Jungleland Skates has a tribute page to a spot called the Tea Bowls that was sessioned intermittently from the 70s through the 90s. Like the rest of Jungleland (don’t look you’ll spoil a future post!) it is well thought out and has a slight museum-like air to it. There are videos, video grabs, still shots and a surprising history of the spot. Turns out some richies built an elaborate estate for tea parties and social events in the 1920’s. Part of this estate are these huge reservoir type bowls and a series of aqueducts that must have taken an absurd amount of water to fill. Make sure to watch the video clips. I know you are thinking “Well, that’s going to be some boring ditch footage,” but the clips are short and the action is interesting. One of the bowls is gnarly and deep. The surface is broken up and there are massive piles of dirt to be navigated around. The whole thing is very surreal. It’s hard to imagine why they built such deep pools that were more suitable for scuba diving or holding the Loch Ness Monster than swimming. Also of note are a couple of the amusing…

I was looking all over for links to the Clackamas Town Center skatepark and thinking these parks are popping up right under my nose without any warning. Then I realized it was actually being held at the mall. Sweet. I’m going to grab my girlfriend, give her a macrame bracelet with my name on it, stuff my oversized comb into the back of my Jordache jeans and head on over to this street contest sponsored by Cartoon Network’s Toonami. They say I can even meet Kris Markovich. The whole thing is free and if I win I’m going to LA for the finals, which I’m sure will be heavily covered by Thrasher et al. Only the first 100 skaters in line by 9:00 am (7-25 in Portland) will be able to compete, which is why I posted this at midnight. Don’t tell my mom I’m ditching curfew. Info. Head on over to Craigslist if you wan to get a temp job working the event. Just a heads up that the Sarcastic Web Commenter position is already taken. Thanks to Troy Sliter for the tip off. He’ll be the 80’s skater disguised as a teenager at this contest.

I was unaware, but maybe you’ve heard of this before… Apparently, there is some sort of long standing history of skateboarding in Portland Oregon. Who knew? Someone should commemorate that. Besides building 19 new skateparks, the City of Portland is sponsoring an exhibit called Board of Art: A Historical Perspective of Stumptown Skate on August 2nd from 5:00-8:00pm at City Hall (1221 SW 4th). There will even be a half pipe set up in front of city hall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a city’s top brass embrace skateboarding so much. Thanks Comissioner Sam! Now why wasn’t I invited to be artsy with my peers? Oh wait. I was, and I dropped the ball. Nice one. [Graphic: Bettina McEntyre]

I had always intended to include video footage with our series of DIY articles on screenprinting skateboards (see bottom pics). Now that I’ve seen the Sistine Chapel of screenprinting videos I can’t see the point of making what will obviously be, an inferior copy of a master’s work. From Aesthetic Apparatus comes this video of the silkscreen process. Although these guys are making posters, it’s essentially the same process used for screen printing skateboards, or screen printing heat transfers. How does this video manage to be educational, annoying, and hilarious at the same time? Watch and find out. [Source: The News]

Wheelie. Wheelie. Wheelie. My friend did a manual, and then a nose manual on a ledge which is longer than a football field. The actual distance was 315.21 feet and I found that using Google Earth, I even included a screen shot at the end of the clip for you non-believers. Wheelie. Wheelie. Wheelie. Update: I never said this was the longest, but people keep sending in longer manuals, so I’ve added them after the jump. However, this first video is still (more?) interesting for three reasons: Unlike the others, it’s an ollie to manual. There’s a Google Earth picture of this huge manual pad. The other guys are appear to be rolling downhill.

Earth Patrol Media has finished posting their Sleestock 2007 pictures. Above area a few of my favorites. Top is a kid named andy with an Andrecht on the hip. So Rad. On the bottom is this year’s answer to last year’s parking lot cooler session. Next, check out Tim Eberly’s Bangles inspired stance in the middle bottom. He does this weird thing sometimes when he drops in, at the last second he turns his back foot parallel to the board. He’s shifty! Lastly, it’s the man with the plan, the Stak’s own Bobcat. Noticeably absent from the gallery? Me! Come on man, I learned how to carve over the stairs with my hand on the bottom step. EPM caught it on film and I was quite pleased with myself. Maybe I looked like Hitler again. Fortunately there is plenty of other viewage available. Check out EPM’s Sleetsock 2007 coverage.

Team Shralp passed along a report on the Vancouver meeting last week. Sorry I’m a little slow in passing along the info. Sounds like there was a decent turnout – a mix of ages and a few skateboarders for a change. Some neighbors thought the skatepark was getting special treatment – dog park people were pissed cause they pay for their trash removal, restrooms, and fencing but the skatepark is going to have those things provided by the city, months ahead of any other feature in the park. What can we say skateboarders have a better lobby. There was some loose discussion of rules, kind of like Battle Ground’s rules: bikes and skateboards all the time, pegs yes, and be polite to each other and people and things around the park. The current plan is to open mid-August and they are going to sneak it – no big event just open the gates and let it happen, just word of mouth. Thanks Jason. skatepark rendering from Grindline

OK, first this month I want to clarify some things. Namely, what Baywatch is and what it is not. It is a column where I list skateboard related auctions that caught my eye the previous month on eBay. It is completely random: I cover what I find interesting, unusual or funny. It is not a price guide and was never meant to be one. I guess because I list the final auction price people sometimes use it in that way, but that is not the prime purpose. If a definitive price guide is what you are looking for, then you are looking in the wrong place. If not, then check out the June 2007 eBay Watch.

The Curve Extreme Sport is just a design concept now, but if it ever gets produced it will be another in a long series of over-engineered and likely very expensive skateboards. The biggest feature is that the traditional trucks have been replaced with a system that places one elongated footbal-shaped wheel on the front and the back. The effect is half Z-Roller truck, half flowboard. I know this is just a guy (Gary Chang) exercising the left half of his brain a little, so there’s no need to tear this thing apart. That won’t stop me from pointing out a few obvious flaws and showing you some more pics after the jump. [Source: Yanko Design]

Rich said they are even further along today. Can’t wait. More shots after the jump.