Last light, night bite.
Hudson is still pretty unsure of the fish themselves but he sure loves going out ‘fissin’. For reasons unknown he really likes to ask the fish to bite him followed immediately by him putting a finger right near or into the fishes mouth.
Few things clear my mind like some time in the tinner wettin’ a few lines. I often leave my cameras at home when I fish, for no other reason than that; if they’re close? I’ll use them.
Having said that, every now and then I sneak one into the boat and every now and then the conditions are just right for a few bangers.
These shots are from a few weekends ago at my parents place. Hudson is still pretty unsure of the fish themselves but he sure loves going out ‘fissin’. For reasons unknown he really likes to ask the fish to bite him followed immediately by him putting a finger right near or into the fishes mouth. I’d like to say something like ‘No idea where he gets these quirks!’ or “Geez, wonder where that comes from?’ but it would probably be easier and much more accurate to just say ‘The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree’.
Thoughts, comments?
French Press Coffee Roasters
In Qualicum Beach we’re always looking for good coffee and lunch spots. So when I heard that one of the local coffee shops had new owners and was on the mend from a disastrous year-long stint under less than passionate management, I was ecstatic.
Coffee is life. It’s that simple. Also, it just so happens that some of the most newly award winning coffee in North America is being roasted just a handful of kilometres from my front door, so again; coffee is life and for me at least, great coffee is also very convenient.
In Qualicum Beach we’re always looking for good coffee and lunch spots. So when I heard that one of the local coffee shops had new owners and was on the mend from a disastrous year-long stint under less than passionate management, I was ecstatic. I have a great appreciation for The French Press. When it was under its original owners control I hosted my first solo art show there and it was an incredible experience so hearing it was back in action felt a bit like being reunited with an old friend.
Enter Jeremy Perkins.
Jeremy’s passion for coffee is basically as unbridled as it could get and he’s creating The French Press’ coffee from the ground up. Beans fresh from Nicaragua and Ethiopia are being roasted right here in Central Vancouver Island to bring out just the right notes from nuttiness to strawberry and cherry.
On a recent trip to Nashville, Tn, Jeremy entered The French Press’ coffee into the 2019 iteration of The Golden Bean awards, an annual coffee roasters competition held in both North America and Australia. To no surprise of anyone who has had his coffee; he brought home a lot of hardware. 6 medals including 4 bronze, 1 silver and 1 gold. The gold being for the Ethiopian Kilenso Moconissa blend.
The French Press is one of my absolute favourite things about life in Qualicum Beach. We often have our morning Homelab meeting at the shop, taking in the tempered hustle and bustle of it’s loyal regulars. Jeremy has really created an environment and ambience reminiscent of a much bigger market but with the accessibility and community of a small town business. I can’t stress enough just how delicious this coffee is, but don’t take my word for it.
The French Press can be found at:
French Press Coffee Roasters Cafe
692 Primrose Street,
Qualicum Beach, V9K 1S7,
French Press Coffee Roastery & Cafe
2340 Alberni Highway,
Coombs, V0R 1M0.
Or online at:
Thoughts, comments?
Shore QB
Early this year the town of Qualicum Beach put out a call for bids on their long standing waterfront staple; The Beach Hut. Whispers were running wild around town with the news that we’d be getting a new, updated take on this local classic
The beach hut on Qualicum Beach is back; with a breath of fresh air.
Early this year the town of Qualicum Beach put out a call for bids on their long standing waterfront staple; The Beach Hut. Whispers were running wild around town with the news that we’d be getting a new, updated take on this local classic. Around the same time I had an email in my inbox from Lindy - the new restauranteur -saying ‘I’m starting a new adventure and I’m gonna need some help’.
It wasn’t long after Shore QB opened that I got a chance to stop by and try the food. The menu reads like any good beachside haunt should; fish & chips, fish tacos, great homemade burgers and of course coffees and ice cream to perfectly round out any lunch date. As someone who could easily be classified as a foodie I was so stoked to find that Lindy and her husband Steve had really figured the food out before opening. This wasn’t some attempt to rest on the venue and views as the main draw, they did it right and the food reflects their effort.
Lindy and Steve really recognized that there was no need to veer off into foreign territory or risk losing a devoted audience, they just hit the staples and hit them well. My favourite has to be the fresh fish tacos; perfectly seasoned batter with fresh made pico de gallo, a crunchy kale slaw - that’s not overdressed - and then it’s all topped with a chipotle mayo drizzle…a good single word description would be unbelievable. They’re one of the dishes that I would just want everyone to have at least once. Maybe I’ll find a way to give some to clients one day…
Photographically the shoot was super fun, I absolutely love food and I’d been researching food photography for a long while starting to set my sights on some local spots I could reach out to. We had near perfect weather to light the food with natural sources and I was able to us a Mexican blanket for some balance in colour and some reclaimed boards I had in my carport to establish a weathered, textured yet clean backdrop to juxtapose the dishes. I also picked up a macro lens earlier this year so when required I was able to draw right in on the food and shoot nice and close to fill the frame.
So if it hasn’t become clear yet; I’m a fan…and I think you will be too. If you want to check it out Shore Qb is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am - 8pm March(ish) til October(ish) each year and they’re located right on the seawall beside four poles at Qualicum Beach.
Shore QB
2831 Island Hwy W,
Qualicum Beach, BC, V9K 2C4.
Or online at:
Thoughts, comments?
Rocked the Kasba ... Lake Lodge.
In the spring of 2018 I got the call of a lifetime. A request to combine basically most of my favourite things; fly fishing, photography, and travel. My friends at Kasba lake Lodge invited me up to create the new media for their marketing campaigns. I was elated…and then I was injured.
In the spring of 2018 I got the call of a lifetime. A request to combine basically most of my favourite things; fly fishing, photography, and travel. My friends at Kasba lake Lodge invited me up to create the new media for their marketing campaigns. I was elated…and then it all fell apart.
While doing some fairly routine yard work I pinched a nerve at my c6/c7 vertebrae and was pretty well incapacitated. I was in bed for 5 weeks straight, no medication helped, no physiotherapy worked, chiro, massage, nothing seemed to take the pain away. So unfortunately I had to back out of the trip. Rather than find someone else, the good folks at Kasba stayed the course and rescheduled our trip for summer of 2019, and it was worth every minute of the wait.
The injury wound up being a long lasting thing, in fact, I still have little to no feeling in my right hand finger tips. But oddly enough the thing that it effected most was my confidence. I’m not sure why but it shook me up so bad, but for the first time in as long as I can remember I felt like maybe I wasn’t as strong and tough as I thought. So as this years trip grew closer and closer I started to get really anxious, about the travel, about the work, about my ability to get the job done at the level I expected of myself.
As the weeks leading up arrived and my departure grew nearer I knew deep down that the nerves would shake off as soon as I got out on my first freelance trip in over 18 months, but that doesn't mean I wasn’t still anxious; I was a basket case.
In order to get to the lodge you first need to get to Winnipeg and then you take a chartered plane to the Northwest Territories and land right at the lodge on a massive gravel runway. At first I thought it’d be a bit nerve wracking to land on gravel but it was actually super smooth and the lodge and cabins are just steps away once you’ve landed so no need to drive or float plane elsewhere, you’ve arrived. You’re just steps from your cabin.
We were at the lodge for 4 nights and the facility and service is incredible. We were immediately greeted with a full breakfast menu and hot coffee and within half an hour of landing myself and my trusty assistant (Also my Dad, Pops) were meeting with Matt Hill - one of the lodge managers - to go over and narrow down our media goals for the trip. By this point my nerves were starting to drop off and excitement was taking over, I was finally starting to feel like my old self again.
After getting settled Matt set us up with our guide Nate and as we headed out for our first morning of fishing and shooting we exchanged some hellos and high-fives and quickly realized that not only was Nate also from Vancouver Island; but he was from the exact same small town as me, and just an hours drive from Pops place. So us three islanders set out in search of big fish and great photos and neither the lake, nor Nate would disappoint. I can definitely admit that me and Pops had no idea what was coming our way.
It wasn’t long at all and Nate had us into some beautiful pike in a little grass filled channel called ‘Hole in the Wall’. And really that’s how the next few days unfolded. Nate picked spots and took us to them at just the right times of day and thinking back, I can’t recall too many times over the trip that we went more than a half an hour without getting into fish. The lake is home to three native species of fish; Pike, Lake Trout and Arctic Grayling and we were fortunate enough to catch monsters of each species. In fact we caught trophy sized fish of each species on fly rods, which makes the fight even better.
One of the raddest options that the lodge offers is a float plane trip across the lake to the Kazan River. For an added fee guests can be flown over there for the day to experience world class trophy sized arctic greyling in their most natural environment, a crystal clear, cold as ice, running river. On day three we got in with Eugene - the lodges pilot - and he dropped us off for what would be an absolute highlight day of the trip. For anyone considering a trip to Kasba, you really need to take a hard look at the Kazan River day it was nothing short of incredible.
We hadn’t been on the river half an hour before Matt and Brandon landed this absolute pig of a grayling. The consensus was that it was in the 4+ lbs range which is a pound + over what is classified as a trophy weight for arctic grayling. The fish would prove a bit more finicky to land than what we had expected and it’s awful to say but it was a bit of a slow day, as a group I think we wound up with just over a dozen fish landed. But the picky fish didn’t bring anyone down, we travelled as a pack of three boats, we explored lots of different runs, ate a gourmet shore lunch and laughed the day away. I’ve been a professional photographer for over a decade now and this day will be nearly impossible to dethrone as my favourite day of work ever. By the time we left the river to fly back to the lodge I couldn’t help but reflect on how just a few days earlier I was nearing panic attack status about this trip, and now here I was on cloud nine. Funny how life works.
All week long we were paired up at breakfast and lunch with four other guests, we had Janet and Mike, a mother and son from Manitoba/Saskatchewan and we had Nelson and Brandon a father/son sort of also from Vancouver Island. Because us islanders tend to stick together we wound up spending a good portion of the last few lake days, as well as the Kazan River day all fishing together. And while they started the week gear fishing, we were able to drag at least Brandon to the fly fishing side by weeks end. I think we would have had Nelly too but he had kept in pretty close with The Kraken all week and most of his fine motor skills had left the boat by about noon each day.
The lodge itself and their staff and service is second to none. Great food, friendly service, hot coffee and cold beer. There isn’t much else you could ask of a lodge where the closest road is 150 miles away. The management and crew really stop at nothing to make sure that all of the guests feel at home and are having a great time.
After all was said and done, pushing myself to get out and get after this shoot wound up being one of the best decisions of my life. I went form completely shook and nervous to elated and confident again by weeks end, and to have been able to experience it all with my favourite photo assistant ever, my Pops, was just the icing on the cake.
If you’re interested in some more info about Kasba Lake Lodge check out their website or contact them at the info below, they’re great people and I’m sure they’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Kasba Lake Lodge
PO Box 96
Parksville, BC
V9P 2G3
1.888.908.0821
Or online at:
Click on the video below to see a video slideshow of the trip!
Thoughts, comments?
Very Far From Home.
One side of my in-laws lives in Nanaimo, BC not too far down the highway from home. The other side lives in a sleepy little town called Alexander, Manitoba; very far from home…I repeat…VERY FAR FROM HOME.
Drive through the prairies they said…it will be cool they said…Well ‘they’ may have exaggerated just a little. Saying it was cool would be a bit like saying McDonalds makes a great burger; it’s passable, in a pinch, but what’s actually cool is pretty much anything else.
One side of my in-laws lives in Nanaimo, BC not too far down the highway from home. The other side lives in a sleepy little town called Alexander, Manitoba; very far from home…I repeat…VERY FAR FROM HOME.
Our trip started out a bit roughly but once we left the lower mainland and sunk our teeth into the drive everything started to fall away, work stress eased off, home stress, cleaning, laundry, yard work, the usual day to day skullduggery all kind of slipped away and vacation mode took over. The drive out took us 3.5 days and was a roller coaster of crazy hotels, lack lustre continental breakfasts, ridiculous laughs and amazing scenery.
The only complaint I have was the prairies. I was really hoping for these ultra flat, hay bail filled, tree-desolate landscapes that old time Canadiana had raised me on, but I was tricked! The scenery through this section of the prairies was flat, to a degree, but more in the way that central Alberta is flat. The hills roll by endlessly, patches of trees line farmhouses protecting them from the winds sweeping across the fields and the highway winds through it all like a concrete river chasing the path of least resistance. Beautiful, but not what I was expecting.
Manitoba was really quite something. The bulk of our week there was spent in the two small towns of Alexander and Oak Lake Beach with moonlights in Brandon and Winnipeg. Unbeknownst to me Winnipeg has an amazing zoo where they are really doing it right. None of these tiny pens and depressed animals, these guys have gone all out. Huge multi-acre pens with a ton of effort put into truly building the animals a natural feeling and functioning environment. The polar bear pen is incredible, it’s massive and all built as a natural landscape with the exception of one giant glass tube for us lowly humans to walk through while the bears swim above.
Up until this point we had travelled over 3000kms and packed our days full of activities so following the zoo, a few days at the cabin was it just what the doctor ordered. It was really our first chance to out and out relax on the trip and this is when everyone really hit their vacation groove. The boys played outside and learned from Grandpa how to build fires, Heather and Jody got right to work on a puzzle and I launched into what is now one of my favourite books ‘Sick in the Head’ by Judd Apatow.
All good family reunions should end with fireworks right? Even if the person or persons responsible for said fireworks can’t get them to light and the watchers are being eaten alive by what are quite probably west nile carrying mosquitos…or whatever.
And just like that our time in Manitoba was done. It’s never easy to say goodbye to Don and Jody but alas the (road)show must go on. Up next was a marathon trip to Northern BC to visit family and friends in Fort St John, with a quick stop over in Calgary, Ab.
Before leaving Fort St John we had a chance to visit a friend of a friends house that was in a landslide last year. In total the house moved about 350 feet! It just slid, the whole thing, foundation and all. Then to make matters worse some kids came in and trashed the place while the owners were figuring out that ultimately they wouldn’t be covered by insurance or government subsidy as; the slide was an act of god. So at the end fo the day they basically lost the house completely. It was pretty surreal to go and walk through, such an unfortunate set of circumstances.
Hudson Redfern Photo
Hudson Redfern Photo
And just like that we were back on the road, leaving Fort St John and making the long journey home. We took our time, we stopped lots along the way, we drove partway with my brother and his boys, and just generally soaked up the last few days of what I’m sure will be a long remembered trip as a family, visiting family. Of all the things in life, of anything I could pick, my family, close and extended is my absolute favourite thing.
If you made it this far I’m shocked and very grateful for you. Thank you.
Thoughts, comments?
The 2019 Open ... @ CFQB
The CrossFit Open is easily one of the coolest event formats in all of sports. In lames terms - which is really as far as my expertise on the subject extend - it would allow anyone, from anywhere, who can complete the workouts on a professional level to funnel themselves from any corner of the globe, right to the Annual CrossFit Games, the sport of fitness’ very own super bowl.
The CrossFit Open is easily one of the coolest event formats in all of sports. In lames terms - which is really as far as my expertise on the subject extend - it would allow anyone, from anywhere, who can complete the workouts on a professional level to funnel themselves from any corner of the globe, right to the Annual CrossFit Games, the sport of fitness’ very own super bowl.
In our own little corner of the world we have a CrossFit Box (Gym), CrossFit Qualicum Beach (CFQB as I will refer to it herein), and it’s run by a couple beautifully good people who are nothing less than extremely passionate about helping others live their best lives. Each year the member of CFQB gather for what is an incredibly exciting 5 weeks at the box. It works as follows; on Thursday nights the CrossFit Headquarters releases via live webcast, the weekly workout. Registered athletes then have until end of day Friday to complete the workout at a certified CrossFit affiliate, (which, CFQB is) and record their scores online. From there begins the funnelling and while some are trying their best to make it to the CrossFit Games some are trying their best to beat their current bests, a feat no less noble the the former.
For the February 2019 open I teamed up with CFQB’s owners Lucas & Maggy to hash out a rough schedule of the five weekly workouts with the goal that I was able to make it to each of the 5 daily classes, 6:30am, 9:30am, Noon, 4:30pm and 5:30pm, on different weeks of the open. I know that sounds confusing but as this post unfolds you’ll see that the light changes from time to time because the photos were taken over the course of that 5 week period.
From week to week the Open definitely has an ebb and flow to it. One of the things that I love most about CrossFit as fitness plan is that the exercises vary so much. So because The CrossFit Open is a series of competition workouts some weeks are more advanced techniques in lower volume, some weeks the workouts are more basic techniques required in higher volume. CrossFit Qualicum Beach is so great at making sure everyone scales their own WOD to suit their own skill level that you wind up with a very supportive environment of people all pushing their limits to achieve their best workout results. It’s a very exciting atmosphere to buzz around being a fly on the wall.
Photographically shooting at CFQb is a blessing and a curse. On one hand you have an entire bank of windows to provide that beautiful, natural light but on the other hand the space is tight and there are lots of nooks and crannies for athletes to hide and get tucked away in. Because everyone is working in a time sensitive arena and pushing themselves there are non do-overs. Moments come up quickly and happen organically and may only transpire once so you need to be ready so I watch the majority of the Open unfold through my camera’s viewfinder; waiting for the moments. In 2019’s Open one of my favourite stories and moments was the 4:30 class and the always competitive Wilson brothers, Al and Steve. This was Al’s first open back in the box after a battle with cancer so to be on hand to see the two of them competing with and against each other, with the year they had pushed though together, was a very special thing to see. Very inspiring.
Al Wilson getting his Open workout score sheet ready.
One thing that always strikes me while covering The Open for CFQB is how quickly the 5 weeks goes by. I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is or how it is, but somehow, here in our sleepy little beach town; Lucas & Maggy have created something very very special. CFQB has become home for a group of people or athletes really, new and established, young and not so young, who through suffering, growing, gaining, and learning together, have become a very close family.
If you’ve heard CrossFit is bad, or you’re worried about getting hurt doing it, or if you’re worried about not being good enough to try it, I can tell you first hand, STOP WORRYING; CrossFit Qualicum Beach is different. Hit them up at the contact info below and just go once. You will not regret it.
CrossFit Qualicum Beach
#101 - 166 First Ave,
Qualicum Beach , BC, V9K 1G9.
Or online at: