"We think we're just buying a shirt, but actually, it's all information…"
W. Gibson

Random images from the last couple of months.

MFSC 7161MD's post wash at approx. a year of wear.


Antwerp Central Station, might as well be a spaceship docking bay.

Herman Miller Eames LCM, scratched up by years and years of use, it's wear sped up by exposed back pocket rivets and cinch buckles.

MFSC 7163's post wash, also at approx. a year of wear.


Encountered this perfectly ratty looking WWII Jeep on my way to the office one day, next day it was gone.


Anonymous stool in the lovely country house on Mallorca where Miss Duck and I spent New Years.


Cloth patch on my Rigid LVC 333's.
(Note that as these are a sample, the stamped size is incorrect.)

A little while ago Miss Duck and I found ourselves in the Dutch countryside in an effort to escape the city for a weekend.
And an escape we got!
Het Verborgen Verblijf (the UK equivalent of the concept is called "Country House Hideout" ) promised a stay in the style of the Great Explorers and Adventures of times past!
In short this meant an encampment with a big ass tent smack in the middle of the woods with no warm water from the tab, no way to power your electrical devices, no gas for cooking and loads of mosquito's.
While this might not sounds like a "relaxing time", the opposite proved to be true.
It's a lot of fun to be able to get up in the morning, walk over to a chicken coop to grab some eggs after which you build a fire in the cooking cart opposite your tent to make some pancakes. Simple!
What it reminded me most of was the concept of "Dude ranches". A popular way for "city folk" to experience life on farms and in the countryside which flourished in the US around the 20's-30's. But this time with some time traveling thrown in for good measure…


Entrance to the tent with our bags in front of it. Traveling in style, for the occasion…


A look in to the serious safari sized tent!
Big enough to fit six, plus the option to set up an extra, two sized tent.


Wind-up gramophone and a odd but fun mix of old records, "discovery corner" with small library, microcope, field telephone (connected to both the bathroom and the outhouse!) drawing materials and a telescope.

Kitchen in two parts, build a fire in either one of those metal boxes in the cookingcart, the box/stove heats up and "pancake-time!". The plate that connects both "stoves" gets so warm that it works ideal to keep things warm while others are still being prepared.



The only two means of generating electricity, which was actually only used for the couple lamps in the tent, no electrical outlets = dead phone within the day. Roughly 45 mins on the bicycle would generate enough power to have light for a day.
The alternative was hooking the tent's big-ass-battery on wheels onto the genuine steam engine and have it do the dirty work for you.


Minimal but comfortable bedroom and a little away from the tent a traditional "outhouse"…


The bathroom was in a separate tent and had one of the most fun and rustic showers I've ever had the pleasure to use.
For warm water for bathing one could simply take a lovely little barrel on wheels to a nearby shed and fill it up.
Operated by cranking the lever back and fort, water gets pumped into a bucket with some holes and voila, shower!
This worked wonderfully for simply taking a shower, but some serious dedication and back and forth walking between the water shed and our washroom tent was needed when we planned to actually fill up that giant barrel for a nice hot bath.

So yea, in short: Good Times!

Below some more snapshots I took.

Three photo's I wanted to share, taken by Kenzo Soza (click for full set) at last Saturday's Rock 'N Roll D-day.
It's the only event of it's kind in Amsterdam and it's nice to see how almost everyone attending makes an effort to look nice for the day.
Live music, good company and cool cars make for an excellent day!

The second and third pic stood out for me in how cinematic they are, they're non posed snaps and might as well be stills from a movie, they suggest that they're part of a longer story, and that's what I like about them.

Accidentally (not really, heh...), I happen to be in one of them, and since this is the internet after all I figured I'd list what I'm wearing:
- a fantastic, vintage purple velvet embroidered jacket that is worthy of a post of its own, a b-day gift from a close friend, I'm currently trying to find out more about it. It appears to bear the emblem of a military stunt team based out of Masushima Airbase in Japan. Funny enough Toyo did a reproduction of the embroidery on a Sukajan jacket.
- a white crewneck under Tee out of a Uniqlo 3-pack
- Warehouse sufu 660's
- vintage military motorcycle boots

This charming box with six Bakelite frames was recently given to me by a friend of my parents.
She had inherited them from her uncle, who was an optician, and she thought it most likely that they were from the 30's-40's.

While not in the best shape anymore, they are all quite wonky, one is missing an arm and the 3rd one from the top in the picture above seems to have warped completely.
I might still try to get one of them back in shape and fitted with prescription lenses.
The remaining ones will make for a very charming little collection.