Entries this day: skate_drum_corps

skate drum corps

24 July 1998

Today I went skating!! I totally was all like "I'm going skating" and I just decided to skate to Herrman Park and went basically down Montrose, a pretty heavily trafficked (sp??) 4 lane + turn lane street. The traffic was a bit heavy as it was rush hour, so I mostly stayed on the rough and tumble sidewalks.

The wind was pretty amazingly blowing against me; I looked forward to having it behind me on the way back! I got to the park in about 20 minutes and I was hot!

I met two skaters there and we goofed around the park a a bit, as a group pushing each other a bit more than we would have skated alone.. and we had a great time.

I never learned their names; only that they've been in the Houston area for a year and he's from Australia and I don't know where she's from.

We skated down the hill that is the ampitheater seating for Miller Outdoor Theater and jumped up a wall thing and over the little park railroad tracks and we skated around the lake and just had a fun time.

Then to Rice University we skated and I said "bye" to them at their car and *bing* I realized there was a drum corps competition going on!!

Wow!! So I skated over to where about 100 piece brass was practicing and rested and watched them perform. They practiced until they had ten minutes till they had to march into the stadium.

I watched several of the different groups practice I spent most of my time watching several color guards and they all had sabres!! wow. I loved watching and really longed to be back in the rifle corps from my high school days.

Before heading back home, I got some water from a woman selling programs. I saved the cup she gave me so I could fill it on the way back toward home.

On the way out I watched some drummers march and drum... I love watching the quads drum in perfect syncopation (even if I can't spell it).

Refilled my cup and headed back. The wind had essentially stopped so I didn't get the push I had hoped for, but the going was much easier. I enjoyed that I was skating over crazy bumpy sidewalks and up and down curbs and around cars at intersections.. all while holding my glass of water.

The coolest moment was when I was nearly home.
A truck had just pulled up to the street along which I was skating and waited for traffic. I confirmed that he saw me, so I knew I could safely skate in front of him across the street.

Just as I got near the curb, both skates hit a bump and I essentially bounced over it and off the curb and landed perfectly upright in front of the truck still with water in my cup. That was cool.