shower time, then bedtime

Its time to get cleaned up before bed.  Its been a rainy weekend but there was a little sun this afternoon.  We'll see what the week brings.  Have a good night, guys! - V

a kiss

There's a lot more to a relationship than sex or anything like it.  Being able to get along, have some common interests go a long way too.  Being there for each other when it matters is necessary too.    Than's Dallas and Riley to give us the idea.  It works for same or opposite sex regardless.  Oh, and anything worth having takes effort as well.  You don't get nothing from nothing! - V

hot dude for a Sunday evening

Well, as we head towards a pleasant Sunday evening, here's Todd to put us in the mood and give us some inspiration.  Have a good one, guys! - V

cars and stuff

Back in 2008 when Brad was first making plans to come out west and hopefully stay a while, he was driving this vehicle.  Unfortunately, the car broke down in the Gaspe region of Quebec.  In order to raise the funds necessary for the repairs, he and his brother worked as dishwashers in Montreal.  Later, Brad was working in the Gaspe region closer to where the car was working on a boat.  He was a mariner after all.

We messaged each other while he was in that latter region, as often as we could.   I guess after the repairs were done, he must have gotten homesick, so he drove east rather than west as I had expected.  I'm wasn't that hard on him and still am not.  We were all young once and emotions well up inside.  We do what we have to do.  Likely the car breaking down had something to do with it all.  Things were going great up until then.

At some point, when Brad is ready, he will get out here.  There's more than enough work out here, more than there might be back east.  All he has to do is make the move, even if someone has to come with him to make it all work.  He knows what I'm talking about.

So Brad, you want another car?  We can make it work here and arrange for it in the way we discussed.  Just get your ass out here and the rest will happen.  Perhaps December or early in the new year?  Love you!  What else can I say. - V

surfer

Who would like a surfer served on a surfboard?  Would you pass him up on the idea>  This is Justin by the way.  Enjoy! - V

morning mist

I take the time (and opportunity) to take photos when the mood strikes me.  In this case I was living on the 12th floor of a 16 floor apartment building in north London (Ontario) during the mid-1980s.  As summer starts to cool, they air may be cool but the ground is still very warm, so ground mist collects along the ground.  This is just one of many images I took during a morning that featured plenty of this.  Then there was the sun trying to burn its way through the next cloud layer.  Enjoy the photo, there are more if you'd like to see them! - V

clouds from the air

Here is another shot that I took as the plane was making an approach to Vancouver airport.  You can see a bit of the sun and the many layers of clouds in the sky. This was December 23rd, 1978.  The next day it was raining but it was the only such day.  Otherwise it was cold and mostly clear.  The children loved it since the ponds were frozen over which as I understand it, usually doesn't happen in this part of British Columbia.  Sun and cold pretty well described the rest of the 2 and a half week stay in Vancouver.

I stayed at the YMCA Vancouver on Burrard Street.  That place has since been completely renovated.  I met a young man from Hamilton, Ontario that was staying down the hall from me.  We went to a restaurant on Burrard and I accompanied him to the Greyhound Bus Terminal which in those days was in the downtown, not at the Train station on Main Street as it is now.  The last time I saw him he was catching a bus to Edmonton supposedly to work in the oil fields and I've not seen him since.  Such is life!  We meet people and see them for years and others we see once and never again.  That was just over 30 years ago.  So, what sort of adventures have you undertaken? - V

Vancouver Island - December 1978

I came out to Vancouver for the first time in December 1978.  I flew here that time and the plan was to fly back but I refunded the return ticket and opted to take the train back to Toronto and home from there.  The above photo was scanned from one of the many colour slides taken on that trip on Agfachrome slide film.  This image shows a view of Vancouver Island from the plane as we were approaching the airport.  The plane came north from the BC lower mainland, then over Georgia Strait before heading south to the airport for the final approach.  I returned home to Ontario by train in January 1979.  There will be some more photos later after they've been scanned.  Meantime, enjoy this one! - V

snow!

There's snow in the forecast for us here on the west coast, more in the upper elevations and just a dusting for the valley, but we will see how this all translates in reality.  It may be a different world by Monday evening but then the rest of the country has had its share of the white stuff, so its our turn.  With Cypress Mountain resort open early and likely others to follow soon, the skiers should be very happy!

Meanwhile, as the weeks go by it is getting colder and colder at night and the day time not as warm.  We've had a few frosty nights this month so far and can expect more.  I was just checking The Weather Network and temperatures on the prairies are cold, extremely cold, in the -20 to -30 range.  All this is on top of the snow they've had over the weekend.  For us it won't get as cold as all that but we have heard that our winter will be drier and colder than most winters previous.  Let's see what happens!

Good Night, guys! - V

another December image

Here's another photo I took in a series of shots from December 1988.  The scene is a second floor apartment in a house owned by a friend of mine from high school.  I shared the apartment with a friend from my high school days and a student from Newfoundland.  We all seemed to get along.  Then our landlord wanted to move into that unit because it had three bedrooms while his only had two.  His wife was expecting a child and the extra room was needed.  He offered his unit or another one for my friend and I but my friend wanted nothing to do with it, so no agreement was possible.  If I had known that from the beginning, I would have looked for another apartment.   As it was, this one was a short bus trip to work or a 20 - 25 minute walk away.  It was handy as far as the laundromat was concerned and shopping.  As with a lot of images, there are a lot of memories with this and the other one.

Like my previous image from the same period this one was taken on the second Advent in December, which in our case, that month is just around the corner.  My how quickly the year has passed.  I know the Christmas season will soon be upon us but have you made thoughts of what resolutions you might make for the coming new year, 2012? - V

summer's gone and soon the same can be said for autumn

Model Victor Bell briefly take our thoughts back to the summer we just had.  Autumn is just about over with December just around the corner.  We can begin planning for the next hot season but for now its winter and all it has to offer.  Meantime, we can dream, or head south to a warmer climate for a week or two of awesome weather!  Either way, work on your physique so that you're ready for what ever comes.  Have an awesome week, guys! - V

hotness for Sunday

Let Vincent take us through the rest of the day.  If you'd like to see more of him, check out MaleModel.us for a whole lot more.

Now that my laundry is almost dry, its time for me to drag myself away from the computer for a while and sort all that out.  Have an awesome Sunday evening, guys, and have the same as far as the week is concerned! - V

candles and some thoughts

This photo was taken in December 1988 at the second Advent.  I love candles, especially at Christmas time.  Even during the winter months they add a certain atmosphere.  This is a scanned image from a colour slide that I took at the time.  In the background you see a rattan chair called  a "King Chair" and to the right of that is a calamondin orange tree that I had bought as a very young tree back in the 1970s.  Each year it would be full of flowers in the spring time and even later.  When it was outside on a patio or balcony, the bees would love it.  The tree has been gone a long time.  The ants that got into the root ball likely caused its demise.  Like all things, there is a beginning and an end!  Cherish the things that matter while they're around and we're there to appreciate them! - V

thoughts on Brad

This isn't Brad but model Josh.  I spent a long time thinking about Brad last evening and this morning.  There isn't a day that goes by where my thoughts aren't with him in some way.  I wake up in the morning to one of his images posted up in my bedroom and also the same image as a wallpaper on my computer.  And I'm sure his thoughts are on me as well even though he can't communicate with me directly.  Easy access to a computer would solve that but he doesn't have that option at the moment.

We are both friends on Windows Live where he is my only favourite and also linked on my family listing.  I consider him like family anyway and treat him as such.  Its an awful thing to be from a child from a divorce, tossed from one parent to the other and then left to fend for himself.  The friends that I know that come from such circumstances haven't fared all that well in life, and its not confined to friends.  I have family members from similar circumstances, half-siblings, so I know better than most what he might be going through.

All that aside, where Brad lives jobs are difficult to find (the east coast of Canada, Nova Scotia in fact).  That's why many leave for central or western Canada in order to find employment and make a life for themselves which is what I've been trying to convince him to do, with my help of course.  I shoot off some funds now and then as I can afford it.  Keep in mind that I am still trying to get my own finances in order after the mini-stroke I suffered back in May.  It was around that time that I heard from him last.  I guess I would best describe myself as a father figure in his life.  Like every true father would I worry about him.

I suspect from his life experiences to date that Brad has trouble trusting people.  I mean, his very birth parents have let him down.  The reasons for that are varied and many I am sure but someway we have to find a way out of this mess.  Everything that I've promised, I have honoured, so at some point I hope that he will open his heart to trust the very person that feels the most for him.  This will certainly help him with other relationships.  We don't live in a vacuum, you know!

What I'd most like to do is wrap my arms around him and give Brad a great big hug letting him know that I love him and that I'm there for him.  Mere words are not enough.  We have a world full of people from different walks of life that say many things and never live up to them, politicians in particular.  Its action that gives it all meaning.  So, Brad, if you or someone you know has happened upon this post, take the time to comment.  You'll long not forget it.!

Be kind and forgiving of people.  Life is like a stage as Shakespeare pointed out.  We come, play our part and then exit.  While we're here (physical presence on Earth), we learn from our experiences and others learn from us, or so it should be, so those are some of my thoughts for the day.   - V

This is model Jamie Barnard.  I didn't know anyone by the name of Barnard but I do know someone by the name of Jamie.  In fact, I've known another guy by that name years ago when I was living in London (Ontario). He was slim and very handsome.  He even had a motorbike.  The fact he had a bike told me a lot about Jamie, the Jamie I knew. - V

hot muscles

This model is Ray Santiesteban.  When I lived and worked in Toronto during the 1990s, I knew a couple with the same last name.  In fact, early on we lived in the same house.   The husband was of native Peruvian background and his wife of European (Spanish) heritage.  They were from Peru and when I last saw them just had a baby boy after moving into their own apartment further south from where they had been living but still in Toronto.  The boy would be about Ray's age by this point.  So, guys, stay fit and keep up with activities that will motivate you to stay that way.  Any one interested in a hike up a mountain?  Have an awesome weekend! - V

A couple of days ago I was on my way home on the SkyTrain when I decided to change at Broadway Station and walk over to Commercial Station to continue on home from that point.  Once on the train I noticed a young guy seated ahead of me.  I was standing next to one of the doors not far from him.  He was wearing a cap with flaps similar to this but with cloth, not fur, a patterned design.  This guy also wore a red plaid jacket with a white background plus medium-blue cotton denim jeans and runners.  Under the jacket he had a dark blue cotton shirt with lettering on it.  His face was flushed red, from the colder temperatures outside no doubt.  Our eyes met briefly.  I'm partial to blue or green eyes but brown eyes are okay too.  What's most important is the energy coming from the person.  We can all feel a connection if we feel a positive vibe.  He was on the train when I got on, so must have gotten on at the college, VCC-Clarke.

Later the seat next to him near the window became free and he moved over.  A short while later I decided to sit down where he had been sitting but now next to him.  Busy on his smartphone, his right elbow lightly nudged me in the ribs each time his fingers moved on his device.  It actually felt pleasant, and he also looked a me a couple of times as if wanting to make contact.  Perhaps I should have!  He got off at Lougheed Station but I'm have to wait for another time to introduce myself.  Life doesn't have to be boring.  There are interesting things or adventures around every corner.  What do you think? - V

winter - l'hiver

This scene was shot in Quebec City near the campus of Laval University in February 1973.  Our French class from London, Ontario made a trip to the city in order to see the Quebec Winter Carnival.  Our motel was near the university campus.  A restaurant was also close by where we ordered our meals in French.  Getting into the old town was easy enough.  There was a local bus that took us into town.  The written language was easy enough to understand but the patois of the locals was a totally different story, and this was after I had been in Europe the previous summer spending some time in France.  But back to the weather and winter for a moment, I have no sympathy for anyone here where I currently live that says its cold.  They don't know the meaning of what cold really is until they've experienced it.  The scene above may look pleasant enough but it was actually bitterly cold after a very cold arctic air mass moved in from the northwest.  All that said, this winter scene in Quebec City reminds me of a French-Canadian song that anyone who has learned the French language in Canada will be familiar with, its "Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays."  French-Canadians would also be very familiar with this melody.  The words and song by Gilles Vigneault in the chorus go like this:

Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver
Mon jardin ce n'est pas un jardin, c'est la plaine
Mon chemin ce n'est pas un chemin, c'est la neige
Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver

or in English:

"My country is not a country, it is the winter
My garden is not a garden, it is the plain
My road is not a road, it is the snow
My country is not a country, it is the winter"

And so on.... Perhaps you'll look at winter and this country of Canada (and Quebec) differently from now on.  Something to think about!  - V

Quebec City - Winter Carnival - February 1973

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I have just started scanning some of the photos I took while in Quebec City to attend the Quebec Winter Carnival in February 1973.  The snow was pilled up about nine feet high on the side of the road near the motel we were staying at which was near the Laval University.  It was part of a high school trip the French class was making. I'll have more photos soon but enjoy these! - V

a kiss...

A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh...well, you know the rest or just use your imagination! - V

muscles

Here's some more inspiration to add to what we've been exposed to up till now. I love the muscle development, don't you? - V

Evan

Evan Cobb, age 21, took his own life earlier this year (April 28, 2011) for reasons unknown. I know all too well how this feels to those that knew him, whether family, friends or others. My own brother ended his life in 1974 and his passing still haunts me to this day and I'm in my late 50s. Have strength and know that one day we will have the answers to our questions, just now is not the time nor the place! - V

rumble

So, have you ever tumbled around with a favourite friend or wanted to? Rod and company will gives us lots of ideas of the advantages of this and why. Any ideas why you shouldn't? Have an awesome night's sleep, guys, and lots of awesome dreams! - V

cowboy

For those of you that love cowboys and the stuff they do, here's photo in line with that thought.

I'm just finishing up some tea but later I plan to sit down in front of the tv and watch a show or two plus perhaps watch a movie too. When that happens, I'll pour a glass of white wine (I started a bottle of La Veille Ferme from the Orange Region of the south of France yesterday evening). More later! - V

muscle

Here's another hot dude (Nic) to give us some inspiration. We can use all the inspiration we can get, right? I hope you're all having an awesome weekend! - V

spencer

There are a number of really good images of Spencer around, and how can he not take a good photo, he'd make a bunch of rags look great. You get what I'm saying, so enjoy another! - V

mirror

Brent shows us something that we probably do several times a day, look in the mirror. So, what do we see? Do we see what's really there or something else? Is there something that you'd like to change, then take the steps to make the necessary improvement. Perhaps its you hair. Shorter perhaps, or the colour? Or losing some weight? Changes don't come about without some effort on our part but here's no magic solution for everything. Something to think about. And good luck with your transformation if that's what you plan! - V

diversion

I've been following the debt crisis in Europe (Greece) for the last few days. And financial woes are not confined to Europe along! The United States is in the news again in that regard about something about investments. All that aside, here is Philip to take our minds away from those troubles, and others as well, for a while, if even for a moment! - V