The Chase.

“There are only two pains in life. The pain of hard work and the pain of regret. One is hard, it pushes you, stretches you; but in the end, we are grateful for it because it makes us a better person. This is the pain of hard work. The other, the pain of regret, may sometimes never go away.”......
Coach Gelwix

I have started to roll up my sleeves and dig in on something I find to be quite interesting that involves building upon recent interests and ideas... I do not know what the final product will look like or if it will lead to anything but I am excited to see what will come of it, if anything at all. To get a taste of the influences for were the idea is going, check out the latest over on The Weekenders. I will share more as it starts to take form while we march toward the final sunsets of the year...

Oh Man, where has the time gone? If anyone knows please let me in on it because I think I lost some of it a while back....

So go out and apply Coaches advise above and make the most of the last 2, no wait, a month and a bit, that is left of the year and go out and get your 'IT'... whatever that 'IT' is!

Cheers.

Something to Think About….

A young boy encounters a barn full of manure. While that would be more than slightly off-putting to most, he grabbed a shovel and began to start digging away with great gusto. When asked why he would do this, the boy replied, "With all this 'manure', there has to be a pony in here!"
Susan Roane

Cheers.

A Night On The Town.

The sky was falling, it was getting dark and the weekend was soon upon us. So I gathered up the wife and kids and we headed out into the night to have a little fun and to check out "The Field House"!It may sound a little strange but I was actually very excited to check out the new shop by the Blackbird team.... And I was not disappointed.
Since moving to the Great Northwest I have been missing the shopping experience that I have been use to in the LA area. To say there is a void of good shops n' Boutiques here is everything short of an understatement. Very few and very far between. So "The Field House" is a welcomed addition.
This past Friday they had a little open house for the shop. Warm beverages and a warm welcoming. It was a great chance to meet with the crew that made it happen and mingle with those that want to support it. My boys even had a good time. So thank you Blackbird for the night out.

If you have not had a chance to make out there yet make sure you do.

Cheers.

Something to Think About….

"First say to yourself what you would be and then do what you have to do."
"Learn to wish that everything comes to pass exactly as it does"

Epictetus

Adventure in the Garden.

If you did not know, I love Autumn! The weather changes and the air gets crisp and cool. The days get shorter and the sweaters come out as we bundle up and layer on our apparel.
With the cooler weather for some reason to me it means time to go outside...?

The past week or so it has been raining off and on up here and with the rain comes heaps of surprises out in the yard. I got the ol picture taker and headed out for a romp in the yard and look at what I found. It is not much of another fashion related post... but it is amazing were you can find inspiration.
They are all over the place! All kinds from small dots to large black ones.









I think Fungi are so freaking rad. And so did the young Beatrix Potter.Next time you head out into the elements keep an eye out for the little hidden treasures that lay about your feet.

Cheers.

50 Years Of...

Something to Think About….

"Never discount the value of serendipity. Life is a series of experiences and, if you open your life to experience, wonderful opportunities will come along that you never could have planned."
Charles Maloney

Cheers.

West of Here:Pt II

It had been a while since I headed out west of my abode to the city of Ballard. So this past weekend I gathered up the ol image take'n device and headed out to brave the elements and see how the folks are getting on in this part of the Good 'ol Pacific Northwest.

Fall is upon us. The leaves are exploding with vibrant color and the sky is a fall'n. I am not sure if I have mentioned it but I really do love the Pacific Northwest.... Something about this place just makes me happy.Oh ya for all you folks that are holding it down around this neck of the woods keep your ear to the ground because there is some rumbling in the distance of some really awesome happenings in the works that are being put together as you read this.... More to come in the very near future. Curious? Well you will have to wait.... but I know I am really excited!

How was your weekend?

Cheers.

A 'Book of Aprons for Men'

A while back while living in LA and doing my regular hit-up of the local kinokuniya Japanese bookshop. I stumbled upon this book, thumbed through it and was hooked but had recently lost my regular form of employment so I put it down and walked away... and then moved states got new employment and have been thinking about it regularly.

I do not know what it is about the apron but I really like them. Something about putting an article of clothing over your 'street clothes' and going to work and gett'n a little dirty.

The 'book of Aprons for Men' is not only a well documented book with a nice collection of multiple apron styles, including a cook’s jacket, it also has patterns and the 'how to' to build all of them.Though this book is in Japanese it is very beautifully shot and the detail sketches of the 'how to' are very detailed that it is quite easy to figure out if you have a little sewing experience.
Something else that I really like about the book is that it is focused on men. For some reason there are not a lot of 'how to' and pattern books for menswear out in the market both here and in Japan but they sure have heaps focused on the women's side of things.... Huh? a possible idea?... Anyway, if you live around a kinokuniya and are interested in the book give 'em a call and see if they have it in-store, if not I believe they will order it for you for no extra cost($25.60).

Now go build something & have a super nice weekend.

Cheers.

Something to Think About….

“I do not want to go back to the past; I want to go back to the past way of facing the future.”
Former United States president, Ronald Reagan.

A Short Getaway: Home

Had a really great few days away with the wife and boys and now back to it. Hope to get a bunch of images from the adventure up soon and got to get cracking on the Great Hollows Eve get up for the wee ones.

Want to give a little shout out of 'Thanks' to the kids over at the Black Bird blog for the little post up of my adventures in their 'neck of the woods' I did earlier this year. It is always nice to get noticed. I need to head back to their spot and do a fall montage and check out their candy shoppe and super duper neck tie sale. I like Candy & I like Neck Ties.
Till then have a good one.

Cheers.

A Short Getaway.

The family and I are heading out on a little break from the daily grind and going off the grid in the Puget sound of this Great Pacific Northwest for a few days. Really excited to go with my young family on our first 'real' holiday together since my youngest came into this world. Not really sure what to expect so it will be a real adventure for sure.
More when I return.....

Cheers.

Tunes: Johnny Horton

When I was in Junior High I had a State/US History teacher who would play this song every morning by a true classic American singer, Mr Johnny Horton. ...


My teacher was an all American, Blue Blooded, cowboy boots, hot dogs, apple pie, baseball kind of guy. In fact I think he was one of the few people who really got me excited, at a young age, for the history of this United States of America. But the best thing was he saluted a life size cut out of John Wayne every day before he started class..... Classic!Anyway back to what I wanted to share, Mr. Horton...
He has many fine tunes that are about the birth of this Nation and the events that took place...
from a tune about Jim Bridger , the mountain man.


The battle of wounded knee.


Us Civil War Southern Boys and the Confederate Soldier, Johnny Reb.


The battle of Bull Run, the first battle of the Civil War.


And the search for gold in Alaska, the 49th State of the Union.


Anyway good stuff, fine tunes and a little peak of US history through music. Give 'em a listen to and you might even find a toe might start a tappn'

Cheers.

Archive: US Navy N-1 Deck Jacket

I had the opportunity today to get my hands on a vintage USN faux fir lined Canvas Deck Jacket. This piece is so awesome. From the round shaped collar with collar tab. The Talon zipper. The miss matched and replaced front closure buttons. The amazing patina of the fabric. The covered knit cuffs at the sleeve. The contract printed canvas inside neck label. Amazing Amazing Amazing! Since this piece is way out of my meager budget.... oh, and not for sale anyway, I had to settle with shooting it with the ol' D80 and getting to archive the details here. Enjoy.
I love history and how it was worn and being able to document some of it is just awesome. Dream job to do this every day.... Well at least a little part of dream job for sure, maybe one day?...

Cheers.