Hello Old Skulls, 

Loving my new SMA Natas 1, thanks!
This top pic from 1977 is where it all began for me on banana boards in our basement in Staten Island, NY. I'm the little kid on right with bowl cut on purple board. My big bro got the red board. Mostly walk the dog tricks, 360's and barrel type jumps over smaller objects... and a skater cross/ roller derby game around a center table bar with my sister on roller skates...
Had one other earthly 80's Variflex board with ACS trucks that we cruised around the neighborhood but not a lot of progress til 85...
I had seen Bones Brigade Video Show summer 85 at a shave ice stand in LBI, NJ and my head nearly exploded... so in Dec that year my Dad took me to "Freestyle" (skate/ bikini shop) in the Woodbridge mall to get a Christmas complete... I was lucky to have employee Rod Smith set me up with my first 10x30- a Powell Peralta Steve Steadham with Indy 169's and Rat Bones- with the full plastic armor of the day on all sides!! (Rod Smith would go on to start Shut Skates less than a year later and then Zoo York in early 90s)
The 80s rolled on with heavy weekend sessions at Brooklyn Bridge banks... and boards from So Ho Skates but the real fun was learning to skate vert at Scott Raffos Jungle Ramp- the only half pipe around NYC for many years before the late 80s... More street skating thru 94-95... and while I never stopped I've done a lot more skating with my son since 2010 than I did in my 30s...
Cut to now! I'm 46 and my son David is 15. He shreds and I have an incredible appreciation for modern skateboarding. We often take a squad of kids to spots near and far and on good days I can still throw down a FS wall ride.... Man we have fun!!!

Picture #2 is me at Brooklyn Bridge in 93 or so in Big Pants Small Wheels Era. Looks like a bail ha ha but who cares- it was 90s NYC skateboarding.
Happy Holidays!
Jeff Kelly