When Kenny began surfing Lake Erie, there was no such thing as localism or surfer's rage, at least not up there. The guys around the Great Lakes are mellow, happy to share the waves and more prone to encourage each other than to pull power trips. Kenny says that in spite of the crowded conditions around Hawaii, he's found that same sense of community in Waikiki. He credits the whole Surf-rack gang with sharing the aloha, and cites the older guys, the beachboys, and especially Doc Paskowitz as inspirational.

I asked him the pros and cons of fresh-water surfing versus Hawaiian water surfing. (beyond the obvious...).

"Fresh water," he laughs, "No Sharks, No Snakes, Maybe the occasional ice-berg!)

Then I asked him if he ever regrets his move, and the life he left behind. "I have nightmares, all the time," he confides. "About the cold, about my old job. Those are the nightmares." He makes a little shooing motion with his hand.

"This," he gestures again, "is what I dreamed of."

KennyAshburn wanted to surf. He dreamed about it, and followed his dream.

He'll also be the first one to tell you - Dreams do come true!