The Holly

Summer. Friday evening. The sky was orange in the distance. Temperatures had been above 104 degrees all week long. The twilight still sizzled. It would be close to midnight before it dropped down into the 80’s. I was inside the cool confines of Ridiculous. The week had been a tough one at work. Nag Champa burned in a smokey rivulet from a brass incense cup.  My phone vibrated on the nightstand. I put down my book- The Marquis de Sade - and took the call. Salba. “Hey dude. What’s your deal?” I had nothing going on and wasn’t relishing the idea of a Saturday pool draining mission in 104 degree heat and told him so. Maybe we could skate tomorrow night here under the lights, I added. Salba grunted non- committally and told me that he had a rad kidney that he knew of. Lowden had found it and it was insane.

Before he hung up Salba said, “I’ll phone you in the morning and we will go hit it before it gets too hot.” The next day we met up and I had to admit, it was a pretty insane pool. It was a right-hand kidney with really mellow gradual transitions and tapering side walls. Painted bullnose coping wrapped the top of the pool and the whole thing had a slight bend in it. The shallow stairs were tucked away neatly to one side. It was pristine.

We rode it that day and subsequently went back several times. I saw Lowden there and thanked him by giving him a new amoeba pool that I had found nearby. That is how it is done. I returned to the Holly with Jake Reuter, Brandon Wong, Ripperside Shawn and MRZ on other occasions. We had a good time, kept it quiet and made our visits brief. Salba ended up shooting an Independent Six Pack video at the pool and it is a great skateboarding clip.

The pool is gone now. It is a swimmer that provides a summer respite from the heat for a new tenant in the home. I wish them well. The pool will be there. It isn’t going anywhere… and neither are we! Thanks Lowden, Salba, Ripperside Shawn, MRZ, Jake, Gable and BD Wong. Skate- Ozzie