The Ballad of Shellby Shores

Around 2003, my granddaughter Shellby came to live with my husband and me. One of our bonding and endearing experiences was she and I became part of a women’s surfing club in the South Bay called Ohana Nalu (Wave Family). The Shellby Shores personality is a compilation of the many amazing curl girls we surfed with, including world-class surfers and coaches Mary Setterholm and Wendy Gilley, plus our immediate surfing pals Joyce Flood, Sonia Nicholson, Kiki Foley, and Ivette Stickelmaier. Hermosa Beach surf instructor Vince Ray and my husband, Jim, were also integral parts of our surfing experience. Many of our ladies could hang 10, barrel, and as far as I know, I was the only member at the time who could do a headstand on a wave. Still, the ballad reflects the talent, kindness, and caring sisterhood our group encapsulated at a tumultuous time in many of our lives. The Ballad of Shellby Shores is Deborah Paul’s second published book in a series of five children’s books.