A close call this evening

My town just built a cool skate park for the skateboarders and others who like alternative sports. It's a project I have supported and am very proud of.

The ribbon-cutting was this evening and I was there to take pictures of the first official day of the park. It was a BLAST. If I had been able to swipe a skateboard from one of the kids, I would have. I swear I will be skating there before I die, somehow.

Anyway, I was taking shots from all over the park. These preadolescent boys were all coming up and calling me "picture lady" or "newspaper woman". It was so sweet, really. They are good kids and I'm thrilled they have a place for this park in the old neighborhood where I grew up.

There was another lady who was over in one corner of the pad trying out a Razr scooter and the city manager asked me to go get a photo of her.

I sent one of the boys over to her to tell her to come towards me. She said no. I told the boy to tell her G.M. sent me. She laughed, but still said no. She was just learning.

So I'm standing next to the side of one of the half pipes and I bent over to set my pen on top of my camera bag, and just as I started to straighten up, I saw a flash of red out of the corner of my eye and felt something brush the top of my hair. I was thinking "Boy, I hope that wasn't a bird pooping on me."

Well, it wasn't a bird pooping on me. It was a loose skateboard that one of the kids lost control of at the other side of the half-pipe that came flying straight at me. If I had been standing fully upright, it would have smashed full force into my face.

All these new young friends of mine were shocked and stunned into silence at the top of the ramp. When they could finally breathe again, the kid who lost the board was nearly crying when he said "I am SO GLAD you are OK!"

Me too!