parenting -tickets please

One old hole puncher plus a sheet of paper = allLLL AboARd.... tickeTS PleAse. Parents may have to play passenger but still, good clean quiet fun.

Train driver hat not needed... the boys never use it. A little much I guess. This standard hat (and the pilgrim tri-corner ones) made by the all American Jacobson Hats. They are the ones that make the classic Mickey Mouse ears you buy at Disney.

sold -cutoff khakis

Completely sold on cutting off khakis for a pair of shorts. Won't work for an urban dinner, but treasure islands nail summer's hi/low vibe. York, ME.

parenting -s'mores

When was the last time you did it... Dammit those things are like a sugar rocket haha...

from the package store -an occasional series

Another one, in case you missed it.

fridays are tie days -black knotted silk 2

fridays are tie days -black knotted silk

Black knitted silk tie. Note, use a regular round-over-and-through knot; windsor knots are characteristic of SMERSH.

pete's greens

Found this no-BS interview with Peter Johnson about his four-season organic farm, Pete's Greens, located in the northeast Kingdom of Vermont. This operation may be at the heart of the locavore movement there but also happens to provide an essential value-added industry to the area. You have heard it before but good to hear again... Well done clip; practical and reasonable.

Our first rows of lettuce are almost ready, it is time to keep the wheel turning and plant another few rows... time to get growing.

eventually -adirondack basket

As usual at 10e, this is not a definitive history (feel free to jump in/correct), just some data-mining and a desktop vacation. Did find this nice potted history as below;

The Adirondack basket, or "Split" basket as it is sometimes called, has been around for many decades. In the 19th and 20th centuries the Iroquoian-Mohawk and the Algonquin Native Americans perfected the making of these Black Ash baskets to use in their everyday life. These baskets were made not only for themselves, but also for the "city sportsmen", the loggers and hunters. The basket's hard shape made it a favorite among trappers being easy to load and unload traps and pelts.

...made in the traditional method, unlike the majority of baskets made today, which use imported reed...they are made of Black Ash, soaked in water and hand pounded to loosen a layer of annual growth. Ten foot wooden strips are formed and woven to create the baskets. At the top opening is a bent wooden ash handle.
-via ArdenCreek

Great article recently by ArchivalClothing on the international use of pack baskets. As they mention, in New England they are generally known as Adirondack baskets. Pops has a bunch. [For the non-US types, the Adirondacks is a series of mountains and lakes/waterways in north-east New York State -ed.] The small packs fit a case of beer perfectly, even while cross country skiiing, *ahem* so I hear... Anyway, to get one woven with ash (rather than reed) and having leather straps or even cotton webbing, whether old or new is pretty much 2bills (see the basket lady... great find by ArchivalClothing). Old example below from Maine Country Classics. Sidenote: anyone seen the rest of the W.C. Leonard & Co. catalog as above... bet it is good.





Fantastic images below via AdirondackHistory.org

post level pr0n

Woodmagnet great name...

kitchen tools -beyond the basics 8

46. Tablespoon measuring jug. Brilliant idea... stop futzing around with multiple pours of greasy oil or whatever. Made by Catamount Glass in Bennington, VT and available at the recently launched Kaufmann Mercantile store -really worth a look, all borosilicate glass/leather/wood products. Clean as a whistle. Can't wait to see more.

47. Table top knife sharpener. Perfect for small knives like paring knife 48. which may be tough to manoeuvre on a carving steel. Both made by Rada Manufacturing in Waverly, Iowa. "This is the knife your grandmother used" -aluminum handled cutlery since 1948.

49. Love making freezer pops... just pour some orange juice in there and see you on the front steps after lunch. Millions of styles available but this model by Progressive International even comes with wooden sticks. (Get all Martha and write little jokes/notes on the sticks... you with me? Too much??)

50. A soda syphon to make seltzer (plain water carbonated with CO2) is a gas [woooooah -ed.] Think Tom&Jerry shooting these things, and it is also a fun/educational kid's project to create the seltzer. Just twist down the CO2 cartridge into the guide until the whole syphon is aerated. Neat to feel the cartridge go ice cold as it releases the pressurized gas into the syphon. Believe this is due to the remaining tiny amount of liquid CO2 evaporating to restore the pressure in the cartridge -anyone??

beagle outdoor wear

Nothing to do with dogs, and the wrong time of year for this... but just found Beagle Outdoor Wear, a Vermont based, made in USA, classic outdoor outfitter -been going since 1999. In the Johnson Wool mold to be sure but good to know. Jackets come in 3 different weights (Extreme, Stalker, Tracker) then the shorter Beagle [like -ed.] Sidenote: they have the pants on sale in an alternate charcoal grey herringbone for $160ish; beats their normal $280.

Beagle's trademark wool outerwear starts with tight weave, 22 oz. Melton wool made from 22 oz. Melton wool (80% wool/20% nylon) that is then treated with innovative materials.

Treatment #1 - DuPont Teflon Fabric Protector - It provides a stain and water repellent barrier.
Treatment #2 - Fabtex 5x membrane - A thin layer of breathable film is added to most garments, which stops wind and water from passing through, keeping you warmer and drier than simple wool.

bük

Just saw these little (postcard sized and maybe 10-25 page) books (Bük, geddit...) that are built specifically for reading in the time it takes to drink a coffee. Perfect for those bookstore cafes. $1.49. Or 50¢ right now at Porter Square Books in Cambridge.

sweet 'n' sour

Scando team Sweet Skateboards recently released Sweet 'n' Sour free with European skate mag Kingpin. Usual disclaminer; I'm no skater, so pretty much in awe of effortless kickflips etc. A sweet clip below; sour clips are the slams.

s e h kelly

S.E.H. Kelly is a small team in the UK who have recently launched a five piece clothing collection (called Preface) put together in mills and co-operatives from Lancashire to London. They emailed yesterday and only too glad to pass on the details (I see Sart Inc and others have them in their sights too). Sidenote; they have a cracking twitterfeed for over-the-pond insights...

They are on the homegrown-tip UK-style with full force and the blurb sounds great; using soft oatmeal corduroy, from a four generations-old family-run mill in Lancashire -same mill also provides the cotton drills used for a couple of slim-fitting trousers. The semi-cutaway collared shirts made of brushed cotton twills are from a Cumbrian mill. The natural English horn buttons used are from a supplier in the Midlands, and the garments are finished by a small factory in London (known to them from their days working on Savile Row... yes just dropped the S-bomb...)

Also found a great interview with the founder at RepentInLeisure. All that homegrown goodness does not come cheap of course but not out of line with many others. Really digging that cord jacket.






For A/W2010 there will be other garments made from cashmere, Shetland wool, and brushed cotton drills and twills - based on traditional British workwear, shop-worker and factory attire.

luscombe -cider and more

Luscombe drinks are made in Devon [That is southwest England. Ground zero for cider making -ed.] Almost wholey organic and made "without concentrates, additives, colourants; flavourings; animal by-products; GMO's & without big/harsh/rasping bubbles the size of toads' eyes." Great copy...

Don't know these people but have been looking for a hot, catch your throat, ginger beer ever since my English granny stopped making it at home -Luscombe may be answer...