We are always happy to see it's getting colder, we love the winter, the short days and adventurous trips in the snow and on the ice. Yesterday I received this photo in the mail with a beautiful monologue on why it was so special. About the composition, the different tones of grey, but primarily about the mess and the huddle on the deck. How on earth could they sail in this kind of mess between the floes and ice bergs, what was the story behind it, who was it?
The only thing we know is that it was a crew member of one of Bob Barlett's expeditions to the Arctic, taking a movie of ice berg off the bow of the ship, Greenland, 1939 (Smithsonian Institution Archives)
A truly amazing image, and definitely one that feeds our desire to sail between these floes and ice bergs ! (Thank you Ferry for sharing!)

Last week, a man entered the store, wearing these amazing looking Engineer boots. He told us that he bought them over 20 years ago! After beating these boots up for so long, and having them resoled a couple of times, he thought it was time for his babies to retire. The good thing of Red Wing Shoes is that you can buy the same shoes as 20 years ago. And so he did. Never change a winning team!
While our new friend was heading for the door, wearing his new Red Wing Shoes 2268 Engineers, we asked somewhat eagerly what he planned doing with old ones? Not to worry, he said. 'They’re retired now, but I’ll make sure to take em out for a ride on my bike every now and then.'
Although we forgot to ask for the guys name, we did take some pictures of his boots! If you look closely, you´ll notice the personalized rivet action on the back of the boot’s shaft - added for extra coolness. What a guy!

A while ago the International Business Times put together an amazing set of images from the Depression Era. 'These vivid color photos from the Great Depression and World War II capture an era generally seen only in black-and-white. Photographers working for the United States Farm Security Administration (FSA) and later the Office of War Information (OWI) created the images between 1939 and 1944.' Simply beautiful! (More here and here)

In 1939 Chief Henry Standing Bear commissioned Korczak Ziolkowski to build a monument to the late Oglala Lakota hero: Crazy Horse and to celebrate the Indian Nation. In 1948, a small group of craftsmen took over the monumental task of sculpting the mountain into a man. “Crazy Horse” documents the devotion they give each day in pursuit of perfection. It’s the story of how the monument consumed and surpassed Korczak's life. Today Korczak's son and four dedicated craftsmen continued the journey. They have teamed up to bring this incredible monument to life. And like all well-crafted achievements, it will not only live on as a tribute to those it represents, but as a tribute to the perseverance of those who built it. This is their story. Enjoy the show. (image from here)

Yes, it is better in the wind! Scott Toepfer finally put online the full length short movy ‘It's Better In The Wind’. For the last two years he have been taking still photographs for a personal project entitled 'It's Better In The Wind,' all the while collecting video footage from each ride as they traveled around the Western United States together. The result is this lovely short movie, in his own words ‘just a collection of imagery that will hopefully inspire more people to take to the road and discover what there is outside of our respective communities.’ It does inspire us! Especially with the tunes of Chuck Ragan on the background - the only thing I want is hop on that bike, and hit the road….