Barcelona

My good friend, Igor Rogowski, snapped this photo on a trip to Barcelona while I was teaching 
there. We skated, explored and conquered the city during our short trip. Ernest Hemingway once 
said, "It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat 
up the hills and coast down them." As much respect as I have for Mr. Hemingway, I would like to 
say that riding a skateboard is the best way to get to learn the contours of a city. It's a form of urban 
exploration that is unrivaled by foot or bicycle. A skateboarder exploring the contours of a new city 
is akin to an explorer exploring uncharted unknown territory. A skateboarder is fascinated by the 
texture of a road or sidewalk, he anticipates the slight discrepancies and adapts his biomechanics to 
continue his pursuit onward. 

Y Ditch

The freedom associated with spending a Sunday afternoon in a Central Texas drainage ditch is something that will allow me to age gracefully. Skateboarding is a powerful outlet for those of us who are still able to endure the lifestyle. Photos like this will serve me well in my older age, and they will remind me that my younger years were spent outside of the normal rush to happy hour. Writing in this blog was meant to be about skateboarding, but I hope it turns into a celebration of life. Oh, how lucky I am to live in a time where I can broadcast my voice to millions with a few keystrokes.