Evidence LXXXII: Two Pools, One Rip

Finally got back on board. Dealing with knee, but it ain't gonna go away, so might as well get in where I fit in. Joe, Craig and Dickborg were waiting for me and Hoss. We dilly-dallied, then headed to the snowman. Those guys had drained it but not yet skated. looked good from afar, but it was far from good. Best part about this pool were the features: rubber ducky in the death, scallops for a ladder (Joe said clams, Dixon said oysters, but I know a scallop when I see one), snowman shape, good coping, killer Paddock tile in the deep. It rode like a beast. We fought for a couple grinds, and bailed. 

Hoss got the electrical cover. 

Scallops? 

Nice curves, except the important one. 

Joe tosses one up there. 

The evidence is mounting, pool #2. 

Dickborg gets a FSG. 

Pork chop shape, delicious to ride, smooth as hell, wide open, buttery deep end, nice tile coping, good death/light positioning. We'll be back. 

Roman end down the alley, shallow, maybe 6-feet, maybe we'll hit it...

Joe gets it done over the light and death.

Evidence LXXXI: No Dice

Hoss got the word on an empty in North Scottsdale, way, way up there. And he had gargled the earth and found a few more. We got the house, quite a palacial spread, but there was evidence of recent activity. We were a little sketched, but hopped the fence. Lo and behold, a few hours into the refill. And if it was that close to the top, likely people were around or would soon be. we scrammed, scoped a few more, and called it a day.

 

I haven't skated since Seattle. I've been diagnosed with arthritis in my right knee, and it's killing me. I am back in physical therapy to try to reduce the pain. Too young for knee replacement, but that could bedown the road. Gonna talk to Livi again for alternatives...

Choppers!

http://vimeo.com/49261414

 

Can't embed the first video, but check it out. For all my chopper friends.

Blatantly ripped off from Le Container, who blatantly ripped it off from someone else. Been putting in a little time here and there on the CB175. Got fork ears shaved and clip ons mounted and wired up, got the CB160 healight bucket on there, and an aftermarket tach. New tires too, with a tiny little 2.50X18 front tire. It looks killer without the fender, maybe I will have to run it that way. Using old cables from the CB160 -- they were good, but I wanted my 160 looking sharp (after all, it's a show winner! -- in the category of only-Japanese-bike-at-the-Love-Party a couple years back). Gotta find time to finish up the CB350F/400F -- wiring this weekend for sure, but OPBs too. A bunch of DJ gigs coming in too. Need more time and less sleep (and more beer).

CB175, CB400F

Got a CB175 for $200. We bought it for Vargas, so he'd have some solid exhaust for his 175. I did some tinkering, rebuilt carbs, changed oil, new plugs, and the beastie fired up first kick. It's got 4K original miles on it. I found some CL pipes at Bob's, and cut off the muffler last night. I'm working on the tank -- it's got a couple dings and needs a recoating. Seat cover is as crispy as a saltine. This one is for sale now for cheap, but the more work I do and the cooler it looks the more the price goes up... 

Finally got exhaust seals for the CB400F. This is what the custom 4-4 exhaust Brock made me looks like when it's all wrapped up and mounted. Still might go with the 4-1 stock. We'll see how the thing runs. Got one side of the coils mounted --  I had to grind down part of the mounts on the dyna coils. Wiring and firing this weekend?

PS Put ina couple hours today on the 175. Stripped the seat and turn signals, the rear peg and exhaust mounts, the gauges and gauge mount, and headlight. Continued stripping the tank, now it needs some sanding and a little filling. Exhaust mounted and bolted in. Carbs dialed it -- I wouldn't say she purrs, more like she growls. Got a CB160 headlight bucket and speedo in there, and you can see the aftermarket tach that I'll mount somewhere. Tomorrow is gonna be putting on the clip ons and replacing some of the cables -- luckily I have most of what I need for everything lying around, including old but functioning cables from the 160 when I put all new ones on that. Tail section needs to be built, and I'm gonna get some pods for it too. Tires... Then this baby is done and gonna be on the road.

 

Evidence LXXX: New Pool, Slight Problem

Found a killer pool at a foreclosed home around the corner, but couldn't see all the way into it. Went back the next day with buckets, but we were a little dismayed to find a somewhat fresh (?) corpse (?!) in the pool. We thought she might have been faking it, or just out of it on some kindof gnarly drug trip, but when we tried to shov her a little she just rolled straight into the water, and showed no signs of life. This kind of put a damper on our session, so we bagged it and went to look for other pools that don't have corpses in 'em. Fucking gnarly. 

Evidence LXXIX: Beat the Haboob

Was waiting all day Sunday for the shred, but we were also waiting for the late afternoon to beat the heat of the day. This time of year, however, we are also rolling the dice and hoping a storm doesn't roll in. Right around 4:30, storm starting rolling in. I called Joe, trying to move up our deal; he assured me it was dry where he was. Picked up Hoss, and right when we got on the freeway it started to rain. Got to the Deck park tunnel, and on the other side the rain stopped. We got to the bowl, finished the clean up Joe and Craig started (they went through 3 pumps), and start the shred. A couple raindrops here and there, but not enough to stop the session. High profile, park in the driveway as the neighbors thought we were working; in a way, we were. Joe, over the stairs second try. 

Craig was hungry for them stairs too. 

Hoss and I scoped another on the way home. Tear down. Maybe hit it this week... 

Another Master Pools pool, logo covered by tile for years (decades?).

Joe shralps the grinder!

Deep Soul Weekend

Gotta get some work done on the bikes this weekend, get OPBs outta my yard, get the 400F going, get the 175 running. Going back to Seattle left me nostalgic. Killer time, great friends, killer skate spots -- the parks are way, way better than here in AZ. check out these tracks by Ron Buford, Seattle native, from 1965. Amazing dope, I've been spinnin' this one non-stop playing out. The single is around, but can also be had on the Wheedle's Groove box set from Light in the Attic. It's a 10-record box set, all Seattle soul. I dig the earler stuff, but gotta say the later, disco-ey stuff ain't really my bag. Still -- a worthy score if you can track it down. 

 

 

The Space Needle as it originally appeared for the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. 

They painted it white after that, and that's the way I remember it ever since I was a kid growing up in Seattle. Bot for the 50th anniversary, they repainted the top orange. I was looking forward to seeing it when I got there, and it was pretty freakin' awesome. Not enough orange-topped towers these days, in my humble opinion.

 

Fallout Team Reunion, Part III

Final dose of Falloutitude. The event was a full go. I got there a little late and wanted to skate, so I didn't take too many photos, which sucks. I will post a link to some other folks' photos. One of my major regrets is not taking a photo of Russ and Janet, and the team and shop guys, all together. This photo has some heavies though: Marshall Stack (back to camera), Russ Battaglia, Larry Reid talking to Josh Peterson, Janet, Brad, Don, Tim, Wilma, Steve Betton, Laurie... A lot of those folks worked at the shop or skated for the team, or both! 

When I walked in, this guy brushed by me and bumped. Typical Hubbard greeting. Here he is fronting Grindline, the Band. 

Ms. Gallardo, Matt Gallardo, and Tom Peha. Wish I had more time to talk to the G-Man. Next time. 

Kurtis "The Daddy" Head, still getting up in your grill to talk, still with the mustache (albeit slightly John Waters-ish), and still with the plan for skating. This time it's "Skate-Fu": "Dudes think it's sounds totally gay until they see me surrounded by 18-year-old chicks," says the Daddy. 

Paula Sen, Tom Price, and I held down the store when Russ and Janet weren't there for much of the late '80s and through the '90s. Paula just got her J.D., Tom continues to shred in bands (from the U-Men to thge Kings of Rock to Gas Huffer to Monkeywrench and now in the Tom Price Desert Classic). 

Larry Reid did some time at the shop. Larry is legendary, from pulling a Vespa out of a lake and riding it around for years, to running early punk clubs Rosco Louie and Graven Image, to promoting art with COCA, to helping run the show at Fantagraphics comics. Amazing dude. Josh told me a story of how a mom went into Fallout one time, was looking at boards, and asked Larry if her son would like the pink Hosoi on the wall. Larry's response? "That depends. Is your son a fag?" Larry, telling it straight. 

Some of the Cretins dudes showed up. Killer SOHC with a wok for a seta bump. 

Ryan Monihan, ex-H-Street pro, Josh Peterson, who worked the counter and Fallout for years, and Tim Hayes, who did the same and then wound up owning the shop for a few years. 

Ket. Ray Stevens II (who DJed), and Scott Eatons. 

Ronnie Bopo was glad to see me, right Grant? 

Steve Betton. This is one of the guys I see skating every time I go to Seattle, and he is still ripping. Original Olympia Skate Park local. 

Joe Kilbourne put in plenty of time at the shop, with the 1988 team shirt. 

Bruce Jak and the Skate Drunks ended the night. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen, especially Tim Hayes, the whole Fallout crew, the bands (Grindline, Midnight Idols, Lopez, Skate Drunks), Brian Foss and the Funhouse crew, Ray Stevens II for DJing and putting up with my late night and early morning shenanigans, Don Blackstone for designing the reunion shirt. Stoked to see you all again, and stoked to see many of you soon.

 

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Fallout Skate Team Reunion Part II

On Saturday we made a run for some Eastside parks. Duvall first. I describe it as kind of a mini Nude Bowl replica with drawn out trannies and exposed aggregate. Tim Hayes, who worked at Fallout in the '80s and '90s, left town for a few years and played in some killer bands outta TX, came back to take over the shop in '98 or '99 before its eventual demise in 2002. He also crunched some mean FSGs.

Tim and Mark Holt at Crossroads, the next park we hit. Jak's guys made a showing at the Funhouse.

Monihan reflected in the drive back to Seattle.

The view from West Seattle.

Ray Stevens II made a showing Saturday, here with Tim. Ray played in Los Olvidados, the Faction, Drunk Injuns and even a stint in the Odd Numbers, and now plays in the Clay Wheels. He also does some solo stuff and DJs. All around killer guy. Ray was in my wedding

Alex, skating Delridge, moments before... he broke his elbow in three places. Stay up, Snoop!

Mike from Jivaro tosses up a frontside.

Nobody had heard from Nels, although we knew he was going to be in town. Ron went by his parents' place, but they didn't know he was going to be in town (oops). He was skating Lower Woodland when we got a hold of him and told him to come by Delridge. Nels still has it.

Since we were in West Seattle, we decided to stay in West Seattle. Our rides bailed, so we ate some food and did some karaoke at a Chinese restaurant. Boisterous times indeed. Nels and Ron catch up in front of Beth, while Morris tries to get out of the way.

Cody Boat and Morris.

We brought a few beers back to Beth's to close out the night.