I went to art school. Best five years of my life… But none of this silliness. No sirree. It was all business. Not like Matt Cheney, action artist. He makes art while doing things like skateboarding and skydiving. He’s even used his skateboard as a brush. Now that’s putting your parents’ tuition money to good use!

[Source: John Bakos]

Give thanks you don’t live in Fort Walton Beach Florida, where the city golf course will remain open on Thanksgiving day but other facilities, including the skatepark will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving Holidays. My guess is that a golf course is more expensive to leave open than a skate park, so someone at city hall must want to get in a few rounds before they gorge themselves. Up here in Portland? well if the weather cooperates, all public skateparks will be open and free of charge.

This weeks shot is from an Arizona pool party that Old Man Army recently threw, complete with live honky tonk on the deck. Russell proves you can rock and roll to honky tonk. You can see it larger over at the Shot of the Week.

The Royal Hawaiian Pool Service has a page documenting the Poi Bowl that is right up our obsessive compulsive alley. It’s a famous pool that aside from being skated, also had the honor of appearing in several episodes of Hawaii Five-O. RHPS has some pics from magazine appearances, a skateboard graphic tribute, and a little video footage from TV as well.

Just a reminder, there is still a war going on in Iraq, and there are still guys skating over there too. This pic is from Mr M’s World.

Larry Pescatore sent in some more progress shots of the Wormhoudt park in San Jose:

It looks all but finished: the concrete and bowls all look done and the perimeter fence has been built. The testament to monolithic artsy skatable landmarks is complete. The bathrooms have been built. All that seems left is the parking lot and/or outer landscaping. They even built a walkway up but it’s all fenced off.

It looks more like a nuclear power plant than a skatepark in the shot above. More after the jump.

Tom and Kathryn Inouye know how to throw a video premiere. First they put in phone calls to Corey Duffel (who is recovering from a fractured leg) and invited him up for a weekend party. When the “Duff-man” confirms he’s flying up with several Osiris team-mates to do a “meet and greet” autograph signing then its time to get the word out. The word got out ten-fold. PlanZ Skateshop from Kelso WA bussed in 18 amped up youth for the event. Skaters drove in from all directions. Even some conservative parents were overheard saying “what a blast this was” to us as they left to tuck in the little ones for the evening.

Sent in by Morris.

Saturday morning under-14 session at Department of Skateboarding. It was a lot more crowded than it looks in this photo but it seemed pretty safe and sane.

Or as Pete Lewis likes to call it: Old fatties skating terribly small skatepark features. Bigger after the jump. Sorry Egbert, you didn’t make the cut.