Monday, February 28, 2011

PoWeR WagON LovE



Here is one of the hardest trucks to find 1961 W200 CALIFORNIA RUST FREE rust free rust freeTRUCK only 258 v8 made and another 200 or so ? 6 cylinders. This truck was special ordered by a old man in a LITTLE GOLD MINNING TOWN Ransburg, CA on the 395 with a v8 radio (lights up no sound) and a cigarette lighter. It was used for minning then sat for years. The 2nd owner was always looking for a 1961 and purchased the truck in 1987 and spent 1000's of hours and over 3 years restoring the entire truck. The truck had about 30,000 origanal miles on it when he purchased. I have 100's++++ of receipts. He had everything on the truck freshened up EVERYTHING. ALL STOCK BUT FRESH. He spent about $4000 on the original 318, rebuilt 4 speed transmission, rebuilt front and rear ends, added hedders, new drive shafts,I have the stock 2bbl intake (he spent many hours looking for a 4bbl intake (on it now) and a N.O.S 1961 4bbl carb. This truck has not one rust spot underneath ZERO never ever. I will add the pictures of the truck before and after photos in 1987 to1990. After restoration he enjoyed the truck with his family on trips and misc. After about 10 years he put about 70,000 miles on it and the brake master cylinder went out. He parked the truck and the rest was history.-Collector Cars for Sale

I have always had a place in my heart for power wagons! I spent many a dark summer night helping my cousins load theirs up with vineyard posts only to be dumped dump truck style in a heap next to the pond for another epic "Bond" fire. We would do multiple trips and try to make each one larger than the last. Someone would almost always try to jump it, which seems ludicrous when I think of it now. Many a can of cheap beer, someones car radio playing with the doors open, dirt bikes, some reefer. One memorable night when all the Bonds gathered in one place coming from coast to coast to convene in that little oasis of Hector, my cousin Jen had a sweet, sweet sesh of impromptu rhyming backed by a beat boxer. I don't remember all of it, but I do remember it was in remembrance of my grandmother Heyltje, the reason for the gathering being her funeral. Living to be 102 (?),  Jen spit Heyltje's history with many a line ending in '9 children', one of her many accomplishments in life.  Always guaranteed to be a good time and usually a major headache the next day, the power wagon still remains central to the fun we had. The truck would usually find its way thrashing through the woods tearing up everything in its path at some point. Eric, does the super wagon still live? Please say it is so.

Oh, this truck is on the market. My birthday is March 9th. Just sayin'.
http://www.collectorcarsforsale.com/250761101035-dodge-power-wagon-w200-1961-dodge-power-wagon-w200-4x4-w100-power-wa/detailse.html







Wednesday, February 23, 2011

MuSCLe WaGonS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

65 Ford concept

68 Plymouth

Beebrake

Nova

Challenger 450---
AHHH JUICE IT!




A 1967 Country Squire Wagon was sectioned and narrowed to fit to a ’68 Mustang front end. There is no big pillar and despite being a wagon, it just looks natural, familiar. It has a mild 302 engine under the hood backed by a C4 transmission and it was just completed less than a year ago. Ford really missed the boat by not making a Mustang wagon itself!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Sunday, February 20, 2011

MorE ShoESSSSSS






All of the above....
Chie Mihara

Vivienne Westwood/Melissa
  
Vivienne Westwood Pirate Boots



Just in case anyone needs some ideas for my birthday..... ;0

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

AleX RanDaLL....TaxidermY LightinG




 
So my last post credited Ken Fulk as the lighting designer who utilizes taxidermy. He is in fact the gallery owner that featured Alex Randall the woman who created all of these rad pieces....

alexrandall-lighting.blogspot.com

Sunday, February 13, 2011

ClairE RoseN/ Taxidermy


                Fuck...can't seem to get a bigger image of this. Taxidermy squirrel lamps (Ken Fulk, I believe) in tree with posted sign 'Beware of Squirrels.'





I met Claire Rosen at Millbrook boarding school in NY at the opening of a show of my work, 'Macabre Leather'. She had been granted a residency there for her photography. The more I talked to her, the more I learned of what we had in common. The science building there had been one of my favorite to visit....Tons of preserved animals from individual bones to full taxidermied specimens.  A few weeks before, I had learned that the whole collection had been put in storage because some parents or trustees had complained about it. I mean, what better way to learn about the physiology of an animal then to have the real thing sitting in front of you?? Not to mention it was just plain bad ass. A creepy basement full of large stuffed creatures....even a full bear skeleton that had been rotted down on site.
So this is where Claire comes into the picture. Turns out her proposal was to go through said collection to photograph and catalog it. This was not just an average photographer making a record. Her love for the subject matter deified each and every bone. Not to mention that she was already very successful in her field. She has a serious portfolio behind her, including fashion photography for Neiman Marcus, multiple awards for her commercial work and many accolades for her fine art.

clairerosenphoto.com
http://www.sfwire.com/?p=2308

Friday, February 11, 2011

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Ron FletChER and the 12 StePs...


 This image of Ron FLetcher is one of my faves. On a reformer with a dress shirt and aviators....How could you NOT want to know what this guy is all about???

At the age of 19, Ron Fletcher left his hometown of Dogtown on the Arkansas-Missouri border for NYC. He says he doesn't know if it was 'determination or stupidity' at the time, but he went directly to Martha Graham's Dance Company and asked to study under her. She worked with him for an hour and said 'I can make a dancer out of you'. He worked with her company for 12 years as well as the Ice Capades. At some point he got a part in a worthy show with Mary Martin. He asked to be listed in the program as being a part of the Martha Graham Company and that pissed her off...She told him that 'you're just going off whoring.' At some point he injured his knee and upon suggestion by another dancer, he went to J. Pilates studio. He said that he thought he might be in the wrong place when he arrived...the reformer with its big clubfeet looked like a torture device and the tower looked like a guillotine. At some point during his studies there, he was fired from the Ice Capades for being drunk and missing opening night. With Clara (Joseph's wife) help he became sober and worked in their studio. As a student who worked directly under Joseph Pilates, Ron Fletcher eventually developed his own off shoot of Pilates, called towel work. It became popular among the Hollywood elite in the 1970's. CLients included Marlene Dietrich and Barbara Streisand. Some of his teaching includes '12 step' exercise regimens akin to the idea of the 12 steps in AA. Ron is now in his 90's and is still teaching workshops. He is an OG.
I have done some towel work and it is challenging in a different way than classical pilates. It definitely develops a strong back and if you can remember all the cues, a strong everything else! If you are interested, there aren't a ton of certified instructors...As I said, my instructor is the only one that is certified in CT. I'm sure you could find classes in NYC if you were to look.


Melanie Johnson teaches out of Power Flow Pilates in New Haven:
www.powerflowpilates.com

Interview with Fletcher from 2008:
http://www.ronfletcherwork.com/inthenews/rfcpowerhouse.pdf

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Slacking, but With GooD ReasoN

Been slacking on posts as I have been mad busy. Trained all day Saturday and Sunday for my Pilates certification. Still have 30 hours of teaching to do before I am the real deal. My instructor is so qualified it is unbelievable. She has taught in so many fitness fields and has learned from the best! Her name is Melanie Johnson and I am lucky enough to have discovered her in New Haven.
Melanie is a third generation classically-trained Pilates teacher (training lineage by generation: Joseph and Clara Pilates > Kathy Grant and Romana Kryzanowska > Peter Roel, Phoebe Higgins, Susan Moran-Perich > Melanie Johnson). Her certifications include the PhysicalMind Institute, Power Pilates and The Pilates Method Alliance, all which demand complete training on all of the Pilates apparatus from beginner to super advanced levels, including over 600 apprenticeship hours. She has also completed advanced training with PEAK Pilates, BASI, Polestar, STOTT and Balanced Body University.

Melanie is a Level I certified Gyrotonic and Level I certified Gyrokinesis instructor, having completed her teacher trainings in New York and her final certification in Miami under the direction of Juliu Horvath. She is also the only instructor in CT who is certified to teach Fletcher towel classes. More on Ron Fletcher in future posts.....

In addition, Melanie has studied dance and yoga for over 30 years. She has completed trainings in The Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais and The Franklin Method. Combining 25 years as an ACE and AFAA certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Reiki I and II, and NIA instructor, Melanie teaches with exceptional skill, insight, creativity and compassion.


One misconception about Pilates is that people think it is a chic exercise regimen. Joseph Pilates, however, originally was a boxer and taught it to men only. He was ripped in a 1940's kind of way, pre-steroid and HGH use. Pilates first came to the US in 1925.

Pilates was originally a gymnast, diver, and bodybuilder, but when he moved to England in 1912, he earned a living as a professional boxer, circus-performer, and self-defense trainer at police schools and Scotland Yard. Nevertheless, the British authorities interned him during World War I along with other German citizens in a concentration camp on the Isle of Man. During this involuntary break, he began to intensively develop his concept of an integrated, comprehensive system of physical exercise, which he himself called "Contrology." He studied yoga and the movements of animals and trained his fellow inmates in fitness and exercises. It is told that these inmates survived the great pandemic of 1918 due to their good physical shape.



Friday, February 4, 2011

MorE InK...Tim HarriS



So now that I have given props to Bryan Reynolds...I must give credit where credit is due. This is my tattoo guy, Tim Harris who works out of Hope Gallery in New HAven. He is best known for his flesh tone pin-ups, but also does many other styles with great skill and vision. Top is my back piece that he did  over a year ago. I love the center piece, too! A sloth and a chihuahua. Why didn't I think of that? Lastly is the style he is known for. He does sick work and is unassuming. I also like that he has very few tattoos. None that are even visible in everyday gear. There is something to be said for that in today's world of tattoo stars all over the place....Will be getting work done by him in March...Stay tuned....