Archive for March, 2009

March Wakeboarding

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Initially I planned to head back to WSU the Saturday after spring break. Jokingly I told my friends, “Yeah I’m heading to school tomorrow, unless we go on the water.” Go figure, Jeff took his boat out. Silly me, I planned to drive to Pullman after spending an “hour or two” on the river. That “hour or two” turned into five hours on the boat and over 200 pictures.


Jeff, as the owner of the boat, road first. I could not believe the flat water! After throwing on sweats and a dry suit Jeff casually hopped in, like he is used to the 50℉ water. No surprise, he rode every month this winter. A few wake jumps and 180’s later Jeff took a break to warm up. In water this cold your hands literally feel like pins and needles.

After Jeff rode, Dan decided he needed to ride. Dan started riding this year. Newbies are always fun to watch because they have the best crashes. Well, maybe not as good as Stoker’s…

My friends Justin and Kara Stoker showed up with their new Suntracker party barge and a few more people. We tied up the boats and floated for a while. I took the initiative to find dance tunes on the iPod. As everyone knows, I love to dance. I especially love to dance on the boats. The cold weather did not stop me from breaking it down, even in sweats.

With limited daylight and rain clouds moving in, the boys decided to keep riding. Justin, or as we call him “Stoker” decided to ride next. Stoker rides hard and crashes harder. He is roughly 6’3” and 250 pounds. Needless to say, he is an animal. I have no clue how he throws (and lands) such huge raleys and back rolls.

A back roll, two raleys and four rough crashes later, Stoker called it good. I’m sure water down the dry suit didn’t help either.

Matt rode last. Cold, gray rain clouds filled the sky and covered the sun. The temperature outside dropped at least ten degrees. Regardless of the poor weather, Matt jumped in. A few grabs and a tantrum into his run, we felt some light showers. Those light showers quickly turned into a torrential downpour.

After Matt finished riding I called it a day. The Stokers wanted to get home to watch the NCAA tournament. I still needed to finish laundry and pack for school.

It might have been cold, but being on the boat was a reminder that summer is around the corner. I am not sure where this summer will take me, but hopefully I will be near the water. Even if I am unable to ride, there is nothing like being on the water. 100℉ days, warm summer nights, flat water and good times with great friends. It doesn’t get any better than that.

♥ BB

For information on the boats used, visit: www.MalibuBoats.com

Thanks to Amber at Ronix for helping the boys out with gear. To see their full lineup visit: www.Ronix.com

Tags: , ,
Posted in Friends, Wake | No Comments »

FallenArmy.com

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

I am so blessed to have many talented friends. My next friend is no exception. Jesse Powell is an amazing photographer. Amazing doesn’t even describe his work.

I first worked with Jesse in April of 2008. His pictures turned out great. I still look at those pics and can’t believe it’s me. When Jesse asked me to take pictures over spring break I immediately said yes.

Jesse has some pretty wild picture ideas. For this shoot, he wanted my hair ratted and teased as big as I could get it. “Are you serious?” I said, “My hair is notorious for being sleek and flat.” My stylist suggest crimping just my roots, then backcombing my hair from the tip to root.
It worked.

My dad has a photography studio off the side of his house, so we took pictures there first. After five pairs of sunglasses, 400 pictures and three flannels we decided to change it up.

I changed into my mom’s old high school reunion dress from ’84, threw on some red sunnies and headed outside. The sunset looked great, but we kept having to deal with clouds. After a hundred or so more pictures, we called it a shoot.

Jesse is great to work with. He gives you clear directions and doesn’t creep you out like some photographers (the guy who did my senior pics). I feel so fortunate to have worked with him, and look forward to working with him in the future.

I encourage everyone to check out Jesse’s photography at www.FallenArmy.com. Thanks!

♥ BB

*Just a side note, some of the photos on Jesse’s site are artsy nudes NSFW. No, I did not take any nude photos. My mom already asked.

Tags:
Posted in Cool Companies, Fashion, Friends, Photography | No Comments »

Kitzke Customs

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

When my friend Seth visited me in Pullman, I couldn’t help but notice his sweet skull hoodies and jeans. I assumed it was some new underground snowboard brand. I did not expect Seth to tell me he pained the clothes himself. Apparently it’s been nicknamed “Kitzke Kustoms” by his friends. Whatever it’s called, I’m digging it.


Seth painted a pair of jeans for me. Three words: new favorite jeans. The first time I wore them, I received tons of compliments. All the girls at my hair salon asked where they could get a pair. My mom even thought I bought them that way.

Right now Seth paints new or vintage clothes. Prices vary depending the size of the piece. Kitzke Kustoms isn’t an “official” brand, but if investors are interested, any help would be greatly appreciated.

To get your own pair of Kitzke Kustoms, e-mail Seth at SethKitzke@hotmail.com. With the tanking economy, it’s hard to get good looking, affordable jeans. Now you can have your favorite jeans customized. I hate to say it, but screw True Religions. I love my new KK jeans, and I didn’t even have to pay $150 for them.

♥ BB

Tags:
Posted in Cool Companies, Fashion, Friends | No Comments »

As Green As It Gets

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

With spring break only a few days away, the last thing on our minds was snow. But then again, who are we kidding? This is Pullman. When it comes to the weather, expect the unexpected.

Last week, Mother Nature decided to drop a good six inches of snow. My friends at Snowboard Connection and YKwii Media were pumped. Tuesday night, five boys drove up from Portland, Seattle and Tri-Cities to snowboard and film for their new movie “As Green As It Gets.”


The boys arrived around eleven, to a frozen Palouse ready for rails. Even the one degree weather didn’t deter them from riding. Bart, Josh, Seth, Tommy and Yudo took off. Boards, lights, generator, camera equipment, the works. The first rail hit is a beast. I often pass it on my way to class, and imagine how filthy it would be for snowboarding. I personally don’t hit hand rails (five concussions and a torn ACL are good enough, thanks) but I know a good one when I see it. The set-up took some work. Tommy strategically placed the lights to get the best footage possible. The boys shoveled snow up to the stairs to build a lip up to the rail. To create a proper landing, they covered the road with snow. This, and boys snowboarding down handrails, naturally drew some unwanted attention. The boys rode until 5:30 am, when the Pullman Police kicked them out.

Due to my ridiculous Wednesday class schedule, I didn’t get to shoot many pictures during the day. Luckily, I got a few good sunset shots before going home to write a paper. The next day we went to the same rail on Lybecker Street. The boys couldn’t hit the rail because of kids playing on the playground equipment. After waiting about 20 minutes, we decided to take action. Tommy and I went to the main office and asked to hit the rail for a snowboard video. Surprisingly they said yes! The boys couldn’t believe it. We quickly set up the equipment and started shooting. Some kids asked what we were doing, others started chanting “snowboard, snowboard” and one boy told me how much he loved snowboarding. As each boy hit the rail, the kids would chant their name. Could they be any cuter?

Eventually the church got tired of us. Seth suggested going to hit a fence next. I thought it sounded crazy, but then again, most objects they hit are in my opinion crazy. A few fence hits and an angry church goer later, we thought we should bounce. The last rail of the day was a down-flat-down rail by the vet school. The rail took forever to set up, but looked sick. I couldn’t wait to see Josh hit it. No surprise, after three hits the Pullman Police showed up again to kill the party. Apparently snowboarding on rails is a a serious issue. Well, or Pullman PD has little else to do… Either way, we took it was a sign. Party time!

Thursday night we celebrated Josh and Bart’s 22nd birthday’s by throwing a party. We needed to show these boys how Pullman parties! At least 30 people crammed into my two bedroom apartment, making for an epic party and unforgettable memories.

After three nights in Pullman, we parted ways. The boys needed to get home, and I started spring break. I enjoyed their visit. Plus, they are the most respectful five boys you could have crash on your couch for three days. I hope they got some great footage and can’t wait to see the final product.

♥ BB

To check out the teaser, visit:
http://reelcomp.com/videos/view/7818?page=3

For updates on “As Green As It Gets” visit: www.ykwii.com

For the freshest snow, skate and surf gear check out: www.SnowboardConnection.com

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Cool Companies, Friends, Photography, Snow, Washington State University | No Comments »