carrie wicks -tonight seattle

Jazz singer, nautical cove and sister-in-law Carrie Wicks is singing at Egans in Seattle, WA tonight. 9pm. Celebrating the release of her cd I'll Get Around To It. The better half of 10e will be there to fly the chambray flag; v fired up.

not even close

I thought I was on the RSS for MHL changes... guess not. Nice retro can re-introduced recently.

The sterling silver belt buckle; it is tough to find the plain versions, that is, without the scored lines. Not a fan of those atall. Pops gave this to me on my 16th bday - perfect coming of age gift. It is either ShreveC&L or Brooks... Think it is Shreve. It tripped the UK tax man's meter though... had to pay VAT (that is 17%) when this arrived in Scotland. Came w/ a brown and a black belt. Still fits.

The Friday Belt series by The Trad is genius in my book. To the young guns; you know "a belt" is a euphamism for a drink right?? Anyhow, complete rip here. Not even close...

sandbox -now you know

Almost hard to look at snow now, but intense clip + variety. Sandbox.

fridays are tie days -the real james bond

carhartt -detroit jacket changes

[Darker brown is the unworn possibly 40year old Detroit,
the later wornout jacket is from 2002][just noticed the old/straight vs. new/curved cuff seam too]Have mentioned it before on 10engines and sort of have a bee in my ear about it... was disappointed in 2002ish when Carhartt changed their Detroit (Ike styled) jacket. The sizing was changed and most importantly (to me) the blanket lining that extended down the arms was replaced with nylon. The blanket-lined arms mean the jacket can be used even in moderate summer heat as your bare arm does not get all slick and nasty as it does w/ nylon... Done banging a drum about it (or the contemporary change in cut of the carpenter pants)... just have to buy NOS I guess.

[These shots for the sleeve lining, not meant to imply shape/pattern change]
Long/short, had to resort to ebay. Got the deadstock effort for about 50% less than a new one; #find. Blanket lined sleeves, #must. This older jacket may be from the 1960's (no label to show material types, older C buttons, and no exterior label). Stiff as a board duck, darker brown than the caramely brown you see today. The blanket lining is not Troy Mills, though some (probably older) models (example) did use Troy blanketing. This may be 1970's then...

Last, the fit. A labelled 40" chest of yesteryear is almost exactly equal to a labelled 38" chest of today, which I would say is a real life 40"... 22" across the chest seam to seam. So new fit is vanity sized?? The pics are compared to my own worn 2002 Detroit throughout.

gardening tips w/ willie nelson

fiddleheads -it is time

Sis was out collecting fiddleheads y/day. Love 'em.

Fiddleheads, an early spring delicacy in Maine [New England generally -ed.] are the young coiled leaves of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). Nearly all ferns have fiddleheads, but those of the ostrich fern are unlike any other. Ostrich fern fiddleheads, which are about an inch in diameter, can be identified by the brown papery scale-like covering on the uncoiled fern, as well as the smooth fern stem, and the deep ”U”-shaped groove on the inside of the fern stem.

Harvest the tender little rolls of ostrich fern as soon as they are an inch or two above the ground. Carefully brush off and remove the papery brown scales. Thoroughly wash fiddleheads in clean, potable water several times until the wash water appears clean. Then bring a small amount of lightly salted water to a boil, add washed fiddleheads, and cook them at a steady boil for 10 minutes. Fiddleheads can also be washed clean and steamed for 20 minutes. Serve at once with melted butter [and a massive rack of lamb -ed.] or vinegar. The sooner they are eaten, the more delicate their flavor.
-via University of Maine Cooperative Extension

the outsiders -new cover for old book

From Mikey Burton. Glow in the dark version available too.
If someone can now just figure out the Darrel Curtis Chocolate Cake recipe...

don't dump -drains to harbor

Great piece on WBUR this morning, relating the recent rains in New England to the closing of oyster beds off Buzzards Bay due to runoff. The rainwater runoff is an issue due to its high levels of bacteria and chemical content (yum...) In the radiopiece the warden explains that every home that improves its septic, or gardener that sprurns weedkiller and lawn chemicals, can directly affect the runoff and in a better world the oyster beds could stay open.

Love this sort of stuff as it is a solid example of best practices... and goes much further than preachy fingerwagging. It is not rocket science... the poison crap you spray on your lawn/road/fields ends up in the water, and then we will all be eating it later. Listen below; condensed text version below that.

LISTEN NOW

WESTPORT, Mass. —
It’s Gary Sherman’s job to monitor and maintain the shellfish in these waters, just off Buzzard’s Bay. That means it’s Sherman who has to tell local fisherman when it’s not okay to do their jobs.

The recent heavy storms sent bacteria-rich runoff into clam and oyster beds, leading many to be closed for almost a month. They’ve only just reopened.

We run into Jim Manchester — or “Crab,” as he’s usually called. You can see in his face every one of the 56 years he’s been working on the water.

Crab shows us his haul. “If you can get 1,000 pieces a day, you’re a hero,” Crab says.

“We’re beating our heads to death here now, you know? I don’t want to see it close,” Crab says.

That’s the tension. Heavy rains mean closed beds, which means fisherman can’t work. But the wardens and the state wildlife and fisheries have to keep the beds safe from contamination.

Sherman is trying to change how it works. He says the most important part of his job is education — and that’s the education of homeowners, farmers and even school kids. Because what’s in the fields, on the roads and in the yards will eventually end up in his river.

levi's

These color-saturated ads aired in the UK in early 90's, not sure if/when in the US. Same era as The Swimmer. This was post Nick Kamen, Levi's were on a roll and only needed 501's. The Michael Gondry ones were really top shelf though.

s/double -thoughtful workwear

Shawn Stussy's new/latest project S/Double has launched. Quality versions of westcoast workwear staples; chinos, ike jacket shapes, twill snapbacks etc. An interesting guy no doubt. The timeline feature is a quick primer. 100% Bearbrick free zone too.

sprouts

Not about to start raising sheep with these, but like eating sprouts dammit... Sort of a pain to get started (rinse w/ chlorine solution to avoid ecoli, leave overnight, rinse, leave, rinse, rinse...) but they grow fast (less than a week) so satisfying in that sense. Had a bunch of Ball jars left over from zealous pickle making last year anyway. Ended up w/ about 6 cups worth. That will garnish a lot of ramen...

beau ties -conversion

Beau Ties in Vermont is a known quantity; classic materials and styles, handmade and very reasonably priced ($33 and up, check this one and a perfect Churchill styled polka dot). They also offer a service to convert your necktie into a bow tie.

I had an old Ralphy navy and white woven number that I loved but that hadn't recovered from a soup accident. The cost to convert is $41 including postage; only took them 10 days to turn around after they received the tie and called for a quick phone consult. You can choose the width/shape. Not going to go on a converting spree but damn loved that tie... and can now love it again.

fishing patches

bullet pencil prawn