When Dave and I first spoke about doing some photos together for the gallery section of PlanetBears, he asked me - "do I have to do nudes?"... and I said "it's up to you...", so Dave decided that this being a 1st time for him to be photographed, he'll wait. And you know, he's a tease, heheh, these photos we took are very teasing. However, he's ubernatiously cute and I really liked working with him. Actually it would be fun to see Dave in a Bear spy flick :)

Say hi to Dave. His profile is BearenHeart. He's extremely smart, you've been warned, k...?

Below is a video that I made as a way of saying goodbye to a good friend of mine, Jacques Garon, better known as PandaMontreal online. You can see photos of Jacques here on PlanetBears as well as on his PictureTrail profile (password is panda - and I'm not sure how long those pictures will remain up since Jacques had to pay to keep his PictureTrail account), and Jacques also had a TubeBear profile where people are leaving their goodbye words to him.

[Members - click here] In this update, I added 3 videos of Roger (gallery - profile) from his collection. Once again, these are videos that were made with BearFoot.com in mind (previous update), however we realized we didn't have the manpower to work on BearFoot as well as PlanetBears and TubeBear, so all the videos that we shot for BearFoot are slowly making their way over to the PlanetBears Video page.

They are short videos of Roger in bondage - hogtied - leather restraints - hand and leg cuffs - blindfolded. There's a bit of tickling and tugging, and in one of the video, his boyfriend (that's me - Bob Forrest) decides to take advantage of the situation that Roger is tied up so I chew on his feet. Even tied down, he puts up a hell of a fight, and he's got strong legs. Unfortunately this video of Roger and I is a bit short, however we will definitely work on others if there is an interest.

We are planning on saying goodbye to Jacques Garon aka PandaMontreal (galleries - profile) on Sunday May 31st. The details are all here. This will be taking place in Montreal, Quebec. First we will meet for a memorial service at St-Pierre Apôtre church for 10AM and then we will be heading over to the Woof Bistro Bar for 11AM for brunch with the UpBear guys. If you have any questions or comments, contact me (Forrest - email - profile) or Jean from UpBear (email - profile).

If you knew Jacques Panda in real life, or talked to him online, or just saw his pictures on the net, then please leave a few words on his TubeBear profile, in his guestbook section. I know Jacques touched a lot of lives online. Hugz.

Ok this is 'really...' late, however I want to send out a congratulations to Jeff (MBACub - galleries) and his partner Dave (MBABear) for getting hitched. Now this took place back in late September '08 at the city hall of Toronto, however I only recently received some photos from their marriage, so take a look at them here. What a really cute couple. Hugz to both of you guys - you look great in your white tuxedos.

10 years online... go me...

I opened my very first Bear site back on May 19th, 1999. It was called BearPress. I quit my Masters program in order to work on the site full time. The idea behind the site was simple: try and form an online network for those who identify with Bear culture. I posted Bear news, events, and ran some galleries. I did this until I moved over to Bear-Pics in 2001.

Bear-Pics was much like BearPress however I focused a lot more on the  Bearish men. I began taking my own pictures and videos with Bear models. I also continued posting news. I ran this site up until 2006.

In October 2006, I met up with an online buddy who changed my online life. He created PlanetBears, then TubeBear (which we opened in April 2007), and he and I have been working together ever since.

So May 19th is always an important date for me. Hugz to all those who remember BearPress and Bear-Pics.

I'm saddened to inform you that Jacques aka PandaMontreal has passed away. He was 63.

I am keeping his TubeBear profile online as a memorial to Jacques. Please visit his page and leave some parting words in his guestbook.

The last time I saw Jacques, it was right after UpBear had their 'Sugaring Off' weekend (March 29th). Jacques was in the process of moving so he asked to borrow my camera because he wanted to film his teddy bear collection before he took them down (he had over 1300 of them, all in his bedroom) so as to have them in memory. Since he had to move, he was planning on just getting rid of most of them.

When I went by to pick up my camera, he seemed fine. We spoke for a bit and then we made a few plans on getting together soon however nothing official. We then chatted on the phone a couple of times after that - just to say hello and see how the other was doing. All was normal.

Then around the 15th of April, I called, left a message. A week later, I called again, left a message. It wasn't like Jacques not to call back, even to say he's too busy to call, however I have known Jacques for 5 years and there were times when we didn't talk for months. Not that there was anything wrong, just time has a way of flying by.

But what I didn't find normal was that he hadn't visited his profile page. If you ever got to meet Jacques, you know how important his online profile pages were, and how important all his pictures were to him. Also, if you knew Jacques, then he was the first one to wish you a happy birthday. Birthdays were extremely important to him, so when I saw that he hadn't logged onto his TubeBear profile, even if it was just to send out his birthday greetings, I began suspecting something.

But don't forget, he was moving (from one apartment to the other), and when Roger sent him an email and it bounced, I figured - well, he doesn't have his internet connection right now and he'll be back online once he's settled into his new place.

So I called again, and once again, I get his answering machine. In my mind, I figured he was getting his messages since his box wasn't full... so I guess I was a little hurt or disappointed because I thought he was just not returning my calls.

Now I also know that Jacques had some health issues, and so I thought, maybe something happened to him. So a couple of days ago (May 14th), I went by to his apartment. Well the landlady was there and she told me the news - Jacques passed away. They found him in his old apartment. She didn't tell me how he passed away but she believes it was a heart attack.

The sad thing is that, at the end, Jacques wasn't happy. He had mounting health problems as well as many money issues. He was moving because he lost his job as the janitor of the apartment that he lived in and had to move out of the 'janitor's flat', a place that he really loved. It just seemed that Jacques just wasn't able to overcome his issues, and all I can think is that his heart wasn't able to handle the stress anymore.

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Jacques was very popular online. He had a lot of fans because he was this really cute Daddy Bear with a great smile and twinkling blue eyes. He was also a very proud man and he loved knowing that guys liked looking at his photos, and that is something Jacques loved to do, and that was to take photos. He was also proud of the fact that he had one of the most visited profile sites on many Bear sites, including TubeBear (he has been added to people's buddies list on TubeBear more than anyone else).

Jacques also gave a lot of his time to many gay and Bear events. He partook in the earliest AIDS awareness programs back in the 80s, and more recently he helped out as much as he could whenever there was a Bear event here in Montreal. He always gave his best, and I should know because I photographed him a lot, and he was very easy to work with, and always eager and cooperative.

Truth be known, Jacques was not the easiest man. He sometimes would say the wrong thing and he sometimes demanded a lot, but everyone has their shortcomings, and Jacques truly brought life with him wherever he went.

He is going to be missed.

We (UpBear and I) are organizing a kind of memorial for him. It will be on May 31st at 10AM at the St-Pierre Apôtre church on 1201 rue De La Visitation in Montreal. We will then get together for brunch. I will post more when I know more.

[Members - click here] A little while back, I was lucky enough to round up 3 great guys that I have worked with in the past, and that would be Eric (galleries - profile), Frank (galleries - profile) and Jacques PandaMontreal (galleries - profile). There were several events happening in Montreal that weekend and Frank showed up without notice from the States. So we all got together however we didn't have all that much time to work. Actually, we only had 20 minutes because Frank had to grab a plane back (we were supposed to have an hour however we got caught in traffic). Still, it was fun to see them together, and it's a video of mostly Eric and Frank getting it on with a little bit of help from Panda. This video is just shy 7 minutes and you can check it out in the Videos section.

I recently received an email from John aka TarotBear (galleries - photo). TarotBear was one of the very first guys I photographed way back in 2002 (here are a few photos John and I took when he was here). He's out in the States and I'm in Canada so we only got together that one time, however he left a lasting impression on me. John is seriously cute. Since then he has a published a book on Tarot reading called 'It's All in the Cards' (Amazon).

[Members - click here] Here is the 2nd and final installment of Buckett (Philip) and Caestus' (BJ) photos (the first installment update is here). There's over 200 photos in this update bringing the count to 400.

Wow is this a really fun kinky couple. I honestly built up a huge sweat just taking the pictures and watching these guys in action. Caestus is the dominant one, and he proves it at all times. But that's not putting down Buckett... not in the least. Buckett is one of the cutest Bear subs, and he works very well with Caestus' orders.

There's 2 sets to this update - the 1st one is about golden showers... well... kinda... Caestus shows us one of the things he digs, and that involves piss. He does it with such class; truly, Caestus has it down to an art. I haven't photographed anyone pissing in their pants before, so this was something new to me, and it was actually quite exhilarating.

The 2nd set involves breaking out the cuffs and leather and rope. Caestus ties Buckett down to the bed and does his thing. It was a real trip following these 2 as they worked their ways up to the climax, and unfortunately I only had one camera because they both came at the same time.

Anyhow - what a great couple. I'm really hoping I'll be able to work with them again because they are both really photogenic and are both very down to earth guys.

My partner, Roger (galleries - profile) turned 50. It has been a very busy couple of weeks for Roger 'n I, Bob (profile). At first I didn't plan a thing. We said we'll just up north for his birthday and relax by the lake. But then I got to talking to some of his family members about a potential party, so I began organizing one for him.

Initially, I was just going to invite his family, but then I started invited some of Roger's longtime friends. I then asked my buddy Eric (galleries - profile) if he'd be interested in cooking. Finally, I invited my family as well. So what was going to be a small party at first, well, we ended up with quite a few people.

I also got the idea of making a movie about Roger's life. This took up all my time for a full week (gathering the photos and the videos then narrating the whole thing... in French no less). I finished the movie just in time, and wow did everyone like it. One has to delegate quite carefully when one talks about 'Bearhood' to family... and in-laws as well...! But that's how Roger and I met - thru the internet. He came to have his pictures taken and the rest is history.

Well the movie was well received, and seeing everyone enjoying the flick was definitely a highlight for me, however there were quite a few 'great' moments that evening. There was an incredible cake made by his best friend Marie, and Eric had made the best 5 course meal I had ever seen and tasted (and I believe it was the best 5 course meal for many of our guests there as well). Everyone just loved the meal.

And lastly, we all chipped in and got Roger a gift - a gift certificate for RONA (the Canadian version of Home Hardware). Since Roger is doing a ton of renovations to his homes, it was the smartest gift I could think of.

All in all, it was a very good time, but just planning this event and making the movie took me away from pretty much everything. I haven't updated the site in over 10 days, however things are back to normal, so it's back to work, and I'm catching up.

So happy birthday once again, my handsome Roger. You look hotter every day.

[Members - click here] Buckett (Philip - photo) and Caestus (BJ - photo) are this incredibly cute couple who have travelled from western Canada all the over to the eastern side, and I'm sure glad they did because it was a ton of fun photographing them.

Before we got together for the photo shoot, I had only met them briefly at the Mr. Ottawa Bear contest. They seemed like nice guys even though I only got to speak to them for about 10 minutes or so, however the one thing that struck me is just how cute both of them were. It's not often when I find both guys in a couple cute. BJ and Philip were the exception.

Once we got together for the shoot, it was then that I began to realize that BJ is quite dominant while Philip is, well... somewhat submissive (however I would say more that Philip is an aggressive sub). These 2 handsome guys have a great dynamic when they are together, and it was terrific for me since I didn't have to really orchestrate nor direct their interaction. They came together in perfect harmony, and all I could do was do my best to keep up with them and take in as many photos as I could. By the end of the night, I was exhausted and all I did was take the pics - BJ and Philip are the ones who did all the action.

This is Part I and there's just under 200 pics. Here you are introduced to the dynamic duo and you'll see what I mean when I say they are truly both equally good looking Bearish guys. In the next update, we get a little kinkier as the bondage toys come out, and there's also some golden shower action. Keep an eye out for those as well.

[Members - click here] Roger (galleries - profile) and I (Bob - profile) were planning on opening up another site - BearFoot. The site was pretty much ready to go however we realized that neither of us had the time to dedicate to another website.

Altho we didn't open the site, the good news is that we did take a lot of pictures and videos for BearFoot. I have already added many of the photos (which you can see here on PlanetBears in Roger's section of the Galleries), however now I am starting to go thru all of the videos that we did. And what I have decided to do is to add a new short video every now and then to the PlanetBears' Video page, so if you're a foot lover, or if you're a fan of Roger, then these little videos should be a treat (and if you're a fan of Roger's feet - well it's almost like winning the jackpot).

This is the 1st in the BearFoot series, and I will try to add a new one as often as possible. Now these videos do not focus solely (souly?) on Roger's feet; you will get to see a lot of Roger as well, however the general theme is Roger's feet... you get the idea. In today's video, you will see me tie Roger's ankles, then his knees, then his toes. It's 9 and a 1/2 minutes long. In the next one video I will add, Roger will be tied up again, and I tickle him by chewing on his meaty dogs. Keep an eye out for that one.

[Members - click here] There were a bunch of events that took place in my hometown of Montreal last weekend which brought a lot of good looking guys my way. The events also brought in some of my friends and former models, cuteys like Frank aka aBearLover (galleries - profile) who I hadn't seen in 6 years. Eric Z. (galleries - profile) also showed up and so did Jacques aka PandaMontreal (galleries - profile), so we all thought it would be 'neat' to snap a few shots.

Once we decided on the place and the time, well the traffic was against us. We lost 40 minutes stuck in traffic, and Frank had a plane to catch, so rather than having an hour to work, we only had like 20 minutes. I got in as many shots and the result was this quick photoshoot. It was still fun seeing these guys together. Also Jacques had to attend to things so most of the pics consists of Eric and Frank.

I placed these set of photos here. I was also able to get in a bit of video which I will have up on the site soon. Frank said he will be back in Montreal in the summer and this time I'll make sure to plan more time with him.

The other day I mentioned in this article that I am planning to meet up with a really cute couple - BJ & Philip. This weekend we'll all be getting together for a photo shoot. Now when I mentioned this I said I didn't have a photo of Philip (well, I did, from the Mr. Ottawa Bear contest - photos - however they were all pictures of BJ and Phil kissing). I spoke to Phil over the phone and he sent me a photo of him, so this is what he looks like... the cutest redhead in Canada.

I will have photos from this session up by next Monday in the Galleries. I'll keep you posted.

Next weekend, I will be working on a photo shoot with an extremely cute couple, their names being BJ & Philip. I met these handsome Bears while attending the Mr. Ottawa Bear contest (photos). I was there to take pictures of the event, however afterwards I got to talking to BJ, and then Philip came over and I was like 'wow... you 2 are together...?'. They are just such a hot couple, both of them great looking, super personalities, nice smiles... really nice guys. I did try to take a few photos of them yet the bar we were in was small, cramped, poorly lit, and it was just not the ideal area to start taking pictures (also, I did not get a shot of Philip alone, yet I did take a few shots of BJ & Philip kissing). So we scheduled to meet up for weekend. I will sure to keep you posted as to when I post the pics online in the Gallery section.

This is just a friendly reminder for you guys to check the PlanetBears Amateur Gallery from time to time. We do add new galleries every now and then from time to time without mentioning it here in the news (maybe we should have some kind of Bear Twitter for that). And also ~ don't forget ~ send in your Bearish pics (via email or online contact form), and in exchange for your pics we'll give you a PlanetBears membership. It's a real fine deal.

[members - click here] I have to be honest... the very first time I saw Dave, I think I blushed... or something. I know I had to look away. Dave's big blue eyes (that also turn shades of green, and grey, and hazel, and if he falls in love with you, he told me, they turn turquoise)... those eyes of his were looking right into my soul. I had a hard time keeping my gaze on him when we spoke (Dave's Gallery - Contact - Profile).

When I was down in Ottawa while working on a photo shoot with the uber-cute Steve Sarek (article #1 - article #2), I had the chance to meet up with the strikingly handsome Dave. Wow what an incredible good looking man this guy is. We were all having lunch and it was hard for me to keep my eyes off him. Altho we didn't have much time to chat per se, he seemed like a super nice guy.

We then agreed to get together at some point for a photo shoot, and we agreed to do it this upcoming weekend. I should have some of the photos online by the beginning of next week which I will be posting in the Gallery section. Should be very hot as Dave has incredible eyes, a wild smile, and a really sexy body. Stay tuned.

[Members - click here] A couple of weekends ago, I went down to Ottawa and spent the day with the extremely cute and friendly Steve Sarek. Steve is a bachelor who just turned 40, living on his own yet in a big house (well it's a big house for just one guy). He's super smart, charming, witty, considerate and a ton of fun to be with. He's got a great smile (which I don't think he shows enough), and he's got the kind of Bearish body that truly fulfills my fantasies... he's kinda how I wish Captain Kirk should have looked like (I believe I mentioned all this before in my last update yet to quickly reiterate: Steve and I both have our own affinities with the original Star Treks... oh and his nickname Sarek2ca comes from Spock's dad - Sarek).

We were able to take 500 great photos during our short time together, and in this update I added almost 200 of them (197 to be exact). I really hope I'll be able to get together with him again in the future, and we spoke about some possible shoots once things begin to warm up here (it's -3 Celcius here in cold cold Canada). Hope you enjoy the photos, and make sure to send Steve an email. As I said, he's a bachelor and he's living a fine life, but this guy is just too cute to pass up.