Rhode Island as an old stomping ground for direct south swells… New small light SUPs allow traversing ability to Feral spots kind like Tele-skiing.

Sincerely,

C A S

P.S. Warren & Susie moved west in 1962 as he attended ASU post Air Force Duty in Alaska… sun & golf helped retain sanity and as a couple all alone far from Detroit the area there was kinda a family spot. Live Like Pat is still a code rekindling lessons learned back at 01106. Pat didn’t find out much of the financial machinations beneath the surface but was close and would never be bought out. At Navy Lacrosse we used to call this type of behavior > Integrity - Courage.

[1] One of the most famous & original of all Financial Newsletter writers, Richard Russell of The Dow Theory Letters, used to send me his information free as he shared an office in La Jolla with Morgan Stanley. Richard focused on gold and commodities as well as global market equities and spoke of his time as a WWII Veteran and son of a commercial real estate broker in NYC during the Great Depression.