The new Grindline built novice park at the Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex is open for skating. Too bad it was raining today. Reports are that it is small but fun. There’s that word again. Oh no, I just blew out the skatepark.

Thanks Rick MacDonald for the phone cam shot.

People are recycling old skateboards into shoes, jewelry, purses and furniture these days. Add Sansfurnace to the list if you don’t already know about it. It appears to be the work of Jeff Schaid, and it’s pretty interesting. A lot of it is obviously skateboard centric, but some of the pieces don’t even hint at their former existences. Sometimes the graphics play an integral role in design, and sometimes they are not even visible. Some of the pieces are just smart looking furniture that happens to be made from skateboards. A piece that screams “I’m a skateboard” can be good if it isn’t too clumsy. Sansfurnace is able to go to the next level. The shots above are from the “Work” section of the web site. Each piece has multiple views that do a better job of giving you an overall feel, so check it out.

[Source: Ashbury]

In terms of spectators, this year’s Trifecta showing at Lincoln City was not as packed as it has been in previous years. That might have had something to do with the weather. It seemed like it might rain, and the fog and/or clouds were literally blowing through the top of the trees. Perhaps the heat wave was keeping away some of the inland folks who didn’t realize there was a 30 degree temperature difference between Portland and Lincoln City. It fluctuated between almost downright cold and mildly warm, with the warm periods seemingly only lasting for about 10 minutes at a time when the sun would peek out.

So it’s that time of year again. Time to get ready for the onslaught of pictures that are edited with an eye towards quantity and not quality. If the names aren’t listed, it’s because I don’t know who they are.

Check out Oregon Trifecta 2008: Lincoln City

Sponsored action sports athletes Bucky Lasek, Ryan Guettler, Rob Lorfice, Alistair Whitton (okay, I’ve heard of Bucky) and more will make an appearance at the Vans store at Clackamas Town Center on Thursday, August 21 at 7:00PM. It would probably be cooler to meet these dudes at one of the local skateparks but they promise tons of Vans giveaways including limited edition t-shirts for the first 100 attendees. You might even win a chance to take home a free pair of Vans shoes! Sorry this is short notice fanboys but you’d drop everything to meet Bucky right? Oh wait, we hate those guys because they make their shoes using overseas labor. You could go and protest.

Vans Store Clackamas Town Center, 12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97086 503-659-1177

This is am image of a SpohnCrete precast waterfall from a Flickr post. It addresses one of the concerns found in the “cons” section of prefab concrete from companies such as Spohn Ranch, who have actually sent me a bunch of imagery and correspondence as a rebuttal to previous criticisms that I need to get to formatting. This is not an endorsement, rather a presentation of information to do with as you please. You can read what they have to say on the waterfall and other features on Flickr.

It’s a funny coincidence that I was listening to the Trilobites I Can’t Wait For The Summer To End when I got the email tip about this song. “Summer’s not a bummer. It’s a stunner, and it’s now.” Sure, Marc Bolan was not known for the depth of his lyrics, but rather for being the the supreme effeminate glam rock guitarist and vocalist whose half shirts, onstage mincing, high heels and general rocking cool stage presence and persona were not even approached again until the likes of Prince.

Marc must have had a fascination with skateboarding too. This is Skateboard Music features a demo of his titled “Skateboard,” and this video clip performance of “Celebrate Summer” from his UK variety show simply titled “Marc” features skateboarders performing in front of a blue screen. Unfortunately, the song and performance are pretty flat. Not exactly a good introduction to T Rex for the uninitiated. Apparently, Marc was also an advocate for skateparks. You can watch the video and read an excerpt from an interview with Mr Bolan talking about the exciting new sport of skateboarding and what government officials should be doing to promote “skateboard tracks.” – Thanks to Eric Shea for the tip

July was a pretty status quo month. Nothing went super high, but prices weren’t low either. Lots of stuff went for over a thousand, which is my barometer. Australia is super hot or collecting right now: there’s lots of great decks going that way, and some great collections being put together. I guess the weak dollar is good for something.

Check out eBay Watch for July 2008.

Pro
First: Benji Galloway
Second: Tim Johnson
Third: Kevin Kowalski
Fourth: Brice Niebuhr
Fifth: Bruno Passos
Sixth: Rion Linderman
Seventh: Sky Siljeg

Sky Siljeg is going to be (more of) a force to deal with. He was killing it and he’s something like 12 or 13 years old. Oregon skrote Rion Linderman pulled a proper McTwist in the final jam. There was another rain out (temporary) and another bad collision on the heals of yesterday’s in which Chad Shetler left blood from a head injury on the concrete. This time was pretty scary. Taylor Bingaman got knocked unconscious and started bleeding fast from his head. The good news is both guys are relatively OK.

This shot didn’t turn out as good as I had hoped, but this guy’s (Edwin, or Evan?) mouth is bleeding because he lost a tooth in a hard slam about five minutes earlier. There was another bad collision between Rex the Albany/Red Cement ripper and another guy named Chet (?) Chad Shetler. He left a pool of blood from his head on the flat, but got up and walked away. As far as I know he didn’t lose consciousness. Dave Duncan has replaced “this kid is no joke!” with “Blood is the new black.” Full size shot of toothless after the jump.

Pro
First: Daniel Cardone
Second: Tim Johnson
Third: Kevin Kowalski
Fourth: Steve Reeves
Fifth: Benji Galloway

I think Tyler Martin got ripped off at 6th place, but I’m not sure who I would swap out.