Big Lizard[s] in my Backyard.

I love where I live. Growing up here I really took it for granted. Now there are miles and miles of world class mountain bike trails less than five minutes from my house.

Single track, sandstone and million dollar views abound right in my backyard!

I'm not the only one who loves this place, I share the trail with the lizards. These cute little guys are getting fat and colorful. They were scurring accros the path often today. I wanted to get a picture of one and I tried many times but they would dart off to the cover of the rocks before I could get my iphone out. I gave up and headed for home. On the last hundred yards of the trail I spotted a biker speeding toward me. We were both on the same single track headed right toward each other so I decided to step off the track to let him pass. I got off of my bike and moved over. Right then this friendly reptile darts accros the track and leaps onto my tire! I must have looked crazy awkward with my iphone in one hand and my bike in the other trying to take the picture one handed but this little guy just hung out and posed!

The whole time I was riding today I had the DEAD MILKMAN classic stuck in my head. Big Lizard in my back yard was the first punk rock cassette I ever had. Ed Johnson traded it to me in math class and the rest is history.

Ready for spring

I skate regularly but rarely pad up. Normally I take it easy, think old man in teenager clothing. Today was different, I was bent on a full ramp assault. My pads have been sitting for so long there were literally spiders falling out of them. Sorry mom. It was chilly and I felt rusty but nothing was going to stop me. I had not done an invert in almost a year. My goals were simple:
1. Get upside down.
2. Get air
3. Get stoked
4. Do it all again for as long as possible and
5. Be able to walk away when the session was over.
Mission accomplished.
I bashed the top of my foot on the coping pretty good but I'll be ok and it was totally worth it!


first knee slide blew out my laces.



My sweet wife shot this make and cheered me on. Not my best form but I landed it and rolled away. I'm guessing I made 14 out of 19 attempets not bad for a a year off. I am stoked.


My girls had a blast.





Confession:
I am always finding excuses not to skate, they are usually legit, responsible reasons like: help the kids, fix the house, work for a living, practice music etc, but other times I contrive totally lame reasons driven by fear and guilt. Sometimes I feel like I just don't deserve the time for myself. Other times I am just too scared of crashing. If you let fear and guilt stop you from doing what you love to do then you are not living. When I step onto a skateboard I am overcoming my fear and that is a great feeling.

The Friendly Alien World

My boys made these cute little "alien" creatures out of eye balls and foam letters. We had lots of fun with the project. We made a little stop motion video to share. Fun!

Family

I am always inspired, refreshed and positively motivated after talking with my Dad. I hope I can have that effect on my kids. I love you Dad! My whole family is amazing. I am so lucky and blessed.

Pull yourself together man

This may sound crazy but if go too long without skateboarding, I start to come apart at the seams. How long is too long? It just depends. For some reason this activity from my youth has become necessary for sanity. I don't skate enough I guess. Sometimes I'm too scarred. I don't want to crash. The stoke is worth the risk. I don't need to destroy a mega ramp or execute a perfect impossible flip to twenty stair hand rail to feel it. All I know is that riding a little wooden toy with wheels levels me out. I am thankful to be able to ride.

The way I see it.

I always wanted to be so good at something that my heros would want to meet me.

I posted this on FB and an old friend Named Fred pointed out that my kids are my "real" heros. It brought totally new perspective. Thanks Fred.

Backstory:
I had seen a pic of Hosoi and Cab and wished I could hang with those cool cats. That pic prompted my statement.

It's funny, My heros Hosoi and Cab were totally into my kids when we met.

Life... time does pass so quickly... I have plans... it feels like there is no time left to be what I wanted to be. Maybe I am what I wanted to be... I am trying so hard to enjoy every day for how much it is worth.... maybe I have had too many glasses of wine. Maybe everything is perfect.

Hello Blog!

Whew! I lost access to my blog for a while... and I was lazy (busy) and did not post for a long time. I really want to start posting to my blog again. I like the personal journal aspect of blogging, it's something that facebook lacks. I mean when you post to facebook EVERYONE see's it. I think I have grown to like the fact that few to no people ready my blog. It feels less scrutinized! I like it here!