From there, I cruised to the bayfront and spent the day among thousands of fun-in-the-sun-loving people. I was given access to the media platform to take the only kiteboarding photos that I shot. My apologies to all the kiteboarders this year, but I only stayed here for about 30 minutes. I didn't want to miss the other action going on several hundred yards to the south

This year, I spent a good deal of time taking photos of the ramp area, with the skateboarders and BMX riders. It just warms my heart to see where the sports (we started) have gone. I had a blast shooting over there. Unfortunately, the crowds, the sun angle, and the ramp set-up were non-condusive to getting the best shots. Only those few photographers with obvious passes were allowed to gain access to the ramp. I was not among them. I did my best, and finally had a front-row, center spot at the edge of the ramp's freestyle area. The security crews had a difficult time keeping everyone OFF of this plywood decking. This had to be repaired during the day, due to earlier crowds putting too much weight on it.

I stayed here for hours, as the scheduled events on the ramp were continually delayed into the late afternoon. In the end, it was worth it. Even with one of the BMX riders taking a bad spill on the ramp (requiring a departure from the ramp on a back-brace to an awaiting ambulance), the show / competition went on and the skateboarders had the crowd cheering during the 45-minute skate-jam session. The names of certain skaters were being chanted, and these guys' performances stepped up in front of our eyes. Skating is like that. It's easy to get motivated by a crowd, and begin making unbelievable tricks that you never made before. We were not disappointed in the "peanut gallery". These were not the "Tony Hawk" variety of pro skateboarders, but very talented local boys from Texas. They gave it their best and it was an impressive spectacle. There could have been more big "air", but that's just me. I wanted the killer photos. I did not leave unhappy, though I was sunburnt.

I returned to the Velocity Villiage on Monday (Memorial Day) around 1:00 pm. I was hoping to make up for the lack of kiteboarding photos by catching the "expression session" that was scheduled for 1:30. Unfortunately, there was little to no wind and there were NO kites in the air when I arrived. I began taking shots near the ramp, as several of the skaters and BMX riders from Saturday were still hanging around there, even though there was no formal event or competition going on.

This time, I just opted to go topside on the ramp - screw the "media pass". If I git kicked off, so be it. Fortunately, I was not banished from the upper tiers. Inversely, I was all but welcomed and was able to get some terrific shots of several of the dominant riders (using the fisheye lens). I spent about an hour up there shooting in the lousy, high contrast lighting of the light clouds. I obviously needed a hot-shoe driven hand-held flash unit, but didn't bring one. Next time...

C-101 C-SCULPTURES (JUNE 14, 2003):

This was the first time that I had been to the C-Sculptures event since about 1998. I was amazed at how big it has become. It was a festival on the beach. The location, at Newport Pass, is better than it was when it was held at the J.P. Luby beach. It afforded a secluded enclave among the white sandy dunes.