The Huntington Brothers

Two years and two months to the day separate my brother (Tim) and me. As children, Tim and I spent most of our time together, running through the woods, building forts, snowboarding, harassing the neighbor girls, and pursuing countless bouts of obsession like Legos or Airsoft. Since leaving for Maine more than three years ago, I have seen Tim less and less. Last summer I was busy interning at Ralph Lauren and LL Bean Signature, while Tim was 3,000 miles away cultivating a small farm on a piece of family property. Despite our seemingly divergent interests, I am interested in concept design while Tim is interested in food politics and food systems, our ties have only strengthened as time rolls on.

Tim and I have spent the last two weeks playing in the woods, throwing rocks, soiling our clothes and getting dirt behind our ears and under our fingernails in the same way we did some fifteen years ago. Recently, we replaced our wrist rockets and homemade bows and arrows of old with a Colt 38 Frontier Single Action Sixshooter and Winchester Model 67a bolt action .22.

Self Portrait: Filson Mackinaw Cruiser, my Grandfather's Eagle Scout shirt from the 40's, Rolex Submariner on nylon band, and Colt 38 Frontier Single Action Sixshooter.

After some deliberation, multiple hoots and frequent spins of the revolver's cylinder, we headed out in search of a train to hold up, a bank to rob, or a posse of Pinkertons to play cat and mouse with. Despite our commitment to engaging in criminal acts, we eventually settled the steel sights of our trusty tools on some unsuspecting clay pigeons conveniently arranged in our backyard. Our half-hour gun fight left far more cartridges shot than targets hit and without a doubt, many New York financiers would have taken three to one odds on the clay pigeon in a duel. We swore, we shot, we complained about ear plugs, we kicked piles of dirt and we shot some more; I guess boys will always be boys.

Here are some more links,
The Huntington Brothers (Picasa).

A Campfire at Sunset

The sun sank behind the fir trees on a nearby ridge as my younger brother and I searched the hilltop for scraps of dry wood. After weeks of rain, dry wood was as rare as a liberal at West Point. Armed with a Leatherman, a magnesium fire starter stick, and a handful of receipts from the glove compartment of my dad's truck we set out to warm our cold fingers and hear the snapping of a small campfire.

A cold east wind flew through the gorge, bending Douglas Fir trees and complicating our attempts of starting a fire.

The last wisps of light drifted west as I scraped fragments of magnesium off the starter stick onto the receipt. I gingerly set up a small Tee-Pee around the dime-sized pile of magnesium and struck the ignition stick. For an instant, the flames lept up around the cedar kindling like second graders around an 18-year-old teacher's assistant. Despite my feverish attempts to blow over the miniature log house, the flames only darkened the frayed edges of the cedar, dying out completely within a minute. Unfazed, I pulled a rumpled oil change receipt from October, 2007 out of my pocket and started chipping away at the fire starter.

A small flame quickly warmed my hands and illuminated my shadow on a nearby bush. After thirty minutes of breathing wood smoke, dirtying my knees and periodic, frantic searches for pieces of dry firewood, the shy flames finally lingered. Quickly, the dinner plate sized blaze developed into a self respecting campfire.

Tim's well loved, size 14 Danners warming by the fire.

For the next hour and a half, Tim and I stoked the fire and chatted brotherly things. We watched wither and warp, and hiss and pop.

Some will talk over a beer, others over a caffeinated beverage, for me I will take a fire any day. I love the smell of smoke, the labor of splitting wood, the occasional teary eyes from changing wind and the lingering flavor of fire for weeks on your jacket or sweater.

Here are some more links,
A Campfire at Sunset (Picasa).

At the Edge of the Columbia River Gorge

As a child, I spent a lot of time 45 minutes due east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. Protected by the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the land has strict and drastic growth limitations. State Highway 14 connects the sprawl of Southwest Washington to the tall forests, basalt cliffs, and waterfalls of the Gorge (as its called by both x-pat Portland yuppies and local loggers).

After ten miles of dense spec homes and sewage treatment plants, the suburban sprawl evaporates, exposing the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge and its flood plains speckled by the occasional tree.

My parents now both live in the Columbia River Gorge and I frequently drive through this game reserve on my way to and from Portland. Despite making the trip thousands of times in my 21 years, the beauty of the contrast between the gross urban sprawl of the Portland area and natural beauty of the Northwest always forced me to look up from my phone or magazine and take in my setting.

While driving home after a few errands in Portland on a despicable December day, the wind, rain and clouds flowing out of the Gorge inspired me to stop. I parked my car on the side of the road, turned off the Dire Straits, grabbed my camera and headed towards the fields. I hopped the barbed wire and strolled aimlessly through the fields. The minutes melted together as my mind started racing, keeping pace with the whistling of the wind through the grass and the pendulum like bending of the leafless branches on the occasional tree.

Drawn to the creaking of limbs, I followed the sounds, eventually settling on this lone tree. Bending and shaking from the winds rushing west from the desert east of the Cascades, I stood watching the clouds fly towards the big city like bubbles towards a bath's drain, or to those of the Luddite persuasion, toilet paper towards the sewers.

Here are some more links,
The Edge of the Gorge (Picasa).

A Trip to Winn Perry

Last fall I started hearing chatter about a new menswear shop in my hometown, Portland, Oregon. As time marched on and my interest in menswear continued to grow, I kept tabs on the budding shop in Southeast Portland. After a 12 month hiatus from Portland, I finally made it down to SE 11th to check out the shop's wide selection of menswear brands including Alden, SNS Herning, Band of Outsiders, Quoddy and Hill-Side.

Winn Perry sports a nice array of Hill-Side ties and bandannas.

Jordan, Winn Perry's founder, giving a breakdown of some of his offering ideas for future products and collaborations. Jordan named the store after his great grandfather and started the store after graduating from Portland State.

Some parts of the shop reminded me of Alex Carleton, like these Aldens, harpoon and chest.

Where the cards are swiped, the cash is given, and emails are answered.

Those Band of Outsiders plaid shirts caught my eye, I am just a sucker for red and blue.

Winn Perry has a nice mix of New England Nautical, Classic English and local Northwest.

Wherever I go, I find pieces of Maine. These Quoddy's looked great.

Some Pendleton pieces from the collaboration with Opening Ceremonies.

Rules for My Unborn Son showing proudly.

I am glad to see young entrepreneurs making a run at it in menswear and putting Portland on the Map. For a one room shop, Jordan has amassed quite the list of brands that would leave many of Manhattan's most coveted shops envious.

Here are some links,
A Trip to Winn Perry (Picasa),
Winn Perry.