It must have been 2am when Maxwell and I arrived on set at Brinkman Farmstead Bed & Breakfast… in Owensville, Missouri. Yes, Missouri. Only after our morning awakening to the sound of an actual crowing rooster did we realize our situation.

Of all the listings explored for Booking’s experiential campaign ‘Book The US’, this certainly takes the cake as the most rebellious to the status quo. The B&B is located on a ranch. In fact, the B&B is the ranch. And yet it was the most comfortable stay of our project.

Alongside my playdate with the horsies, ponies, and… cowies?, the passionate owners introduced us to their culture. You know, “It aint Missouri, it’s Mizzoura.” And they even have an ‘Adopt a Cow Program’. The perfect gift for that special someone.



Series 49. Month 49. Visuals from a city you have never heard of ’til now.

ICYMI, I speak horse. She kept saying, “I whip my hair back and forth.”



Those clouds are misleading. This place is not dramatic or creepy at all.

How did they eliminate the cattle musk? The inside has scents of 1 Hotel.



One could see for miles in all directions out on the open land. Tranquil.

Naked trees. Hues of orange and brown sugar saturate all forms of nature.



Always been a sucker for wood grain. Brinkman has plenty of texture.

Strategic uses of ranch elements throughout this cozy interior design.



Contrast levels were pushed on the edits to bring out the warm colors.

Snaps from afar and nearby with details and one-points. That balance.



The intimate window seats remind me fondly of high rises in New York.

Different vistas but same concept. Bringing the outside, in thru design.



A road trip to the middle of nowhere turned into the center of somewhere.

Thank you Brinkman Farmstead for your hospitality. Impeccable execution.



Yearning. Always Learning.

Having resided in the world’s largest cities of Tokyo and New York, I often find myself in that urban mental cocoon, thinking there are no better places.But visiting small towns like Owensville, Missouri puts my perspective back in the right place.

Large cities have quantity, but not everything. The best food I have ever eaten were at hole-in-the-wall joints within small towns in California and Tennessee. My favorite photographs and travel moments are from remote villages in Sumatra Indonesia.

My entire life has been spent on the open road, moving from state to country as a child and constantly sojourning for XYNN. With every destination, I make sure to bring a bit of its culture back home with me. For Missouri, it has to be that ‘Adopt a Cow Program’.