I found myself at Rob Machado’s house this week. Which isn’t that normal for me. I have met and either spent time or worked with and interviewed nearly every icon of our sport. But Rob and I hadn’t connected in a long time. There were reasons but no one remembers what they were. The way we’ve been able to reconnect and find things to relate immediately being lifelong surfers, fans and acolytes of surf culture has really illustrated something about the surf mob: we’re unlike anything else out there. Tight knit, loyal, highly influential and cool as hell. Accept no imitations.

As you’ve likely seen, we’re making some rad stuff with Reef (including a collab sandal we can’t wait to show you) — a brand that has proven over and over the past few weeks to be deeply rooted in a special concoction of authenticity, quality and irreverence. They aren’t paying me to say that part, it’s just become apparent as I dug through their archives, talked with team riders and employees past and present. From ads to thongs to sandals. They’re still a surf staple, have been for more than 40 years and continue making smart moves.

The fact that Rob Machado has been riding for them for 28 years and still had the patience for us to invade his home to shoot a silly skit midweek with him and his daughter Rose should be a testament to that loyalty. To both Reef and the Machados.

I’m getting all sappy about the epic hangout we had this week because we’ve been locked in a pretty chaotic time for surf culture. Whether you’re at a surf shop wondering where the coolness that once flourished in these places went or find yourself watching NBC’s Olympic coverage of surfing or viewing the latest wave pool arms race negotiation, trudging through the sludge of unproductive comments on surf sites or on the wrong end of a soft top burn, it felt good knowing that, as Rob says in his “On Air” interview this week, “[Surfing] will always find its way. It will figure it out. We’re not going away. We’re all gonna surf, no matter what, and there’s something cool about that.”

At one point in the visit, Rob came down with a box of discontinued Sony mini CDs that had original home recordings of Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Beck, Mason Jennings, Jon Swift, Kelly Slater, Perry Farrell and Rob’s late grandmother on them. Talking, interviews and jam sessions. One tape in particular had Jack Johnson strumming the chords to his song “Flake” for the very first time while on the boat trip for September Sessions. That song now has 154 million streams.

Rob was going to see Donovan Frankenreiter play a show at The Bell Up in Cardiff later that night, and Benji Weatherley was doing comedy to open. Loyal friends of Rob’s. He had just recently gotten back from a trip to Austin where he saw his longtime friend’s band play. That band is called Bad Religion. What a funny thing we do. Ride some waves and influence the world. Make sure you keep finding a way to do it every day, it is and always will be the coolest. Good things happen when you make friends with The Mob.—Travis Ferré