A scanner dorkly.

So I worked on scanning negatives in, but the dust...oh god the dust. I had been sitting around trying to figure it out, and then realized (stupidly) that I could just scan the prints. Let's try that.

Michael Tetro. A man so skinny that the UN sends food aid to his house.

This was taken with Lomography film on my old Nikon 35mm that I got for 12 bucks off of KEH.


These were shot on some Fuji Provia (I think. I threw the box away. NOTES. TAKE NOTES ASSHOLE) Also of Tetro.



And this is Chase Hawk. I posted the scan of the negative earlier, but this is the print. What do you think? I promise I am not doing a dismissive wanking motion right now.

The UM is right.

Go upside down, people notice. Some rad dudes from Asheville came into town on Sunday and got radical at our park. It should have initiated some sort of turf war, but I left my Dagger jacket at home. No skateboard-ditch-jousting today. We just talked to one another and had a fun session. Then we burned their fucking ramp down. That's how it goes in the valley, brah.

Take these broken wings...


Dave Williams grabs his bike in various ways. Two examples:



More nutty goodness from Matt Green. We're facebook friends now, so I assume I can just call him Matty. Or Matts. MAAAAAATTTTSSSSS.


I feel like a dick because I forgot this guy's name. I was gonna just say "Matt's friend" but I think his name is Nate. That feels right. I should get a Moleskin and write this shit down, but I'd feel so pretentious whipping that thing out and being all, "hang on, lemme write this down in my MOLESKIN." Then again, maybe it's better to feel pretentious rather than feel like a forgetful asshole. Anyways, he got upside down several times and did not mind helping me get what felt like the right shot.


In retrospect, this could have been called the "a bunch of shots on the wall of the big side of the spine blog update". Time to get out more.

I'll have some pictures up at Java in the Old City at the beginning of next month. Come by and see them. More importantly, come by and get some delicious coffee and baked goods.

This was posted on my Tumblr, but who checks that?

Shit, I even forget to check it. Anyways, I took this at House Park in Austin (LAMAR BLVD LIFE RAISE UP) on my last full day of riding in the oasis. I wish I had a better story about this, but I don't. Alex wasn't really feeling me taking pics of him, but who cares. What am I gonna do, spoil the Danscomp video? hahahaha. WHATEVER INDEED.

Figuring out the scanner.

I got a scanner to scan in my negatives from my Nikon F100. I am still working out some kinks, but I wanted to share this one, because even with the dust, it still looks cool. Chase Hawk riding for the Empire "Smoking the Bowl" edit...



Toes can apparently air out of the peanut bowl now. That was a little bit of a shock, but not as much of a shock as that hat. I wonder if he got a free bowl of soup with it...

The Matt Roe show.

So, now that the Empire bowl edit has dropped, I can talk about it. EMBARGO LIFTED. I didn't stay for the whole thing because I had literally just gotten into town and was so tired that I could have died. Hanson offered up his bike to me to take a spin in the bowl when I got there (side note- always good to be recognized by Hanson by way of "I saw a guy with a beard and a Humanzee shirt, so I knew it had to be you") but I declined because had jelly legs and figured that I should just get my own horse. What I saw was pretty nuts. Chase Hawk has to be seen in person. He is amazingly smooth and goes impossibly high. Matt Roe manages speed while being brakeless better than any human alive. Tony Cardona's hands are not to be fucked with. Period.

I didn't take a ton of pictures because Joe Simon was getting the shoot ready and I didn't want to be in his way, but I got a few. Mostly of Matt Roe, so here we are.





Obviously, thank you to Tom and Tina for letting me in there, and to Joe Simon for not killing me. And thank you to the three Empire employees in this picture (Taylor, Nathan and Fabian) for making every day fucking funny. Get well soon, TB.



Also, watch as much as you can...

Smoking The Bowl from Empire Bmx on Vimeo.

As it turns out, I know my way around Austin pretty well.

Driving in traffic during SXSW gives a man time to reflect. I reflected on the fact that I do not need a GPS to find my way to places. Austin is the first big-ish city that I have felt completely comfortable traveling in. That has to mean something.

Anyways, I was allowed access to the Empire bowl. I felt torn about riding this because I hate Arkansas so much, but Ryan Corrigan built it and he is awesome. I wasn't that torn, really. But seriously, Arkansas has the scariest bathrooms in the United States. I half expected to see Renton digging around in there.

Mica took this. I have never ridden a street spine. Everything had been coping to coping until now. SHIT IS FUN.


Go to trick time! This and ice picks are my go to tricks in bowls. I'm 36. Get off me.


Before anyone asks, I did not get to ride T-1. It just didn't happen. Maybe next time. Maybe not. I have no idea. And 9th wasn't really running. The flooding rains the week before really shit on that.

On the way home, we stopped to get close. Thanks for being my co-pilot, lady.

A guy from Tennessee goes to Texas.

It's been done to death. So much so that my fair state's nickname is based on the proclivity of our denizens to volunteer to go places and kill foreigners. Mica and I are heading down for some SXSW fun and so that I can go ride the ramp that my dollars helped fund. hahaha.

Anyways, I found a flash drive that had some pictures I took while on my last jaunt down there so I felt like posting them up since, undoubtedly, I will be taking some more.

Brian Hunt riding 9th street. Brian is such a nice, rad dude that I am compelled to overlook the fact that he rides for D fucking K.


This guy, this guy sent me a box filled with old National Geographics and a season of Renegade, among other things.


This time, I will get a picture with Tom.