My friend Dan Findlay is a bit of a car nut. He’s been collecting, restoring and fixing up classic cars since he was a kid. In high-school he acquired his first Ford Model T. He recently pushed things even further when he called me up and told me about his latest acquisition… a 1911 Stanley Steamer.

We took it for a boot down to the beach were we realized our water tank was running low (it burns through about a gallon of water per mile). After filling up with the garden hose at a random strangers garden party, we were off again.

It takes a good 20 minutes to build up enough steam to get moving, easily catches on fire and it isn’t the most fuel efficient vehicle on the road, but it’s a s**t ton of fun to drive around… and it comes with a steam whistle 🙂

In the manual, it tells you if when the car catches fire, increase the speed until the flames blow out.

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Coachella didn’t disappoint, in fact this year was somehow even better than last year.

I didn’t lose anything (actually I found waldo), witnessed 2pacs resurrection and my friend Amy crocheted a bunch of us an amazing hand made beer coozies. All in all a great success. The music was pretty damn good too. I managed to get my camera in to the festival one night to take a few photos:

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Stay tuned as this vintage dumpster tandem bike get’s fully stripped down, repainted and retrofitted to cruise the mean streets of Kitsilano.

Well… It looks like the guitars have been breeding again. It seems like every time i turn around there is a new one turning up. I’m just hoping they don’t learn how to open doors.

It’s been a couple of years since I was last in India, but my experience traveling to some of the Child Haven homes was something that still brings a smile to my face. Every year I try to put some of my photos together in a charity project to help raise money for them, and this year we decided to do a large run of notecards. The printing costs have been donated 100%, so every dollar you spend on these cards goes directly to Child Haven International, to help them support the hundreds of destitute children that they care for in India, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. These cards aren’t holiday specific, and you can use them for a variety of occasions throughout the year, plus they support a great cause.

The notecards are by donation and come hand packaged in packs of 10 (each with a different photo), we are asking for a minimum $20 donation per pack (100% of your donation goes directly to Child Haven).

You can pick them up from me in person in Kitsilano, or at the next charity dinner near you. Child Haven is a small organization running on minimal overhead, and they don’t have the resources to do individual mail outs at this time. Sign up for the Child Haven newsletter to see when they will be serving up great butter chicken, spicy curry and fresh naan near you 🙂

Last year you robbed me of my laptop, my cellphone, my basic liver function and most of my dignity… but I got them all back and now I’m back for more.
HAPPY COACHELLA!

I present the youtube carbon neutral yule log:

After 20 minutes I suggest clicking “replay” to toss a few new logs on the fire.

Well it took a few months, but it looks like the wonderful kind soul who attacked me (for putting out a trashcan fire) is going to criminal court for assault. Today crown council approved 61 charges against 25 suspects, including a charge of assault against Alexander Peepre. Alex apparently decided it would be a good idea to sucker punch me from behind… and then run away. I guess he must be an “angry drunk”, or maybe he is just not very smart. Whatever the case, of the hundreds of suspects and cases being investigated regarding the June Stanley Cup riots, police and crown prosecutors felt that this was one of the most important cases to move forward on, and judging by the overwhelming video, photo and witness evidence that they have, it should be over with quite quickly.

Thanks to all the good Samaritans on the scene and on Facebook who helped gather the evidence used to identify those involved in this attack. Alex was pressured to turn himself in, a smart move. Unfortunately he hasn’t called to say he’s sorry yet.

Now I just need figure out how to get compensation for amongst other damage: my damaged and destroyed Canon 5D Mark II , 70-200mm IS 2.8 L II lens and 24-105mm f/4 IS L lens. As well as all the rental and repair work, this was not a “cheap” cheap-shot.

I hope you’re saving your pennies Alex. With the amount of evidence gathered in this incident you’ll be begging to plead guilty as soon as you’re given the option.

This weekend we paid a final farewell to summer with some adventuring, surfing, and morning yoga on the dock.

Autumn, bring on the wool sweaters, corn mazes, and pumpkin spice lattes.

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My long time best buddy Eric just got himself married to an awesome girl this past Saturday in Hamilton Ontario, and I was lucky enough to be his best man. I’ve known Eric since pre-school, he lived around the corner and we somehow managed to walk to school together virtually every day. I wasn’t entirely aware of my best man status until about a day before the wedding, but I managed to remember the rings and avoid any catastrophes. In lieu of an embarrassing best man speech (saw-horse) I was able to take a few snapshots of their beautiful wedding.

Marianne & Eric’s ceremony and reception took place in Luina Station, a stunning old train station that has since been converted for use as a banquet hall. It was a great experience seeing his whole family again, as well as meeting his new family, friends, and super fun bridesmaids in Hamilton.

I didn’t take too many photos because I was busy with other things… come to think of it, I’m actually not entirely sure how I made it to the airport for my 6:00am flight back to Vancouver, late night turkey dance off.

Here are a few photos from throughout the day:

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