Leesburg Cars and Coffee: October 24th, 2021

Thanks to a lovely couple I’ve been working with who are equally, if not bigger, gearheads than I am, I got a lead on Leesburg Cars and Coffee; a Cars and Coffee event I’ve known about for quite a while, but had never made it out to until recently.

The plan was originally to meet up at this car show in the morning to hang out before their engagement photo session later in the afternoon, but unfortunately their Daihatsu Rocky ran into mechanical problems that morning that kept them from making it to the show. They did make it to the engagement session later in the afternoon, which you’ll see in a separate post later this month - car meet snapshots are a lot faster to edit than paid portraits.

Lexus GX 460 Overlander

In late 2019, I attended Lexus’ Experience Amazing Drive Event.  It was the last car event I attended before the pandemic struck, and until that point, surprisingly my first experience with the Lexus marque, despite all my other involvement with the auto enthusiast world.  This event was geared toward their luxury, sport, and daily-driver / grocery-getter offerings, so the GX was notably absent.

Based on the Toyota Land Cruiser, the Lexus GX brings the luxurious comfort and attention to design detail to the a formidable off-road abilities of the N210 and later N280 chassis.  Because of that one-two combo, the GX is a popular choice among overlanders, who modify their flagship Lexus SUV to handle even rougher terrain when the dirt road ends, camp out under the stars, and do it all in comfort regardless of how far away from asphalt you are; The Lexus GX lets you explore and always feel at home.

This particular Lexus GX 460 is currently for sale on Expedition Portal (at time of writing).

You can visit the sale page here, and read a piece from its feature on Expedition Portal here.

(Please do not contact J. David Buerk - Photography for vehicle sale inquiries - I am not the seller.)

This 2012 example has been heavily modified to increase functionality and endurance, but has in no way impacted the comfort or space for you and your passengers.  Notable modifications include lift kit, skid plates, auxiliary fuel tank, rooftop tent, solar panel, refrigerator, front and rear bumpers, winch, floodlights, ham radio, and more.  You can find a full list of modifications from the seller below:

Interior:

• A-pillar Tacoma RAM mount/sPod touchscreen with 8 slot controls

• RAM accessory rail

• Yaesu FTM 300-DR, includes GPS and APRS

• Orangeboxx Fabrication rear MOLLE panels

• Fire Extinguisher & mount

• MSA fridge slide

• Ironman 50L refrigerator

• Goose Gear rear plate

• QuickFist axe/hatchet mounts

• Custom rear battery box/dual battery with 100aH Duracell AGM battery which includes:

  • 2 cigarette charging ports (Fused to Blue Sea block)

  • 4 USB ports (Fused to Blue Sea block)

  • REDARC 1225BCDC solar controller

  • REDARC SBI Smart Battery Isolator 12v/100A

  • (2) 8AWG Anderson plugged-leads for external tent power/heater, etc.

• Custom “Jump” button to use house battery as starter for emergencies

Exterior:

• Bush Company Alpha RTT with dual ladder mounts which are configurable Driver/Passenger/Rear

• Merlin Solar Trailblazer TBS 180R 180w solar panel

• Prado 150 rocker panels

• Dobinsons IMS 3” lift and BMC. Front springs are Dobinsons C59-329 with Dobinsons PS59-4030 ¼” spacer and OME 2899 rears with spacer

• Timbren rear bumpstops

• (5) SCS SR8 wheels with Kenda Klever 35x10.5” tires, 5 tire rotated

• Ironman forged upper control arms

• Ironman front recovery points

• RAD Rubber fender flaps

• ARB IPF Series 2 driving lamps

• Superwinch Tigershark 11,500 with synthetic line and control box relocate

• Dobinsons rear bumper, dual jerry can swingout and spare tire holder

• Ironman front bumper

• Compactennae ham radio antennae

• ARB single compressor to Blue Sea fuse block

• Rigid Industries Side Shots ditch lights with amber covers

• Baja Designs rear 2” flood lights – tent mounted

• RSG sliders - Rhino-lined

• RCI steel skids (Front, t-case, and fuel tank)

• LRA tank 33 gallons

If you are interested in this Lexus GX 460, you can visit the sale page here, and read a piece from its feature on Expedition Portal here.

(Please do not contact J. David Buerk - Photography for vehicle sale inquiries - I am not the seller.)

View fullsize

If you are interested in this Lexus GX 460, you can visit the sale page here, and read a piece from its feature on Expedition Portal here.

(Please do not contact J. David Buerk - Photography for vehicle sale inquiries - I am not the seller.)

Taste Leesburg

This weekend, after attending the Lexus Experience Amazing Drive Event (photos coming very soon), I stumbled onto the Taste Leesburg street food festival with some friends. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve really explored old town Leesburg, and between barhopping Leesburg for a friend’s birthday a few months ago, and walking around this weekend sampling the restaurants, food trucks, stores, and local wineries and breweries, I’ve happily learned that Leesburg has quite clearly undergone a revitalization since I last explored it in depth.

I’m not sure if Taste Leesburg is a new food festival, or if I’ve just been missing out for a long time, because I usually go to similar festivals in DC, Reston, Herndon, Fairfax, and even further West into Aldie, Middleburg, and Waterford. All participants got a tasting glass, and I was very surprised at how generous all the vendors were being with the servings of their samplings. Of the local wineries that had tables this weekend, I’ve visited about half of them in person at some point or another. Full sets were played by King Street Kats, Hard Swimmin’ Fish, and Hungry on Mondays.

Silly me, I had my camera and took pictures of everything except the food! I didn’t take a single picture of any food or drink, even on my phone, which is crazy considering the event. But enjoy some photos of the festival as a whole and a few things that caught my eye along the way!

Nina and Ian: Married April 4th, 2016

Nina and Ian met me through Nina's brother Bayard, who I've had the pleasure of working with now and then since we first met in 2005, most recently working together at the Castleton Festival's annual gala.  The weekend Nina and Ian got married was a twofer; Amy and Brandon's wedding in rural Maryland was two days beforehand.

Nina and Ian's wedding day was threatened by rain showers, but luckily the bands narrowly missed Ida Lee Park, located in the heart of Leesburg, Virginia, only kicking up some wind and sprinkles during our portrait session.  By evening, the sky had cleared for a pink and orange sunset.  The party continued that cool night until Nina and Ian's friends and family gathered to light sparklers and send the newlywed couple off to their honeymoon.

As always, the fantastic Eddie Kyle assisted me in photographing Nina and Ian's big day.  Check him out on Facebook and his website!