Part 2 The Death Valley Nut & Candy Company After catching up with Lindsey and Jacob for the last hour in Lindsey's Beatty trailer, she asks us what Beatty attractions we're planning to visit today. "Hot springs, brothel, Rhyolite…" I start listing. "But I need some candy first." "Eddie World," Jacob says in response to my sugar-request. "Yeah, Eddie World," Lindsey agrees. We pile into Jacob's truck and head to a magnificently large building attached to a gas station a couple miles up the road. The Death Valley Nut & Candy Company, also known to us as Eddie World. Due to offering food and … [Read more...]
U.S.A.
It's a big country, anything can happen.
Beatty, Gateway to Death Valley: The Dusty Jewel of Nye County
Part 1 The Dusty Jewel of Nye County The first time I'd ever heard of a place called Beatty was on a trip to Death Valley with my father in 2005. While on our way to Scotty's Castle in the northern part of the national park, we passed a road with a sign marking "Beatty" at the other end. Pops and I kept driving, though in retrospect I wish we'd turned down that road instead, as Beatty was celebrating its one-hundred-first anniversary that year, no small feat considering nearly all of the settlements that sprung up around the same time in this area have since died out. Unlike most boomtowns erected in this area of Nevada and California around … [Read more...]
Support Kickboxer Mark “Fightshark” Miller’s Battle With Congenital Heart And Renal Failure (Sans Medical Insurance)
I met Shelby Jones in May 2012 in Ventura, California shortly after I arrived in North America post spending three and a half years training muay thai in Thailand. Shelby was among one of the first people to ease me back into Western life by virtue of simply hanging out and being non-judgmental of the re-entry shock I was facing (thank-you). It was through her that I learned of American kickboxer Mark Fightshark Miller. Shelby is both Mark's friend-meets-family and strength and conditioning coach. Mark's story: Mark has been training and fighting in combat sports for years. This was halted by open heart surgery in 2007 due to a congenital heart defect (CHD). In 2011 he … [Read more...]
Working Class Kids: Early 90s Skinhead Portraits
The following is Part II of a two part series of portraits found in a box under the stairs in my parents’ basement. All shots were taken with a Canon AE-1. I originally developed a number of these by hand. Part I, Antisocial: Early 90s Hardcore Portraits may be found here. I had a radio show entitled Hold Your Ground, that I believe began in roughly 1993 and lasted for approximately 7 years. I played punk, hardcore, oi!, streetpunk, seminal punk and anything of the corresponding lineages. The show won a couple of awards, I was featured in George Marshall's Skinhead Nation, and I met a lot of great people because of it. Here are some of … [Read more...]
Porter Airlines Review
The following is based on a round trip booking from Windsor to Toronto, ON, Canada in October and November 2012. The flight takes approximately one hour in each direction. Service From the first attendant encountered until the last, the service at Porter Airlines was nothing less than impeccable. Each interaction was with a polite, calm and competent individual. My impression was that people actually enjoy their careers at Porter Airlines and in effect, were wonderful to deal with. Other airlines should perhaps pay attention. Wait Times When I arrived in Toronto I rode the ferry from Toronto Island, where Porter is located, followed by the shuttle bus to The Fairmont Royal York … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Belle Isle, Detroit, USA
As a kid growing up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, the Canadian border city to Detroit, Michigan, USA I would hear of Belle Isle. Friends would sometimes travel with their parents on Sundays as I remember it; Belle Isle became a family day sort of place to me. Upon visiting it now, it seems like little had changed. Belle Isle (as of 2013 Belle Isle Park) is a Michigan State run island park resting in the Detroit River. It sits between both Windsor and Detroit. The island, covering 982 acres (1.534 square miles), is home to the Belle Isle Aquarium, the James Scott Memorial Fountain, the Belle Isle Conservatory, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, the Detroit Boat Club, a … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Detroit 313
Detroit, Michigan, USA played a pivotal role in shaping my perception of the world. As a kid growing up in neighbouring Windsor, Ontario, Canada at a time when cable television and the internet didn't exist, I, like most, if not all children in Windsor, grew up on Detroit media. To this day, despite being Canadian, I still can't internalize measuring temperature in Celsius. I feel Fahrenheit and intellectually understand Celsius. Despite not living in the area for over 15 years, I find myself occasionally being asked if I'm American because of my perceived accent. Detroit, to me as a child, was another planet. There was the America I saw on TV - the national … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, California, USA
Stearns Wharf was one of the many tourist destinations I visited while spending time in southern California. I took the trip from Ventura with my brother who now resides there. The day trip to Santa Barbara was one I had taken before, and one that I looked forward to. On this particular venture, I was still acclimating from living, predominately in Thailand, for 3.5 years straight. I flew directly from Bangkok to Los Angeles and despite it being early summertime, I was freezing. This photo series, among others I had taken during my time in California, was shot while my brain was still adjusting to North American life. I was hit hard with culture shock and revisiting some of the … [Read more...]
Photo Series: The Beaches Of Santa Barbara, California, USA
Santa Barbara was one of the destinations I investigated while visiting southern California. I had made the trip from Bangkok to Los Angeles after spending a consistent 3.5 years living in South East Asia, most of that time spent in Thailand. I was experiencing a stunning amount of culture shock during my time in California. Thankfully, I was visiting my brother who was an incredible host despite the fact I was a complete freak. The photos in this series, among others shot while in California, reflect my state at the time. I photographed what to me was incredibly different and what I felt was mellow and balanced. I completed the photos in this particular series in Photoshop, … [Read more...]
Photo Series: The Ventura Coast, Ventura, California, USA
Ventura, California was the place where I first stayed after spending close to four consecutive years living in Thailand. I travelled from Bangkok to LA, then to the comfort of my brother's home (my brother may be found in the last photo of this series). Ventura was a weird place for me during this visit. I was experiencing an almost debilitating level of culture shock that I wasn't expecting. I spent much of my time in Ventura watching Western television, bundled in blankets and wearing sunglasses indoors; the bright light and glare I found in Ventura was close to being unbearable. Perhaps I wasn't used to being around that much glass and/or shiny objects. I have no … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Panoramic Ventura. Photos From The Ventura Pier
The photos in this series were taken from The Ventura Pier in Ventura, California, USA. The associated commentary on this piece, essentially, what I'm writing you now, has been done in retrospect, meaning, quite awhile after these photos were posted. Why you may ask? Because I was quite the freak while taking these photos; I was suffering from quite a bit of re-entry shock after spending 3.5 years in Thailand. Ventura was my first destination after leaving Asia as I flew from Bangkok to Los Angeles then rode to nearby Ventura to stay with my brother. These photos, amongst others in the series, are representative of that time. I was having a lot of difficulty writing, … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Ventura, California, USA
I've travelled to Ventura on three separate occasions and every time I go, the experience is different. My last trip, as photographed below, was taken after spending 3.5 years training muay thai in Thailand and the last 2.5 years were spent living in Buriram. Buriram is located in Thailand's north east and lies in the countryside within close proximity to the Cambodian border. Making the transition from traditional, conservative, rural Thai culture to what I found in Ventura was unexpectedly weird. I was weird. Everyone around me was weird. I got hit hard with re-entry shock and couldn't write. As a result, almost two years later, I'm revisiting this post in an effort to give you … [Read more...]