Catching Up

I hate missing any session. I especially hate it when it is due to work. I missed a killa sesh on Philthy's ramp last Friday and I am still lamenting it. I wasn't really even working - I was waiting. I was sitting in the Memphis Airport waiting for a plane. Ugh!

Oh well. I got to put in some solid skate hours on Saturday and got to hang with the Homeys on multiple occasionsover the weekend so, I guess I can stop complaining. I didn't take any footage or pics of the mayhem last weekend, so, here's a couple o' things that should have been posted long ago:

First, a failed attempt to skate Davenport, IA. I had an infamous Skidzilla Bid-nez Trip to IA. I landed at the Eastern Iowa Airport the SUnday before my meeting. I bee-lined it to pick up OMA-member and all-around good guy Frogwing at his place in Iowa City. We hopped on I-80 and headed east till we got to River Road in downtown Davenport - so close to the skatepark you could smell the concrete. Strange, all the roads were closed - and there was lots and lots of water everywhere. We circled around and got close enough to walk to the park. The park was netted off and the people across the street from the park (and river) were building their very own levee. How high's the water, mama? About 12 feet high and rising that day. Things got much worse in June. Here's the comic that sums the odysee.



Next up: The Gimp Hits The Ville. After a long winter hiatus, Gimpy hit the crete with a vengence. He was nice enough to let me pinch his photos before he left. And since his slack-ass has failed to post 'em, I guess it is up to me. So, Read On:



Finally, a little "Portland Revisited." Here's a video from the local news channel. It is a feature on MC, Mark Conahan. MC was one of my gracious hosts in Portland and the man who granted me two wishes; he turned me into a cartoon, and got me back to Burside where I gained (some) self-respect. My other host, Rich Burton of Earth Patrol Media, is also featured in the vid. It is very cool! Check it while it's good.

Happy Father's Day!

I am certainly not new to the brotherhood of skateboarding. This is year 21! However, I am new to the ranks of fatherhood. This is year 1.

I always believed people (who had kids) when they said, you'll understand when you have your own, even though I didn't truly understand. I never doubted them. I knew I'd feel the love, loyalty, pride, and yes, even sense of accomplishment that comes with fatherhood... but even with knowing that emotion, that pride, that overwhelming joy would happen... I had no idea! It is truly amazing. And this is only the beginning... Happy Father's Day to all you old buggers.

- Bein' silly on the couch.

- All dressed up to go out to dinner with Momma on Mother's Day.

- The boy representin' the grom division proper.

Midweek Mini Session

Amidst the roar of the cicadas sexin' in the trees, in a small field on the east side of town, lies a 7' mini ramp that begs for attention... Thursday night it got some Cretin Love from Nikoli, Junior, Phil, Skidzilla, and Ward. I struggled with everything except rock-n-rolls. I've got those locked in on the new ramp. A couple more sessions and I'll be a bit more comfy. Skidzilla was cruisin' with the fs slashers and a few 5-0s, and the longest runs of the evening. He's very comfy. Phil threw blunt axle stalls and rock sliders with little effort. Juniors 360 slider just looks and sounds so cool. Ward seemed to be taking it easy, as he looked so relaxed, but his sweepers were perfect, as were his fs rock-n-rolls. Skidzilla barked at him like a circus ringmaster demanding stretched out layback grinds as if Ward were a trained skate monkey there only for his amusement. Ward didn't mind, 'cause he's cool like that. And he's got the skills to deliver. The sun and heat definitely dimished the gnar a bit, but we had a good time, as usual. DUH, we we're skating! Video evidence presented below.