Windchicken 2013

windchicken · Mar 27, 2013

I recognize the artifact....but that longboard is sweet! Tell me more! What kind of terrain do you use it on? Are the wheels soft? I've never seen trucks like that...

Thanks for posting that Ido! The THP skate crew just keeps growing!

idosimon · Mar 27, 2013

windchicken said:
I recognize the artifact....but that longboard is sweet! Tell me more! What kind of terrain do you use it on? Are the wheels soft? I've never seen trucks like that...

Thanks for posting that Ido! The THP skate crew just keeps growing!

Its actually my first longboard, as I just recently got into skating so that I wouldn't have to bike around campus when I start college in September. So I don't really know about the softness of the wheels, but the trucks are from the Paris Company. I think the longboard is around 55" or so, which I'm kind of just realizing now means that it doesn't have the best maneuverability so I don't know how good it will be for college. But it was a steal that my friend gave me for $100 so maybe I'll try and stick with it or trade it in for a better suited longboard once I get to college.

windchicken · Mar 27, 2013

Thanks for posting that, Ido. I'm digging it for sure. Is it flexy? Looks like it would be a real sweet downhill stick.

Now that you mention it, when I was in undergrad school I did use a shorter, more maneuverable set-up...It's nice to have a kicktail so you can pop over curbs, too. There were some pretty rough streets on campus, so I liked to use the tallest, softest wheels I could find...Back then it was Kryptonics 70mm downhill wheels, 78 durometer...but that was a real long time ago, I'm sure you have way more choices now...

I'm so freaking old that my skates belong in a museum! I need to post some photos of my quiver...

I need to check that whole modern longboard thing out...I was vaguely aware of these style boards, but haven't really investigated them.

idosimon · Mar 27, 2013

windchicken said:
Thanks for posting that, Ido. I'm digging it for sure. Is it flexy? Looks like it would be a real sweet downhill stick.

Now that you mention it, when I was in undergrad school I did use a shorter, more maneuverable set-up...It's nice to have a kicktail so you can pop over curbs, too. There were some pretty rough streets on campus, so I liked to use the tallest, softest wheels I could find...Back then it was Kryptonics 70mm downhill wheels, 78 durometer...but that was a real long time ago, I'm sure you have way more choices now...

I'm so freaking old that my skates belong in a museum! I need to post some photos of my quiver...

I need to check that whole modern longboard thing out...I was vaguely aware of these style boards, but haven't really investigated them.

Yeah it's pretty flexy. I think its meant for downhill and for doing dances on when you are on flat terrains. Here is a video of it in action by the company that made it.

windchicken · Mar 27, 2013

Thanks for the vid! Cool skating, kind of old school but different...I never even considered dog-walking while going downhill at speed...Skaters just keep getting better and better...

In the video it looks like the wheels are OJs...I can't believe they started making those again...super old school—Haven't seen them since the late 70s!

windchicken · Mar 27, 2013

These plants are guilty of being too healthy to occupy the valuable real estate on the light stand...Now banished to whatever natural light they can eke out of this bathroom window are 8 of Jamie's NagaBrains (front), 6 of FadeToBlack's Bahamian Goats, and 2 of Meatfreak's Madame Jeanettes (back):

Like a dumbass I poisoned my contest Birgit's Locoto with overzealous application of copper fungicide. They will eventually recover, but by then KingDenniz will be miles ahead of me...It is some consolation that this overwintered Birgit's has grown the amount indicated by my fingers since I pruned the s__t out of it back in November:

The remaining shots are of the annuums and baccatums now waiting on deck at my office in the country. The top-down shots are inspired by Spicegeist's beautiful work...not even in the same realm of drop-dead gorgeous radial symmetry as his, but I'm putting them up anyway...

Chilhuacle Rojo....I can't say enough good things about this wonderful chile:

Aji Amarillo. These plants are actually from my saved seeds, from the largest of the very few ripe pods I got last season:

Onza:

Ashe County Pimento, seeds from kentishman:

Doux Tres Long des Landes, seeds from Meatfreak:

Kitchen Pepper Peach, seeds from Datil:

Thai Garden Birdseed:

California Wonder:

STEVE954 · Mar 28, 2013

Lookin good Gary! Aren't saved seed the best! the best seed from the best pods from the best plant! This should be a 'family tradition'!

meatfreak · Mar 28, 2013

now look at those plants. Great job there, Gary. They look absolutely huge and healthy, you are miles ahead this season with your growth. The light setup has really paid off bigtime. I'm growing your Chilhuacle Amarillo and Chilhuacle Rojo, both are doing extremely well. Fast growers :cheers:

stc3248 · Mar 28, 2013

Looking good Gary! Sorry (sort of) to hear of your Birgits woes...Everything else looks freaking amazing! Long season ahead so I am certain you'll make a run at the crown. You have that perfect weather and garden spot working for ya.

windchicken · Mar 28, 2013

STEVE954 said:
Lookin good Gary! Aren't saved seed the best! the best seed from the best pods from the best plant! This should be a 'family tradition'!

Thanks, Steve! Lol...Isn't that a Hank Jr. song? I agree!

I'm especially proud of the Aji Amarillo from my saved seed, because that variety is so dang tricky to get ripe fruit from in my climate. I had only one plant, but it was 7 feet tall and pumped out massive pods the size of large Anaheims. The challenge is that they take forever to turn orange. We were lucky to have a relatively temperate July last year, which extended the "Early Season" by several weeks. The "Late Season" is always way too short to get ripe Amarillos...

meatfreak said:
now look at those plants. Great job there, Gary. They look absolutely huge and healthy, you are miles ahead this season with your growth. The light setup has really paid off bigtime. I'm growing your Chilhuacle Amarillo and Chilhuacle Rojo, both are doing extremely well. Fast growers

Thanks Fabrizio! Those are truly a couple of wonderful chiles...I don't know why the Oaxacan varieties aren't more popular. The flavor and aroma of the dried Chilhuacle Rojo is something that defies description...The sweet and tart complexity of them is almost like tamarind.

Hope I didn't oversell it! :lol:

stc3248 said:
Looking good Gary! Sorry (sort of) to hear of your Birgits woes...Everything else looks freaking amazing! Long season ahead so I am certain you'll make a run at the crown. You have that perfect weather and garden spot working for ya.

Thanks Shane! Another extremely tough lesson learned...I've been flushing out the Birgit's soil every couple of days, but the leaf color is very slow to return. The Rennies, the Calabreses, and the NuMex 6-4s are all suffering the same effects of my "care," but for some reason the Birgit's were the most hammered...They're not dead, though, so they have to eventually shake it off...

meatfreak · Mar 28, 2013

windchicken said:
Thanks Fabrizio! Those are truly a couple of wonderful chiles...I don't know why the Oaxacan varieties aren't more popular. The flavor and aroma of the dried Chilhuacle Rojo is something that defies description...The sweet and tart complexity of them is almost like tamarind.

Hope I didn't oversell it!

Yeah, growing the Chilhuacle Negro as well. Looking forward to trying the Oaxacan varieties! For some people these days it's only about the heat but I care more about flavor. Oh and Fabrizio is Datil :lol:

I'm Stefan

windchicken · Mar 28, 2013

Durrrh, sorry... :silenced:

The Oaxacan varieties are certainly about the flavor more than the heat...I'm excited to see how the Chilhuacle Negro comes out.

windchicken · Mar 28, 2013

Some more Spicegeist-inspired top shots....

Madame Jeanette, seeds from Meatfreak:

NagaBrain, seeds from romy6:

MOA Scotch Bonnet, seeds from STEVE954:

Bahamian Goat Pepper, seeds from FadeToBlack:

7 Pot Yellow:

Chupetinha:

Trinidad Scorpion:

Bonda x Yellow 7 Cross, seeds from Spicegeist:

Cabe Gendot (C. pubescens), seeds from Indochilli:

PIC 1 · Mar 28, 2013

wow...........lol, my eyes are worse than I thought.

Gary I looked at the 1st photo in the series without reading the caption........while still looking at the photo, I thought that was one plant...........holy sheet !

Those plants are soaking up the sun nicely !.......cool

Yov've got the green thumbs, the Brigits will rebound.......no need to buy an aerogarden, or 2 or 3........

Those annuums are getting huge, flowers are right around the corner, I hope you can get those planted soon....so they can rocket up...with pods

Have a great Easter !

windchicken · Mar 28, 2013

Lol, thanks Greg! I feel guilty exiling those stout fellas to the bathroom, but there are other plants that need the 16 hours per day way more...Like you said, the warm weather can't get here soon enough!

A wonderful Easter to you and yours as well!

A couple more pix....

Peruvian Market Aji, seeds from PaulG:

Chiltepin, CPI version. This may very well be my favorite chile:

stc3248 · Mar 28, 2013

Fantastic shots!!! Lookin real nice Gary! Keep them pics flowing brotha!

windchicken · Mar 30, 2013

I forgot to take this shot the other night....Trinidad Morouga Scorpion, CPI version:

Inspired by Shane's great headshot of his dog Porter, this is Charlie, who came into my life last year when someone dumped off a tiny little version of him at our office in the country:

To the THP skate crew—My next-door neighbor drained his pool for spring cleaning...If he would leave for a couple of hours I think a goofy foot like me could manage some backside carves, maybe even over the light if Pawpaw can get his flow going...Like Shane's pool, the coping isn't designed for grinding, but that canyon in the deep end sure looks interesting...

Jamison · Mar 30, 2013

Wow man your plants look amazing. WHat nice weather you guys have down there bro! I'm a little jellie!

Spicegeist · Mar 30, 2013

Plants are looking great, your chiltepin looks very healthy. For whatever reason my chiltepins only do so-so under artificial light and only start to thrive outdoors under real sun and high temps. Nice to see the Bonda x Y7 hanging in there :cool:

windchicken · Mar 30, 2013

Jamison said:
Wow man your plants look amazing. WHat nice weather you guys have down there bro! I'm a little jellie!

Thanks Jamison! Think about us when we have the several-weeks-above-100ºF-heat-wave this summer!

Spicegeist said:
Plants are looking great, your chiltepin looks very healthy. For whatever reason my chiltepins only do so-so under artificial light and only start to thrive outdoors under real sun and high temps. Nice to see the Bonda x Y7 hanging in there

Thanks Charles! I did my best to kill my Chiltepin sprouts, first with damping-off and then with far too much copper fungicide, but 2 of them refused to die. Speaks well for their vigor! One day I will fulfill my dream of a Chiltepin hedge in my yard, but it won't happen this year...