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This five part video series comes from a YouTube channel called “New England Forests.” It’s awesome. The guy films, edits, and narrates everything himself. He’s a total gearhead, so the footage is stunning, but I don’t think he always records audio, so he will sometimes use these canned, lowres sfx. That being said, he seems to witness every living thing that goes on at the pond, because it’s not just about beavers - it’s about the whole ecosystem that forms when a stream gets turned into a pond. You will learn a lot about ecology, and also about one guy’s ability to really make something happen with his spare time.
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Joe is a good friend of mine who works as a sleep scientist by day and moonlights as an amateur nature documentarian and musician. His films range from 15 seconds to about 4 minutes at the longest, and he scores most of them himself. My favorites are Beach Lumps III (The Lumps of Our Lives), Duck Destiny II (Ducks Unlimited), Marmot Melange, and a very old one called Frog (you should let autoplay roll you straight into “Goats” afterward). Joe lives in San Francisco, but sometimes he sends me a small stack of flyers advertising the release of a new 3 minute nature film complete with the full text of the youtube link, and I post them up around my neighborhood in New York. Someday we will make something together.
Dec 7, 2021
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On this month’s episode of “Alex’s random youtube deep dive“ - we explore… Bushtube (🤔). YouTube creators who specialize in bushcraft (essentially wilderness survival). The first “series” I followed here was from Joe Robinet. He’s a full-time “content creator” and a previous contestant in the first season of the show Alone. My favorite “series” Joe did was a multi-week long canoe and camping trek in the Canadian wilderness of the Wabakimi. He Canoes, portages, camps, and fishes for days on end, talking to the camera to keep sane and provide entertainment. Another one of my favorite series he does is his “winter bushcraft” in a fort he made somewhere deep in Canadian forests, where you see him progress a homemade “fort” over the course of several videos, from a pile of sticks and a sleeping bag all the way to a full-on house-like structure.
Oct 5, 2021
Probably my favorite YouTube creator. He's an Aussie storyteller who is a super athlete, maker, and creative. His videos are all so thoughtful, well shot and engaging, centering around challenging himself and the bounds of his body and mind.
A good portion of his videos are on using and exploring whats around him; upgrading an old canoe using scrap wood, camping on a 100 year old gym tree in his yard, planting 1440 trees in 24 hours, and the video attached - running a marathon, one mile every hour
Feb 16, 2024
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The strap of my dress snapped a few years ago and then in minutes I sewed it back on and felt a satisfaction so profound that it had to be Ancient and Just. If you don’t know how to mend it, someone does… COBBLERS are REAL!!!!! I’ve seen them with my eyes and they have re-birthed my shoes like Gods on Earth. Mass consumption has us addicted to buying and discarding but I highly recommend repairing your shit - relationships too! My uncle who doesn’t shut up once told me that “life is all about maintenance” (genius) so I forgave him for being the way that he is!
Apr 4, 2024
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Robert Moses State Park is open in the winter, and if you go on a weekday you’ll probably have the entire beach to yourself and a few fishermen. Great for a contemplative walk wherein you mull things over spiritually. Towards sunset, can start to feel like you’ve reached the end of the earth and are about the meet God. Bring a blanket, some grapes and your copy of The Power Broker.
Apr 4, 2024
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The best movie theater in New York seats 35. See a movie here you know nothing about and you will be inspired. For me most recently it was a screening of Dave Wascavage’s Suburban Sasquatch. Simple Town has been lucky enough to play videos here twice. The first night was packed, the second night we sold two tickets, and both nights were perfect.
Apr 4, 2024