Speaking of greasy travelling, Dan and I are no strangers to it. Him and I have traveled half-way around the world together and done some of the most despicable things you can think of, all in the name of survival. Sleeping in parks, eating out of the garbage, shitting in the outback, stealing hundreds worth of drinks, using other peoples towels (fuck), trying to catch food, chasing kangaroos - although I wouldn't call that survival, I just really wanted to box that mo-fo. He took it like a bitch.
The first week of August marks my fourth annual "Men With Clubs" tour. It's basically me and a bunch of retired teachers/principals golfing Northern Michigan for four days. It's really just beer, golf, dudes, and jokes. I love it.
That was taken at the second-last Joe Schuster Way Halloween party. I've been going to those for years and sadly they just got too crazy and were forced to discontinue them. But it was nice to party with Mario, Whoopie Cushion and Emily Rose. That party always had the best costumes.
Way back when, Hue was a circus. When we'd play live it wasn't uncommon for each member to play every instrument on stage during different songs. It was so, so hectic between songs because everyone would change positions and end up playing something entirely different from the last song. I can be seen here playing the bass, which was always a fucking pleasure.
This is Bryan. Bryan is a good friend of mine. One of those friends that you've known long enough to make fun of each others past haircuts, girlfriends, clothes, grades, and decisions. I stayed at his condo in Vancouver for a few days and, needless to say, the guy is one of the better hosts I've had the pleasure of knowing. 
I asked Bike to do his best Japanese impression. Seeing as he used to live there, I trust his depiction.
Lake Louise, just like I remember it. I really wanted to swim in that water.
After clicking off a few photos of the scenery, my attention (deficit) was drawn towards picture-takers. There's an incredible moment to be seen when witnessing a person having their picture taken. Every person who's had their photograph taken knows this. There is something about a shiny, reflective lens that makes people turn from a reality to a representation of themselves.
Even in this photo below, that girl is thinking to herself,
" Oh my god, I'm getting my photo taken. I'd better make it a good one because I drove a thousand fucking miles just to get some evidence that I was here, so I'd better look good. What pose should I go for? Hip lean? Arms in the air? Peace sign? Smile? No smile? Maybe a smile without teeth? I didn't brush this morning. How are you supposed to brush your teeth out here anyway? Fuck, I hate camping."
Click.
If I had known that there are (seemingly) only two Starbucks between here and Vancouver, I wouldn't have come at all. That's not true, but holy hell was it frustrating. For a guy who has trouble starting his day without a long americano, it was torture. I'll be sure to write Howard a bit later today about that. Here, I am pictured, fully satisfied.
Calgary made me laugh. It was a really pretty, clean, and diverse city. Yet it was full of cowboys, and it seemed like this style was only cool in Calgary, because I didn't see any of that shit anywhere else along the way. Thank the lord I didn't buy any Stampede gear when I was there. 
So, with more than enough reasons to party on, we began with a parking lot tailgate party. This was nice because we got to relax with our shitty little griller, some beers, while watching an epic storm brew right before our eyes. Nothingwrongwiththat. What started with beer turned into some sort of liquor, and with TraBK mixing, it's no wonder the night ended the way it did. UUuuu.. 
Fortunately for those of you reading, I haven't had time to edit any of these photos. So what you're looking at are the true colors from the trip (besides, I don't edit them that much anyway). The sky was unnaturally blue that night, and with all the nitrogen in the air, the grass doesn't get much greener than that. This is the stuff I'd think about while I sat in bed, dreaming of the prairies. It may have been the only vacation to memory where I prayed for bad weather. Because, really, who wants to see a landscape of a blue sky? NEXT! 
"Oh, Picasa. You wait until this one gets imported!" I love this photo above.
Right about here, pictured above, is where the night began kicking serious ass. We fled the hotel at the sight of such clouds and headed for some farmers fields. I think when I get to heaven (knock knock), I'll be greeted by a very similar image. I get flashbacks of running full tilt towards a dark horizon, laughing so hard I can barely breathe, numb, careless to the fact that some things in life just don't go as planned. Near this exact moment, I recall being hit by the first drop of rain, which was quite possibly a gentle reminder that heaven can wait.
Speaking of things ending strangely, we'll discuss that night. I was running around in the rain for a while back at the motel; standing under the hotel water runoff, having a great time. I got so wet that the shirt I was wearing didn't completely dry until about a week later. And then, when back in the room, I barfed? What the hell? We can't help but laugh at the fact ever since. I was just so strange. We were talking, and then all of a sudden things were all "Oh, Andy's barfing..". That was weird. I still apologize for crashing the party. At least the continental breakfast was good.
Ontario is a funny place. In fact, it's actually quite beautiful. 
I introduced TraBK to a theory of mine early on during the trip while driving, and that theory is that all bugs are girls, so don't crush them. This statement alone provided some of the funniest moments on the trip, mainly because we'd impersonate mosquito's as delicate females. Rathing than crushing them, we would provide a humorous narrative while insects were looking for a way out of the car. After laughing at eachothers depictions of dancing female bugs, we'd open a window and let her out. Think about it next time you feel like swatting that fly in your room: it's just a cute young lady looking for a way out.
Some sights, like the one pictured above, were hilariously identical to some of my work. Then and there, the entire purpose of the trip was fulfilled, and it had only been one day since leaving. Even TraBK was laughing at the similarities.
I wish I could bottle up that much inspiration and keep it on my shelves when I need it, because there was more than enough during times like that. A large goal I set out for myself was to not capture certain moments on film, but to place them into my head and let my imagination distort them in a way no camera ever could.
