Balloons

We saw it months ago… Rick took me by the house and I knocked. No answer. The front yard landscaping was rough. Trees untrimmed. Lawn virtually non-existent. I knew that I could trade some landscape work in exchange for permission to ride the pool that sat behind the house. I gave a quick glimpse over the fence. The side walls seemed amazing and the facewall looked unreal. Graffiti covered everything… That could be problematic. Usually, spray paint on pool surfaces can be slippery. You can’t really pump the transitions or get speed off of a tight wall when you are sliding around. I left a note and waited. Weeks flew by, then a month. Nothing. I left another note and then another. A full month after the last note, my phone received a text message. “Hi. I’m the owner of the pool.” I laughed because I had no idea what pool they were referring to. In the last year, I’ve knocked on hundreds of doors. Boots on the ground. We do the damn work…

I’ve got a great crew of friends and we put in the hours and hours it takes. She told me which pool and I smiled. I was hoping it was the graffiti kidney. We drove over the next day and struck a deal. A few days later, we were doing yard work, tree trimming and general cleanup. The pool was washed down and we rode. It was slick and the owner really didn’t want the graffiti in there anyway. I wanted to paint the pool white and make it really grippy and fast. She agreed. Today, we drove over and did the deed.

It was Rick Stine, Corey Philips and yours truly. The pool is smooth, white and beautiful. It’ll be a joy to session in a few days time. Five gallons of flat white Kilz2, rollers, sticks, pans and trays, painters tape and beverages: $135.00. Split it up and you’ve got magic… not a bad investment. Thank you Corey Philips & Rick Stine. A-Game. Thanks to Brandon Wong for the images. Skate- Ozzie