BM-X rated

The homey, Darren used to ride for Cavotu during his days at San Pedro high school. He was one of the first riders on the Team who I didn't know personally. I took a chance on some young talent, nice guy indeed.

A couple shots from the Cavotu archives of Darren doing it live during a skate session in SLO.

Last time I was in SLO, I chewed some gum and stuck it on the wall. Yeeeah

I recently caught up with Darren on FB to see what's good. Darren graduated from Pedro and moved up north to tackle the college life at Cal State Monterey Bay. He recently started new project dedicated to the BMX game. Check out his blog for the latest 411 on the bike culture.

Say go DJ

Ok time machine, here we go. Back in the day, Cavotu fam, B Free had a regular gig @ Puma in the Bay. Back when 50 was killing it. Back when life was a little bit easier.

Almost Famous Part Deux

Christmas came early here at Casa de Cavotu. Big thanks to Santa Coop for sending over this fresh pair of kicks. This color-way came out pretty sick. We attack in red and black.

My son is only 2.5 years old but he is going to ask Cooper to give him skateboarding lessons so he can tear it up like this grom. Kids these days grow up sooo fast, I can't keep up.

Head over to Sunken City Skates and pick up a pair for your last minute Xmas shopping. Get your holiday on.

Checkered F(l)ags

The time has come for another round of amateur race car driving. The Lemons are back and the brothers Prunckle were once again behind the wheels of their modified vroom vroom putt putt racing vehicles. Ok everyone, on the count of three, wave and say cheese!

Cavotu riders, Joe Prunckle aka Unicorn and John Prunckle aka Pink gave the mellow yellow a major facelift this time around. "My little pony" was quite a hit around the pit crews. Unfortunately her legs were not strong enough to finish the race but she put on a damn good show.

Cavotu rider, Wes Wee aka Dad aka Oldest Prunk got the party started with his crew, hello Team BROverload. Wes (on the right) is rocking the "Pins" shirt, which was one of the fastest selling Cavotu tees.

Sometimes even the bros need a little help handling the enormous jug of ice cold Silver Bullet pleasure. Remember to wait until the mountains turn blue, amateurs.The ride was looking mighty fine indeed. Hey I don't see any Cavotu stickers. WTF bros? Go bro go!

Until the next race my friends...read more about these crazy cats on the 24 hours of Lemons site.

Old Blew Eyes

There is something about this shade of blue...feeling inspired.

Twisted Sister

I received these tee shirts frames as a gift a few years ago. Somehow they got lost in the shuffle when I moved. While searching for Xmas decorations, I came across the tee shirt frame box and decided to put these bad boys to use. Here are a few vintage Cavotu classics from previous collections.

This is where I've been but where am I going?

AI Memorial Kauai

This still gives me chills.

Get Inked

The homey, Forrest got his first tattoo the other day down in San Diego buy this bearded man named Joe. Thanks to his lady, Mia for taking the photos. Forrest is rocking a Cavotu shirt that was an organic cotton sample logo tee from a few seasons back that never made it into production. Represent!

At age 30, I am proud to say that I am still ink free. I am definitely part of a unique group here in Cali. It seems like everyone is tat'd with a little something these days. I never say never but I really have a hard time making the commitment to one particular design and/or color and/or word etc. The whole concept of "this tattoo will be with you forever" just kills it for me. No I don't want to get one of those henna tats or temporary ones from the local street fair booth. Oh and to the guy who says but what about the laser removal? The best form of removal seems to be to just cover it up with another tattoo. The debate continues...

Fall Back

"Yes, you get another hour." I would guess that this is the most used phrase in Cali around this time of night. I almost just typed out that it was Friday but then quickly realized that it was Saturday but now its actually Sunday morning, whew that was nonsense. I just did some cleaning around the pad and I randomly thought of this song Kissing Families by Silversun Pickups. This track was actually the second song I heard from the band. "Three Seed" was the anthem that blew my mind when I heard it on Mark Hoppus's podcast back in the day. Ok well enjoy your extra hour. Gnite folks.

R.I.P. Andy Irons

I was a little late finding out about this tragedy. Hard to believe its true. AI was a talented cat. I never saw him surf in real life but I've seen plenty of videos to know the guy was a freaking shredder. Dengue Fever is no joke. The dengue and malaria were my main fears while I was traveling around South East Asia in 2001. I remember crying in fear one afternoon after realizing that I had over 20 mosquito bites on each of my legs after leaving the jungle in Cambodia. I was lucky none of those bites became life threatening but that still had me on edge during the rest of my travels.

The true sadness of this event is that Andy was only 32 and he left behind his wife and soon to be first child. I'm sort of at a loss for words. The good die young. Rest in peace brother.

Cavotuesday

This Cavotuesday will definitely go down in the history books as the day Californians were given their first opportunity to vote on a proposition that would legalize marijuana. I never thought this particular measure would ever reach our ballots. As a father of 2 babies, I don't engage in any Mary Jane activities but I am a rare case. At times, it seems as if everyone and their mother burns trees here in Cali.

Marijuana is definitely a hot button issue with all the contraversy surrounding the medical dispensaries and their legal rights. I believe that folks are going to smoke regardless so all this hype will not lead to the passing of Prop 19. Sure it would be great for our economy but I don't think the US government is ready for this reality. But then again, we had Arnold Schwarzenegger as our Governor so literally anything can happen.

I just noticed the time stamp of this blog post, wow! I honestly did not plan that but the coincidence is freaking awesome. Don't forget to hit up your local polling place. Let your voice be heard.

Halloween

I carved this pumpkin today. We did it as "a family" (which meant my wife slept in and I had both my kids strapped down in their high chairs as I used sharp knives and somehow managed to keep them both entertained for 30 minutes). Carving definitely takes some patience and skills but I think this boy turned out alright.

And speaking of Halloween, someone asked me the other day about my back round pic on my Twitter page. The picture was taken on Halloween (2006) in the backyard of Cavotu rider, Wes Wee's house in Santa Barbara. The homey, Forrest and I were goofing with the skull makeup in between shots of Jameson and Silver Bullet chasers. That night we saw Devilock, a Misfits cover band who has been playing their annual show at the Velvet Jones for at least 10 years.

Mr. Cavotu and Mr. Panda back then...

Forrest took these photos today in San Diego. The skull makeup still goes strong four years later. That makeup is amazing, who knew it was going to be permanent.

The finger nails add a nice touch as well. Happy Halloween folks.

Be Calm

Last night my wife and I went to the Fonda theatre in Hollywood to see a little band called Fun. My expectations were rather high due to my love of the Format. Overall I was impressed with the performance. The audience straight killed it in the participation points. Even Nate, the lead singer said that this was the most clapping he had witnessed all tour. Way to go Los Angeles!

It feels good to see live music again. It also feels to good to follow through with things I say I am going to do. Hopefully both of these trends will continue.

Candyland

The wife and I spent the afternoon strolling around the Shore. No, not that one. I'm talking about 2nd street in Long Beach. Beautiful weather today, easily could of went with the shorts and sandals look but somehow I was rocking the denim. I can only pretend it gets cold around here but can't complain when the heat comes thru. My wife is always talking about this spot called Powell's so we wandered inside for a visual experience. Unfortunately I only had my iPhone so the quality of the images is rather weak but you get the idea.

This mouth spray product might be the answer to all my problems. The packaging said "In need of a faith lift? When you're ready to turn to God, we're there to show you the way."

Every time I see all these crazy sodas, I just want one sip of each one out of pure curiosity but could never consume an entire bottle.

I loved the band and the candy.

All we need is love.

Gene Wilder is an amazing actor. "So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it."-Willy Wonka

Tee of the Day

I found this shirt earlier today while I was checking out Busted Tees. These guys always keep me smiling with their clever humor. The shirt is called Analog Retirement. They could probably add this guy to the group too.