Um/????

Well, Um, I uh did not post for two weeks or something. I have been on a bit of a blog vacation. I guess I was over the daily updates as the huge audience of none were too I am sure. But I have been undergoing rehab since returning. For what you may ask? Life I guess. I think it was a 10 day countdown to reality and the realization that I needed to get some serious studio work done.

I made an agreement with myself to spend more time in my art studio and less time sitting on the lurk ledge at Wilson. So over the last few weeks, I did just that. I got a good session in and then went home to work. It has been working well so far. I got a great amount of drawing done. I probably did more in the last two weeks than 6 months!! So all is good. I just have to keep that flow going and make time this semester. No, I am not going to show you the drawings yet. I am a Scorpio and we are secretive!!! I should. But I am also insecure. I do have an art blog though and may show some stuff there.??

Yep, Fall semester 2009 began today and I am glad to be back. I am a little sad that I have less freedom of time but I am happy to know that my time is limited and I have to skate when I can now (which is still all the time). But it just gives me a little more drive again. Summer blues hit and your need to shred kinda lessons sometimes.

I had a particularly good sesh yesterday. Mostly with Keith and Jeff. Most of the other dudes left when I got there and kinda dispersed when they returned. There was some interesting events that went on and I missed so you'll have to check out Suchluck or Spencerland for details.

Sunday (yesterday) was a nice cap to the summer for me. I came on strong in May, then lost a lot in June, got a mind f#$K, a back strain and then left for a month. It was bizarre. So the last few weeks served as a rehab for skating too.



But things felt good yesterday so I am happy and ready for Fall. I feel like this was a very fulfilling summer. I got to see my nephew a few times and traveled the country. I was skimming, surfing, was able to do enough of skateboarding for 3 people and a respectable amount of art was produced. I have been watching horror movies almost daily and have exausted Red Box and Blockbuster. These are the pics of the week from the last two weeks.

Thanks to Chad and Nikki for having a cool BBQ over the weekend too!

The post trip rehab.

I spent the next few days getting acclimated to living indoors again. I thought I was going to miss my tent but after this weekend, I am glad to be home. I think the 105 heat in Portland is nothing to 90s in Chicago. The humidity is just a cold killer. It is like a vampire that just sucks your energy and a massive weight that holds you down and slaps you.



Juan and Danielle had a BBQ last night that was really great!! It was in honor of her sister coming to visit. It was sooooo good to see all the dudes and ladies again. I missed everybody! I only snapped a couple pics and didn't get everyone. damn.

I got a heck of a lot of work done this week though. I sanded/painted the frames for my most recent work. Also, helping the old man out around the house. There were several things that needed fixing since I got back. I'm always glad to help, as long as he plays nice...



Then the heat hit and I receded to my apartment. I like to joke and say that it is actually Mukluk's place. But I actually spent some good time there these past few days. You see, before the trip I made a resolution. That I would spend less time at the skatepark and more time in my studio. This doesn't mean that I would spend less time skating. I think many of us are feeling this, that there is a considerable amount of "dead time" spent there. Not skating, complaining, laying in the shade, arguing about where to eat or who does a proper laid back roll out.




I got some really really productive studio time this weekend and I am super stoked about that. I have not felt passionate about my art in a long time. There have been little peaks in the past few years with the new work but more valley than not... I have been working out the concept for a long time. Possibly longer than I realize. Hopefully I can keep on this tailwind and get some real paintings out by Winter... Who knows!!




Oh, and I did some new T-shirts before I left. I have a bunch more ideas and have been experimenting a little more. I should start selling them I guess. I gave out like 20 last year. whatever - it's just for fun.

Northwest Day 27 the road back to Chicago

Lots and lots of driving. We almost made it through Nebraska but lots of road construction delayed things by a few hours. So, we crashed somewhere in that state. Got up in the morning and drove all day. It was pretty uneventful accept for getting through the dread state. Iowa was kind of chipper this time. I really wanted to stop in and see my old buddy Pat and Yayoi in Cedar Falls, IA but it is like an hour and a half off of I-80. I will need to get up there soon.



There was a great detour getting into Illinois, the big bridge was closed so we went over an 80+ year old bridge instead. I was just thinking, well great detour. The first thing we saw when entering Illinois were several police cars. Radar city and harassment time. What a welcome. Luckily, I forced myself to obey the speed limit nearly the entire trip. I did not need another $300 ticket like last time. But I rubbed my car on some lady's car in Seattle so that makes up for that... Have to get the estimates in. My deductible is kinda high so then, so much for saving..

Illinois is worse than Nebraska though, especially those last 3 hours to Chicago after a 30+ hour trip. But it was kinda nice getting to the outskirts of Joliet. I went to Northern Illinois University for my MFA and lots of memories pop up once you pass 126 and long before then I went to Joliet Junior College so all of those memories begin to pop once I pass Morris and Senica and then Joliet. All of my old friends and foes from 20 years ago. Even memories of skating in Joliet. Wow.




The only interesting thing that occured these last two days was a UFO cloud that was emerging from the trees.



It originally looked more like a mushroom cloud. So naturally we thought Chicago had been nuked. But then it sprouted wings and began to rise. It gave us some entertainment anyway.



I dropped Cappetto off around 5pm and headed on out. I had to snap a pick of all of the stuff on his lawn. Man, the Fit was packed with stuff. Mostly bags of Vans product we picked up on a few shopping sprees at the outlet stores. That may be #5 on the list of things I am going to miss!

Northwest Day 25,26,27? the road back to Chicago

We skated Hood River again and kinda got over heated. It was like 95 over there only because the park is shrouded in trees. The idea was to chill after that and enjoy the last night in Oregon camping by the Columbia River. Cappetto got bored and decided to do some skateboard stunts, he made a ramp out of old decks and rocks, skated the parking block and then decided to drop in on an old deck off of the picnic table..

We set out for home this morning. I drove 777.4 miles today. Made it from Hood River, OR to Evansten. Um, Wyoming, not IL... So, we have a lot more road to cover. We'll probably do the sane thing and stop over night somewhere in Iowa. But who knows...

The drive is Ok, I should have taken the Norther Route back but we did that on the way out. The original plan was to re-run a few parks in Portland on Saturday and then maybe leave Sunday or Monday and hit up Buhl, ID and Haley ID. We were also going to hit stuff up in Colorado.

The only problem is that the heatwave is still in effect. It was 105 in Irrigon, OR today... Buhl was like 98 and so on. So, we decided just to make the trek home. And after last night, I think it is the good choice. It was soooo hot in the tent, I was sweating the entire night and only cooled down around 4 or 5am. So I got like 2 hrs sleep. I basically slept on the floor of the tent because even laying on the sleeping bag was too much of a heat source.

Things didn't help either when as I was stepping the tent this dufus pulls up in his big Mercedes Safari rig, nearly runs my foot over and says, "get out of my campsite!!!" He was like, I reserved this site with a chair and you guys are on my site... I explained that we were there before noon and nobody was in the campground when we got here. I also told him 4-5 times that there was a chair sitting in the site directly next to us with a chair in it. But he was not listening, only yelling. It too me and Cappetto screaming get the f... out and check the site next to us to get this idiot out of my face... So he drives his 100,000 diesel 10' over and then comes back and apologizes.

I'm like, whatever dude, maybe you should investigate things a little more before you come at people in the middle of the night.... What an ass.