Winter in Warmth

    It has been sunny everyday here in California.  I spent my day on the beautiful river, and even jumped in a time or two.  The water felt like ice coming from the top of the mountain, and try as I might, I could not stay in longer than a moment or keep from yipping like a coyote.  This is gold country, so I decided to look around the river banks in the moss and in the silt.  I found three flecks that sparkle in the sunlight, but i know that not all that glitters is gold, so I'm skeptical as to whether it is real or fools gold, iron pyrite. 
    And last night I heard of something interesting.  Someone has been robbing banks with a skateboard as his getaway.

Skater Bandit on the Loose

FBI is asking for your help in finding a serial bank robber dubbed the "Skater Bandit"

    It is not me, just for the record.

The FBI, San Diego Sheriff's Department and the San Diego Police are asking for the public's help to find a serial bank robber dubbed the "Skater Bandit." The suspect is believed to have robbed the following banks, many of them in the North County, since April 18:

• US Bank, 190 S. Rancho Santa Fe Rd., San Marcos, CA
• Wells Fargo, 3820 Valley Centre Dr., San Diego, CA
• Union Bank of CA, 200 W. D St., Encinitas, CA
• Temecula  Valley Bank, 16469 Bernardo Center Dr., San Diego, CA
• Temecula Valley  Bank, 985 Lomas Santa Fe Dr., Solana Beach, CA
• US Bank, 2830 Via de la Valle, San Diego, CA

The latest in this string of robberies; the robbery of a Del Mar bank in broad daylight. It happened at the U.S. Bank in the 2800 block of Via De La Valle around 1:30 Monday afternoon. Just like all the other robberies, police say the suspect presented a teller with a demand note for cash then fled on foot. Police also say that the suspect did not use a weapon and no one was hurt.

The suspect is described as a young man who wears a hat, sunglasses, and gray sweater. There is a $16,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. Anyone with information concerning these robberies is asked to contact the FBI at 858-565-1255 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

    Good luck Skater Bandit!


Peanut bowl at Hollywood Skatepark, Las Vegas.



San Francisco!

  It's all thanks to family... Our very life, who we are, and where we are going.

    I found these flowers walking around the streets of San Francisco.

Potrero del Sol/La Raza Skatepark 

    This is what the skate park in San Francisco looks like.  I asked at the Haight St. skate shop and they said this was the only one worth going to.  I met a cool kid named to shay for lack of better spelling.  The top level had bowls, the middle level street and a little half bowl, then big quarter pipe (in photo).  

3 little bowls connected to big bowl.  I'm the white boy with his shirt off.  Notice sweet graffiti in bowl.

My thanks to Master Photographer Bubble D.

THis little bowl atop the quarter-pipe entertained the little ones immensely.

MPBD liked this.

Oh, and I found another friendly froed person while out for breakfast.  She could barely stop laughing at how random the whole thing was.  But her hair was so amazing, I could not let it pass.  We ran to get Thai food that night, a tasty treat easily found in the city.  The streets here are crazy steep, and one Lombard St. is like a slalom course down this one hill.  This city is beautiful and has really good water!  A big bonus when you are thirsty from running around and skating.  

Inspiration to Bring Home

    I am trying to visit every skate park in Las Vegas, Nevada, in hopes of getting ideas for building a skate park back home in Davis, W.V.  So far I have hit up 7 in three days, and I hear there are 26 or so, not including private ones or backyard pools.(not to mention the sweet ditches that are dry and totally rippable) 
    With a few hikes and morning runs I can say I am sore, but I go to sleep satisfied.  I awake early excited to discover new parks, meet new people, and rip.  I have skated on and off since a little one, and I am slowly progressing.  Just watching these Vegas kids shred is awesome, and I learn a lot from them.  Most that I have met are genuine people/punks, that I would gladly call a friend.  I skate a Sector Nine board that is heavier than a trick deck but half the size of a longboard.  The big wheels roll over any bump or crack in my way, and the old school shape makes me feel retro. 
    This blog is a way for you to see skating in the great Sin City, and also a way for me to document my adventures shredding the concrete waves.   

  I think we need a designated place to skate board back in Davis, W.V.  When I return home I hope to raise money to have a skate park built so that kids can really learn to do one of the most fun and challenging summer sports; skateboarding.