Almost to a new year 2016

It has been a challenging year for me and my daughter Jenny.
Two months ago we lost my wife Anne and Jenny's Mom to MultiMyeloma.
We challenged her cancer for 5 years and in the end she decide to take care of business and kill her cancer, the downside is that she had to die to do it.

While I am adjusting to a new life without Anne, I miss her smile, her caress, just being with her. I've never loved anyone the way I did Anne. I will love her forever but it is time to move on.

Earlier today I spoke with an old friend and he asked me what the future is for "Grellboards".
It has been a project on the back burner for a while now but about to kick  back into gear and realize its potential. We will be opening up our new factory in the spring of 2016 and expect to begin deliveries for the 2016-17 season.

As we wait for the market to mature, we are using this time to continue testing our designs and create the marketing platform for the demand we have built.

Thank you for being patient.
JG

Well, today was Annes memorial, we have over 150 people show up. We all ate, drank, told stories, shared and loved one another. The service was really nice, good friends and family were able to talk about Anne's life and everyone was touched by her loving nature. This marks a new day in my life. I now realize that this surreal experience has run its course and she isn't coming home to me. While I cherish all the time we had and the life we built together, it is time to move on. I have alot of things to take care of here at home and will begin to focus on my new life. I know that it will be OK. My daughter Jenny is surrounded by  loving friends and family and she proved herself with her sharing during the ceremony. I love my little family and the much larger one that surrounds us. Cherish every minute with your loved ones, life happens and then we are just left with memories. All of mine are good.
I love my wife and the life we had together.
JG

I left my house on November 5th with the goal of attending the FIS technical delegate update clinic in Park City, Utah. My trip was smooth with a great visit in Reno with Brooke Long, a snowboard enthusiast and collector, I brought him a few old vintage posters. After a night in Reno, I got up early and headed east to pick up my friend Ted Martin at the airport in Salt Lake City. It worked out really well, he had a double room in the Marriot and the canadian guy canceled so I had a bed. We arrive on Friday, checked in, then went to the Meet and Greet. They couldn't have chosen a worse location, it was packed, loud, annoying and really hard to meet and talk with the other Technical Delegates. So much for planning. The next morning we started at the USSA Center for Excellence. Its to bad no one got the message we were coming, we got in through the side door and never got to see what the beautiful building housing the USSA was all about. Opportunity lost again. The clinic touched on the usual stuff, a few presenters, a few powerpoint presentations, alot of talk about concussions and what we are supposed to do. All in all, more of the same.
It worked out that I could give Ted a ride back to Colorado, it was great to have company in the car and a co driver, always wonderful to visit the Martin's. Gracious hosts and good friends. Moving on it was off to Fairplay with a sidebar in Frisco, a snurf session in the park the off to see my old college friend Mark Hanks. What a wonderful visit, a beautiful home, good company, I can't wait to go back. Then it was off to visit my good friend and partner in Grellboards, Mike Troppman. We had the luck of a snowstorm and fresh tracks. That is the essence of the first part of my journey. I'll add more about my return home in my next post. I really miss my girl Anne. It was a good trip but coming home never felt so lonely.
JG

Going on a Snurfari, leaving California going to park city then colorado and mammoth.

It was inevitable, my wife's cancer took her away like the wind. It was the culmination of five years of bravery and challenges. Anne was "one tough cookie". I miss her all the time, the essence of her and the memory of a life of love and laughter together. We had a wonderful daughter, Jenny is 21 and an adult now. Together, they were like one, the best of friends and together they made me so happy.

Anyhow, in moving forward, we will have a memorial to celebrate Anne's life at our house on November 21, 2015. We will receive guests at 12 PM for lunch and social interaction. At 3 PM we will have a memorial for Anne.

With any luck, I will survive my adventure which I start tomorrow and be back in time to make all this happen. I am driving to Park City, Utah for the FIS Technical Delegates Update Clinic 2015.
I expect to see many old friends and have a wonderful time playing in the snow. I have a van load of boards and expect to get many turns in. After Utah, its off to glenwood springs, Aspen, Vail, Blue River, Fairplay, then a rally to Mammoth and back to home by the 16th.

I'll try and keep updated as I venture into my new life.
JG

October 25, 2015 at 3 pm Anne died after a long fought battle with MultiMyeloma

I just don't know how to feel, the past few days have delivered me grief beyond my imagination.
It feels like I just lost something so valuable and personal that the tears come in waves and it doesn't take much to set me off.

We battled her cancer for the past five years and the last 14 months have been the biggest challenges of our lives. In the end thanks to the help of Hospice of Santa Cruz, we were able to keep Anne comfortable despite the cancers ravaging her body.

I was with all all those final days, round the clock to be there and help her in any way and believe me I shed more than my share of tears. She is finished with her battle against one of the most terrible diseases I have ever witnessed. I believe, near the end, Anne decided to take care of business and kill her cancer, the sad trade off is that she had to die to do it. I believe she is in a better place, her quality of life was so diminished, she was at the mercy of her caregivers to do the most basic tasks. Anne went "went off to college" in style and will participate in Stanford University's willed body program where the school of anatomy will study her case and with her help hopefully find a cure for plasma cell leukemia.

I will love Anne forever. Rest in peace.
Jeff

So we have made it to October of 2015, and this past year has been full of challenges, positive and then not so fun. Anne is really sick, the plasma cell cytoma's have taken over her body. Its so sad to see someone you care for in so much pain and ruined by cancer. We met with the hospice doctor who is handling her case and she said quite frankly in a gentle way that we have days of a couple of weeks before Anne "goes off to College". I will miss my wife dearly and want to thank her for all she has contributed to my life. Without her who knows what I would have done. She has been my anchor, support throughout our marriage and always believed in me and my crazy stubborn ideas. I am such a stubborn SOB, once I set my eye on a goal I have to go after it with every cell in my body.

Well, you can't get down on life because things aren't going as planned. One year since a relapse to Plasma Cell Leukemia and it isn't fun. Watching someone you care for wasting away is tough.
Regardless, I still love my girl and will be there for her until the end.
I have pent  up energy to build boards and have 11 husks to build. Since we've been through so much, I've decide to increase my price to $700 per board. Sorry folks, that's what it cost to get a Grellboard original and it helps me pay some long overdue bills. Cancer Sucks and the toll it takes is immeasurable. I have a collection of old classic boards that I am ready to sell, 3 vintage sims, one is the original Terry Kidwell, one is Tom's race board, the rest are old rocky mountain factory boards.
NO one monitors this blog so I don't care what happens .
JG

Plasmacytoma's suck.

Well the days go by and the cancer gets worse, what can I expect next.
We have hospice care now, that means there is a team dedicated to taking care of my wife.
Managing her pain, her cancer, helping take care of her.
I'm doing the best I can, hardest Job I've ever had.
Still trying to focus on what is good in our lives and how much fun we've had living it it.
We will all succumb in the end, its just a bit harder when it happens before what you expected.
Enjoy every day.
JG

Cancer Sucks

I doubt anyone will read this so I will just rant over what seems to be an impossible situation.
My wife of 22 years, we've been together 26 was diagnosed with multiple myeloma five years ago in october 2010. Life hasn't been the same since. We have tried everything to help cure or get her into remission. Autologous bone marrow tranplant, not fun, Allogenic bone marrow tranplant, even less fun. Just when we thought we had it under control, throw in a new twist, mutated to Plasma Cell Leukemia. As it turns out, the bone marrow transplants did the trick of removing the cancer from the bone marrow, but insidious as cancer is, it decided to move into the soft tissue. The first tumor showed up on the side of her eye, so the doctors in their infinite wisdom, chose to use radiation on that. It burned through that tumor like a knife through butter. Only problem was that it wasn't the only tumor, another showed up where she had a Quinten Catheter as was used for the process of doing the transplant, another tumor, this time in her neck, more radiation treatments. Then again for the spot where they did the bone marrow biopsy in her pelvis, more radiation treatments. She got to come home and they continued with chemotherapy, radiation, blood tests, MRI's, still can't seem to kick the plasmacytomas. Another tumor developed in her lower left leg, another and another and another. more radiation. What they told us eventually is that each time you receive radiation treatments, you loose that area of your bone marrow to produce healthy blood, you know you product blood to fight all manner of disease and infection from a healthy immune system. Low and behold, one day she gets a fever, emergency room, ICU, a serious blood infection has developed, called sepsis. The local hospital can't handle her care so she is back to the original care team at UCSF, they have her for three weeks, keep in mind this has been going on for a year now. The poor girl has had what is called a hickman catheter with three lumens, its used for all manner of blood transfers, chemo, you name it. Well enough, she gets to come home, on anti fungal, bacterial, etc... A week goes by and she has another fever, this time we are blessed and get to spend another week as a critically ill patient in Dominican hospital. The Immunologist, along with what is now a team of caregivers and doctors deteremine that the Pseudomonas bacteria has made a home in the Hickman Catheter, the decision is made to remove it and install a Pic Line in its place. As if this hasn't been enough, the doctors decide that it would be a good idea to get an Magnetic Resonance Image of her head, low and behold, the find that she has a tumor in C2-C3, the doctors are very concerned and decide that more radiation treatment is needed, even though they never finished the treatment on the one tumor in her left leg that has pretty much crippled her. To add insult to injury, the doctor tells us that since she has had so much radiation, that they can't treat any of the other tumors that have developed. I can't say that anything has gotten better, I stopped working over a month ago to be primary caregiver, trips to UCSF in San Francisco, trips to the infusion center, endless, endless.  So last week, with all the doctors telling us there is nothing else they can do, they recommend Hospice. That in itself is a whole new legion of caregivers that treat people with chronic illness. Meanwhile, I try and live a life of care and hope. Lesson learned, its never to soon to start alternative therapys, The doctors won't prescribe medical marijuana, soursop, or anything outside of what they know, pharmacutical drugs and that whole frightenly expensive business. So we are taking it one day at a time, living on oxycotin and oxycodone, at the mercy of a hospice nurse. I am so tired, mentally, emotionally and physically.
All I want to do is go for a Snurf.
Life is precious enjoy every moment.
JG

August 29, 2015.
A lot has happened since October of 2014, not to much of it fun but its life on display.
My wife Anne, relapsed and developed plasma cell leukemia in turn needed an Allogenic Bone Marrow Transplant. That means they have to kill your existing immune system and transplant a donor immune system, its very complicated and it takes a long time. After several months in the hospital we got the green light to move into an apartment that could not be more than 60 minutes from the hospital for the next 100 days, it actually turned out to be more like 120. We had to go back into the hospital for various stuff. Anne came home, it was wonderful and remarkable. Since that time we have been in and out of the hospital, the Multi Myeloma is a terrible type of cancer. Yesterday we started another round of radiation treatments, its August 29th. JG

What a difference 9 months can make, no its not a baby

9 months ago Anne was diagnosed with Plasma Cell Leukemia, her prospects didn't look good.
Here we are 9 months later, a bone marrow transplant and all that went with it. More recently its been the Radiology and Chemotherapy. We are both doing good, its time to switch to a more natural remedy and I am backing Medical Marijuana. Every thing I read point to it as a possible cure to cancer. Meanwhile the inventory is backing up in the shop. Time to sell of a few G48's. let me know if you are interested in a new "Grellboard". JG

Flite snowboards was way ahead of their time, they inspire me everyday. JG

JG

If you watch what is actually happening in the ski industry, they are trying very hard to figure out how to keep people coming to the resorts and spending their money. There are more corporate resorts that own more properties and they are driven by money. As the Skiing market matures, alot of people who skied and are getting older and don't ski as much, they are working hard to get new markets excited about winter sports. The trouble is that the sport has become so expensive for the average user, they just aren't going. How do we find a solution to getting another 10 million snow sports enthusiast involved in snowsports. We have to find an inexpensive, low impact and environmentally friendly way for people to get involved. The easiest and least expensive approach would to be find a good pitch wide and open and build a staircase. let them hike, let them learn and let them pay for parking. The first resort to figure this out will be at the top of Grellboard's list.

On another note, this weekend two events are happening, the Throwback at Breckenridge and the Legends at Boreal. I send my love and best regards to all my friends and family, have a great time and see you next year. JG

Online store is open for business at www.grellboards.com

Technology is a challenge.
I didn't realize the online store wouldn't allow buyers to shop without a password, that's corrected.
So we decided to drop our prices to see if it would generate some better results.

Technology is a challenging thing and when misunderstood doesn't help you.
So with that out of the way, let the orders roll in.

Between Grellboards California and Rocky Mountain, we can deliver the best handmade Snurfboards made.
As for all the rest, try and catch up. Its taken years to develop our line up and we are proud of every board we build. Each board is numbered and built by hand. We use epoxy resin along with fiberglass and carbon fibers and Ptex base to insure the boards are durable and fast.

Have fun out there.

Jeff and Mike

Its February 28 already

Can I even believe it is the last day of February 28, 2015.
The year is off to a quick start and it feels today like winter may finally arrive to California.
We have had the most incredible weather for what seems like the past two years, today it just started to rain and it is snowing in the Sierra's. Everything around us is in full bloom, oaks are sprouting new leaves, daffodils are out, fruit trees are flowering.

Meanwhile around much of the rest of the country, winter has a firm grip on things and doesn't seem prepared to let go anytime soon.

I've had reports from Ohio, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, California, and haven't had a lot of boards check in with a photo or report on how they are riding. For those of you who have gotten a "Grellboard" and just put it in the corner, break it out and make yourself known. I didn't build those boards so they could be mounted to a wall.

Anyways, Anne after 6 months of treatment has come home and here Plasma Cell Leukemia is in remission, that's a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, during this time she has develop a Plasma Cell Cytoma on her eye and will need a full regiment of Radiology for that. She is one strong and positive woman, I'm doing the best I can to take care of her and keep the wheels on my world.

Until my next post. Enjoy every minute of every day.
JG

Winter in the Sierra is only getting started

Certainly winter is on its way, although you wouldn't think so if you lived in Corralitos, it was 80 degrees yesterday and it got cold today, down to 65.  Ordinarily, I wouldn't think much of the weather but as I love snow, where is it. Forecasts are looking at a miracle march with big snow and rain for California, we hope so. In the meantime there is good snow in the sierras and you should go up and take advantage and support our resorts. In the meantime, we are keeping busy in the shop and the new boards are the best ever. A G48 is $400. Order one today and it will ship within a week.
JG