Fences

Fences

The sun abides today,

in glorious spring brightness:

out in my garden I browse

flowers among the bees.

I glance above me and find

tracks of jets cut the sky,

blue haze and wind-swept glow,

like Hyacinth's astral Lover.

It's said good fence, good neighbor,

but I've also heard how

a wall to keep others out

will keep oneself as well.

How much is my garden a garrison,

fenced and walled around?

And if I should look up,

what beyond this do I find?

(5/21/2009)

The Victim

The Victim

To know pain, live pain, cling to pain,

what then is

given back to others?

To know joy, live joy, cling to joy,

how might that

turn around better?

(5/19/2009)

May

May

The meadow lies flat on its

back between homes and roads.

Green whiskers and fat little

trees laze in the May sun.

Not a bee's flower touches this

tall grass in its sweet repose.

(5/9/2009)

Let the Summer Begin!

Today I brought home a new piece of sports equipment that I've been looking forward to owning for a while: a longboard skateboard. I picked up an Arbor Koa Fish longboard at the Tactics Boardshop in downtown Eugene. I found that Tactics' location on 4th is nice and spacious and has a great selection in this department. The salesperson who assisted me was very friendly and helpful, so my overall shopping experience was terrific. She admitted to not being an expert in all aspects of their longboards, but I'd done some homework and had looked at boards elsewhere, so I had a good idea what I wanted, and she did great at helping me find it.

The pavement was wet today and I have never ridden a longboard before, but I was eager to give my new ride a spin. So on my way back toward the bus station I picked a moderately dry and clean sidewalk, set the board down, and pushed off -- and I almost immediately felt at-ease with the feel of this setup. The 38" length is just perfect for my 6' 3" height. I found myself able to step a little forward or back and still keep a solid stance on the deck.

As I rolled up my driveway on my new bundle of joy I immediately felt like I wanted to take it back out on the streets! This is a great feeling to be so excited about riding again. In fact when I saw that the clouds had parted for a bit, I decided to take my new prize for a spin right after dinner. And it was a pure joy to push around the neighborhood. I found it able to handle turns fairly smooth and tight with the trucks adjusted for just a nice amount of play. Cruising and carving were totally fluid - a big change from what I've been used to on my 30" trick deck. If the Oregon liquid sunshine had not started up again I think I would still be out riding. I literally could see myself riding for miles on this thing.

The deck is concave with 7 plies -- 6 of maple and the top one of Hawai'ian koa wood. Arbor uses a clear re-grip so you can see the rich koa wood grain. Overall this makes for a fairly rigid setup, but I found that it does have a nice touch of flex under my 200 pound frame. I could see that being useful in some technical turns and pumping, but I'm not that advanced of a rider yet. The slight flex also provides a little more spring to pushing action, so the ride is that much more fun. There are no wheel cut-ins, but between the risers and the placement of the trucks I can't imagine wheel bite even being possible. The wheels are size 65mm at 78a hardness, which I'm finding quite agreeable so far for traction and smooth riding. Combined with the risers the bumps and cracks in the sidewalk give a very slight, low ping that is very easy on my 35 year old joints. The trucks are Gullwing Chargers, and appear quite sturdy without being overly heavy. The whole rig weighs about 6 or 7 pounds, so it's not too bulky. Bearings are Grease Ball ABEC-5's, not super fast, but very smooth. With a little breaking in so far they are feeling faster, so they are probably literally greased and if I degrease them when I clean them perhaps they will be faster.

For looks, the graphic is gorgeous and really sold me on this model. The fish scales and water ripples are cleverly ornamented by small versions of the Arbor tree logo. The blue wheels coordinate well with the print, and I like the look of the Arbor logo on the top and the koa grain. Really, aside from how it felt to stand on in the shop, the looks are what sold this one to me. Or as I told the salesperson, this one wanted me.

I'm definitely looking forward to riding this baby a lot this season!

• Arbor Skateboards
• Tactics Boardshop in Eugene