vehicles (321)

Attention Car Nuts: 1930s Cord (810/812),1939 Studebaker Pickup Truck

October 2, 2014 at 5:26 pm

A week ago, while in Vancouver, I went to have dinner with my friend, Vic Marks. Vic is the publisher of Hartley and Marks, and I got to know him years ago because of his elegant book Japanese Joinery: A Handbook for Joiners and Carpenters, published in 1983. Since then, Vick has developed a line of journals, or “blank books,” called Paperblanks, with beautiful covers, and it’s hugely successful.

Vic lives on a farm south of Vancouver and I got there as the sun was starting to set. Lo and behold, he’s a car collector, and here are two of his vehicles. I’d seen pictures of Cords, but never one close up, and it was a beauty. In 70 years, I don’t think there’s been a more beautiful car designed.

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Photos from Ladysmith Yesterday

September 30, 2014 at 8:56 pm

A few photos yesterday in Ladysmith, a nice little town south of Nanaimo on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Cumberland is another such nearby town. There are houses for sale for under 200K. Old mining towns. Small homes built for workers that have the appeal and aesthetics of simplicity. (The below isn’t one of those homes, it just seemed seemed like a unique doorway cut into the corner of a sort of cube.)

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A Magic Vancouver Morning

September 21, 2014 at 6:00 pm

It’s a glittering Sunday morning in Vancouver. I SO lucked out in the hotel department. The 901 Beach Hotel, I found on internet, sounded good, turned out to be a few hundred yards from the water in this section of Vancouver (West End, Yaletown, Gastown) that is almost an island; 90% of the perimeter of this area water-surrounded. Totally kayakable (and SUP-able).

Yesterday afternoon I took a ferry across to Granville Island, a thriving public market, 100s of vendors, great food, fruit, nuts, wine, oysters, crabs, smoked salmon, craft beers, art, music, restaurants,food stalls, outdoor wear, kayaks — crowded, lots of tourists, yes, but vital and fun nonetheless. Going back with grown-up camera today.

PLUS a block away is The Tartine Bakery, with as-good-as-it-gets lattes, muffins, bread, and wi-fi.

I had dinner last night with my friend Vic Marks at his farm a half hour south of V. Turns out he’s a car nut: 1939 Studebaker pickup truck, possibly the most beautiful p/up truck I’ve ever seen. A sleek low black Jaguar. A purple 1930s Cord (810/812),  forchrissake’s — immaculate, I couldn’t believe I was seeing a Cord in person. Will put up pics when I get chance — you car nuts are gonna love these vehicles.

PLUS let’s hear it for Ploom stealth!

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Uber 4X4 Toyota Truck

September 19, 2014 at 11:56 pm

Last night spotted this tough truck. Up higher off ground than anything I’ve seen. That’s Dan Capshaw of Mill Valley, Calif. His truck is a1985 Toyota with a steel and wood flat bed, a GM 4.3 liter V-6 motor. The shocks are huge.

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Heavy Equipment in Oregon

August 17, 2014 at 5:21 pm


Not sure what its function is, but it’s sure heavy duty. Somehow used in logging I presume. Note how they have used chained treads around tires to create Caterpillar-like tractor treads.

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The Shelter Blog and Lloyd’s Blog

July 17, 2014 at 3:44 pm

I’m changing the nature of this blog. I (we—Shelter Publications) are going to focus on building,
carpentry, homes, gardening, and the like on our brand-new — ta-daa:

https://www.theshelterblog.com

   It’s been up for a couple of months now, and
its look and function have been steadily improved by Mac Wizard Rick Gordon.
Evan’s doing most of the posting (I’m funneling my posts through him), Lew is
starting at 3 posts a week, and we’re encouraging builders to send us photos
and descriptions of their latest creations.

   We hope to build this up so it’s a player in
digiworld —we’re aiming for some major readership. We don’t think there is any
blog or website out there with the type content we are generating. Think of all
the buildings and builders in our books—now coming out daily.store appearances (a slide show and book signing
for Tiny Homes on the Move), and getting such good vibes. It feels like
we’re a tribe. We’re interested in the same things—doing stuff for ourselves
(as much as possible), having a warm, attractive, natural-as-possible
handcrafted home, growing some of our own food…

   Remember, it’s “theshelterblog,” not “shelterblog.” The “the” is necessary to get to the right
place. This blog—my own—will continue to follow my
idiosyncratic path through life. Wherever I go, I’m taking you, the reader,
along with me, riding shotgun. It gives me an extra incentive to explore, to
search, to inquire, to shoot photos—if I can come back and tell others about
it.

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Home is Where You Park It by Foster Huntington

July 12, 2014 at 10:30 am

This is Foster’s account of 75,000 miles on the road, a lot of it on California and Baja California beaches, photographing all types of homes on wheels: pickup trucks with camper shells, vans, trailers, and motorcycles. It’s surf-centric, and a book that flows as smoothly as the waves in San Juanico. This is Foster’s tribe of nomadic wanderers, beach-oriented and minimalist. Expensive, but short run color books in small quantities are expensive to print. NOT available thru Amazon.

Click here.

(Foster’s latest vehicle, a 6-speed, Toyota 4×4 with expandable lightweight camper shell, is in Tiny Homes on the Move — it’s the best vehicle I’ve ever seen for serious beach/surf/desert/on-and-off-raod travel.)

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