He's a pinball wizard. How do you think he does it?

• What makes him so good?
• He ain't got no distractions
• Can't hear those buzzers and bells
• Don't see lights a flashin'
• Plays by sense of smell
• Always gets a replay
• Never tilts at all

I felt like I was inside a pinball machine when I stepped on the floor to take some pictures during the second stop of The 2008 Free Flow Tour held at the Rye Airfield Skate Park May 17 & 18 2008. The Free Flow Tour is an amateur skateboarding and BMX competition that tours around the United States, with stops all over the country. The competitions are open to any amateur skater or rider aged 18 or under. The goal of the Free Flow tour is to give younger amateur skaters a chance to get out there and get seen. "To go from Flow to Pro," is the way they put it.

I was not prepared for the speed of the event. Up to four skaters would be competing at the same time. I would position myself at one point on the floor, safe for the moment. As I was taking a picture of a competitor in the air, another skater would be speeding in my direction, ready to attack the ramp behind me. I was a fish out of water, and more than once, the announcer's shout of "look out" was directed at me.

Lighting and lens selection was a challenge. Wide or long, zoom or fast prime? Flash was a must, a powerful flash. Timing the action, the jumps up to the rail or launches from the ramps, is an art. As a relative novice (a few evenings watching the X Games on ESPN) I could not anticipate the "trick". Would the competitor grab or release the board? Even with a Quantum battery powering the flash, there would be a delay between bursts. I have my "project" for the summer. A lot to learn. Might even try to squeeze in some BMX competition at the park.

While not a qualifying ride for the Tour de France, the Tour De Cure is a noteworthy cycling event. All across the United States 30,000 riders become reacquainted with their bicycles. For some, it's just a matter of grabbing a few power gels and a bag of granola, filling a Camelback with water and heading out for a 100 mile ride. For others, it's trying to find tubes to fix the flats and WD 40 to dissolve the rust accumulated on the chain while the bike sat in the garage since the last Tour. Most riders are somewhere in between Fit and Desperate. My next ride will be along the shore of the old fishing town Gloucester, Massachusetts. If you would like to donate to our efforts as a sponsor, you may do so online: ADA sponsor page for the E Team. Each mile I ride, each dollar I raise will be used in the fight to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of more than 20 million Americans who suffer from diabetes, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Together, we can all make a difference! Thank you for making a generous contribution to this cause that is so important to me!

You may enjoy reading: Now THIS is a skate park!

The creature, called Swamp Thing, was originally conceived as Alec Holland mutating into a vegetable-like creature, a "muck-encrusted mockery of a man". However, under writer Alan Moore, Swamp Thing was reinvented as an elemental entity created upon the death of Alec Holland, with Holland's memory and personality intact. He is described as "a plant that thought it was Alec Holland, a plant that was trying its level best to be Alec Holland."

Alan Moore's Swamp Thing had a profound effect on mainstream comic books, being the first horror comic to approach the genre from a literary point of view since the EC horror comics of the 1950's, and broadened the scope of the series to include ecological and spiritual concerns while retaining its horror-fantasy roots.

Waldo County, situated in mid-coast Maine along scenic Penobscot Bay, has genuine New England character evidenced by working port towns and quaint rural villages. Visitors are awed by the area's unspoiled beauty. From striking coastal views to sweeping mountain vistas, dramatic natural settings abound. In addition great care has been taken to preserve and refurbish numerous historic landmarks, homes and buildings. Consequently, the Maine of yesteryear is still found here.

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