February Trip to Austin

Somehow Dakota Roberson and David Langston convinced the powers that be at Southside Skatepark that I needed some days off to go on a weekend road trip to Austin to film it up. Accompanying us was Sean Villars and George Karvounis. This was the first time that I had gone on the road with the latter two, but it worked out and they held their own on the road for sure. When we went up to Austin we stayed at Jacalyn's place, since she resides in a house waiting for it to sell for her parents all by herself. It's great being able to hit the road and go to a different skateboarding scene and be taken care of, it never happens more often than in Austin, Texas. The weather was amazing and we stopped by to meet up with Guru Khalsa at his new place which was really nice. He seemed to be enjoying the new house and trying to get out and skate with the locals such as Flint Brewer and JD Clark. We skated street all day while being shown around by Shaun Mefford as he was shooting photos. On Sunday we made a point to stop by Alien Pod as we heard that it might be in it's final days. It seems as though recent rail construction in the area as put the secluded and hidden spot up for demolition by the Transportation Board of Austin. To bad it doesn't seem as though the City of Austin is going to turn a blind eye to the do it yourself "Dream Destroyers" creation. We filmed our last lines there and kissed it goodbye, just in case the next time we are in Austin the spot is gone. Thanks for the good times Alien Pod, hope to see you again soon, take care and rest in peace.

Houston, Great Place to Live

Believe it or not Houston, Texas might just be one of the best kept secrets in regards places to live in the United States this millennium. Somehow Houston has managed to dodge the brunt of an economic downturn, while still affording many of it's citizens a decent living wage and a high quality of life. Everything is less expensive in Houston. We have some of the best restaurants and bars in the country and you can still have dinner for two at under $100. If you are out traveling the US and are looking for a place to visit you should really stop by and have a blast. Recently, and I never thought I would live to see it, Houston put in a massive public skatepark downtown. It has a downtown skyline overlook and is a really great place to roll around and warm up before heading out and getting some street footage. The only problem is that you have to wear a helmet, but hopefully not for long as people are working hard to change that. We also have access to the Gulf of Mexico, just 50 minutes south of downtown. You can literally go out to the beach for the day and go out downtown the same night. There are not to many places in the US that you can enjoy those types of amenities and still be able to afford a really nice home for under $200,000. Of course, Southside Skatepark is there as the only problem we have in this town is our violent changes of weather. One day it is hot and muggy, the next chilly and brisk. Southside Skatepark is there taking care, just look at how happy people are to be there.

Farewell Federal, We Will Miss You!

I took this image about a year ago when the Federal Bank was moving from this location to their new facility on Allen Parkway. I suppose that security was somewhat compromised during this process so they posted a armed guard outside. I knew that eventually one of the spots with the highest bust factor in the city, might become skateable for a few months. Surprisingly enough it became a hot spot that ended up getting a lot of coverage and attention from the industry. Footage from the spot was in numerous online montages and various videos. I knew it wouldn't last but was pleasantly surprised that it lasted as long as it did. When it was all good to go and skate there I would try to go as often as I could. When the crew I was rolling with wanted to go elsewhere I tried to remind them that the spot would not last forever and that once gone, it would be missed. Eventually a church group acquired the building and immediately started the harsh process of shutting down the spot. It didn't die easily and the Habitat team and photographers ended up getting their equipment confiscated and thrown in jail for an overnight stint. The church group being so forgiving tried to go down to the jail and force Houston's authorities to hold the offenders for a longer period of time. I suppose that is the Christian thing to do, nah probably not. I know that the group was trespassing but to take it further than it had already been taken was just ridiculous. The spot is still there but I haven't heard of anyone touching it since, time to let it cool off for a little while, we'll have to wait and see.

California Days and Nights

So, apparently when you order a latte at an organic foods restaurant in LA they carve a little bird out in the froth. When it came out to the table I had to shoot a photo. Isn't that tight? It looks like it could be the cover of Blueprint and Alien Workshops bastard video child. I really like the way it looked and after I drank it I was reved way, way up. Lunch was nice to, apparently the restaurant had recently been renovated, it dubbed as bakery as well. All their breads were baked daily and all meats and greens were organic. After lunch we went back to the Berrics for a little while and then went on down to Pacific Highway 1 to dinner. The view from the table was really nice. We ate dinner while watching the sunset on our first day in LA, which was probably one of the highlights of the trip. You would of enjoied it too, if you had been there.