Chad Hiltz’s Awesome Re-Imagined ’34 DeSoto

September 29, 2019 By Brett in Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: Annapolis Valley, Antiques, Bad Chad, Canada, Canning, Chad Hiltz, Classic Cars, Custom Cars, Design, DeSoto, Inspiration 37 Comments

While I often highlight notable visual artists, I’m sure most of us appreciate that artistic creativity is expressed in many forms. Case in point is Chad Hiltz, who has carved out a distinctive niche creating all manner of custom vehicles. While he’s done his share of classic car restorations, where Hiltz really shines is using the old bones and other raw material of a rusty jalopy and making that into something that was previously nowhere else but in his imagination.

An excellent example of Hiltz’s work is his take on a delivery truck for Noggins Corner Farm Market and Cider Company, a local farm market and cider company in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, which is where I crossed paths with Hiltz’s spiffy creation on a recent weekend drive. I pulled over and snapped a few shots and then made a note to find out about the backstory. The curves, the styling, the double rear axles, and so much more about this one-of-a-kind street rod are all inspiring! I don’t know all the details for this build but the starting point was the body of a 1934 DeSoto Airflow sedan, a car that when introduced was noted for its then-innovative aerodynamic design. Hiltz took that foundation and elongated it and then reinterpreted what that car might be if it were a truck. The results are outstanding.

Hiltz operates Hiltz Auto Co. in Canning, N.S. and has parlayed his creative skills into a Discovery Channel – Canada show called “Bad Chad Customs”. His Facebook page has additional photos showing the progress of his work on this Noggins Cider delivery truck.

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Vintage Magic in PEI: Ice Boat Rarities and Island Uniquities

June 16, 2018 By Brett in Art, History, Photography, Prince Edward Island Tags: Antiques, Canada, Canadian, Design, Folk Art, History, Inspiration, Kerras Jeffery, Vintage 35 Comments

Not far from the Confederation Bridge on the Prince Edward Island side of that engineering marvel a scenic backroad leads to the cozy town of Cape Traverse and two of the best antique shops in all of Canada’s Maritime Provinces: Ice Boat Rarities and Antiques and, its sister shop, Island Uniquities and Antiques, which is just a few hundred yards away down PEI Route 10. Both shops are housed in 19th century buildings — one an old church and another a former masonic lodge — that have been masterfully restored and updated by owners Larry and Jane Dugdale.

The exceptional assortment of antiques, curios, artwork and furniture on offer started as a personal collection of the owners that eventually morphed into the well-organized groupings that seem intentionally curated for visual delight. The Ice Boat building features the former church’s simply designed but stunning original red, blue, green and yellow stained glass windows, which cast a warm, luminous glow throughout the place. These shops deserve to be called galleries as much as anything else.

If you’re into stylish old or reclaimed furniture, these shops have you covered; automotive and industrial neon, check; vintage toys, thermometers, oil cans, model boats, duck decoys, postcards and ephemera, tools or farm implements, check to all that too — and a great deal more! Of particular note is the collection of whimsical painted wood sculptures and other artworks by noted PEI folk artist, Kerras Jeffery, who sadly passed away last year at way too young of an age after battling a long illness. The Ice Boat Rarities shop serves as almost a museum of some of his brightly colored pieces and the shop also features a marvelous cloud-painting by Jeffery on the ceiling of its largest room.

In addition, the staff in both places are super friendly and helpful and the prices are about the fairest I’ve seen for antique shops anywhere. These places are definitely worth a visit if you find yourself nearby.

More information about these terrific shops can be found at their respective Facebook pages here: Iceboat Rarities and Island Uniquities. More about Kerras Jeffery and his art is available on the Backroad Folkart blog here, which was formerly written by him and is now maintained by one of his relatives.

Seen Its Better Days

March 25, 2018 By Brett in History, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: Annapolis Valley, Antiques, Canada, Early Spring, Farm, Industrial Design, Landscape, Machinery, Noreaster, Winter 15 Comments

Antique Farm Combine, Near Clarence, Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley wintery weather maintains its grip late into March as the province bounces back from the fierce winds and driving snow of this past week’s Noreaster. Although this old relic of a farm combine sits in a forlorn state shortly after the storm, it’s a beautiful piece of machinery with its pops of orange-red on the wheels and threshers contrasting nicely with the muted colors of the rest of the combine and the bleak surroundings.

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“Now! All Together”: Songs From Long Ago

August 13, 2017 By Brett in History, Music, Ontario, Society Tags: Advertising, Antiques, Canada, Canadiana, Dominion Life, Ephemera, Good Fellows, Songs, Vintage 28 Comments

Songbooks fascinate me, particularly when they highlight song variations from earlier times. So while browsing through a dusty stack of materials in a used bookstore a few months ago I was drawn in by this 8-page vintage booklet of songs, which was printed as a promotion around 1930 by the Dominion Life Assurance Company of Waterloo, Ontario.

This bit of ephemera is spare of graphics and contains a wide variety of songs, including songs specific to Canada (such as “O Canada!” and “Alouette”), American standards (“Home on the Range” and “She’ll Be Coming’ Round the Mountain”), and songs indicating the then closer historical connection to Great Britain (“God Save the King” and “Loch Lomond”). A few of these have lyrics that would not be considered racially sensitive but presumably reflected the time back then. It’s an interesting mix of tunes, many that I’ve not heard in ages and others for which I only knew a line or two of the lyrics.

(Click image to enlarge)