Oh man, this is so good! The rawness of the sport, the crudeness of the boards, the sunny (1975) SoCal spirit, the moves, the dream skating scene starting at 30:17. These guys had something that today’s hot skaters don’t have.

I think this belongs in the same category as The Endless Summer. Pure unabashed LA, in its still glory days of the ’70s.

“Amazing old skateboard documentary mainly based in California in the mid-70s. Shows the early days of skateboarding and show cases some of the main skaters of the day like Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva and many of the original Zepha Surf Shop team.”

From Leo Hetzel

My Dad bought this print for $1 from the photographer (name unknown) during the depression, about 1930. it’s printed on textured paper, hence the pattern.

It shows the Golden Gate before the bridge. Note Fort Point on the left.

Yesterday I read in the paper that sales of children’s books are booming, due to schools being closed. This brought to mind our one and only children’s book, Wonderful Houses Around the World, by photographer Yoshio Komatsu and artist Akira Nishiyama.

There are 10 photographs by Yoshio of homes in different parts of the world. All the homes are built of natural materials — earth, wood, thatch, sod, bamboo, and stone.

Each photo is followed by a watercolor drawing of the inside of that home, showing the children and their parents going about their everyday activities: food gathering and processing, cooking, sleeping, working and playing.

The book is timely in this day and age: it shows what people do in their homes. Timely also because it’s great educational material for kids being home-schooled: look at what what kids your age are doing in other parts of the planet.

Yoshio is my favorite photographer of homes in the world. Not only are the homes invariably soulful, but his composition and lighting are perfect — and he has a knack for making people feel comfortable, so that the homeowners look natural, often laughing.

The book is $12.95 and you can order it through your independent bookstore, or from:

• Us here: www.shelterpub.com/building/wonderful-houses
• Bookshop.org: www.bookshop.org/books/wonderful-houses-around-the-world

Note: We have a money-back guarantee on all of our books (no matter where you buy them). If for any reason you are dissatisfied, call us and we’ll return the full purchase price plus shipping. No need to return the book.

You don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows here. This bay tree is in a field between Bodega Bay and Jenner on the California coast. I must have shot pictures of it half a dozen times; it’s always striking. Adaptability in naure. Going with the flow.