little and large

Think we got these at LLBean forever ago. Yes, yes... nylon straps.
Small one holds a case of beer vertically. Perfectly.

These Kinco gloves are so simple and effective they have become
a mainstay in ski-towns across the nation. Essential. Imported.

Better? Two pair of choppers from Berlin Glove.
"Berlin Glove was founded in 1869 and based in Berlin, Wisconsin.
On May 21, 2008, Berlin Glove Midwestern LLC filed a voluntary petition for liquidation
under Chapter 7 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin" -via.

For the man/woman who has everything.

fridays are tie days -calzeat of biggar

Calzeat is a woolen mill and manufacturer in the Borders of Scotland (in Biggar, about 45 mins from Edinbugh) and makes these so frankly oldmannish they are cool ties onsite; sold through McDade in Glasgow for about $20. They also produce the miriad tartans that McDade uses to make their own line of tartan ties. Grab an ice cream if you go visit.

bookshelf -out of the saltbox

Out of the Saltbox is the retelling of one family's life (via diaries and memories) describing a century of living in southern Vermont (Rupert and Dorset mostly). The account begins in 1788 detailing daily life and its challenges. No punches are pulled...

Author and teacher Ruth M. Rasey Simpson, a sixth gerneration Vermonter, wrote some other tough-love books; Mountain Fortitude (poetry), and Hand-Hewn in Old Vermont. Saltbox has been published several times and copies can be found on ebay or Amazon. Mrs. Ramsey is a descendant of one of the four original families who colonized Southern Vermont (via). #tough_cookie

pretty things -jack d'or

A couple from Cambridge(MA)Somerville, Dann and Martha, are behind Pretty Things (Beer and Ale Project)... don't know them myself but overheard their story at Redbones th'other night and took the bait. You can't buy the beers everywhere, but Jack D'Or above is a crafty gateway beer; not a Belgium (which i'm not into anyway) but a slightly cloudy gold, a saison, and what Pretty Things call a "table beer". 22oz bottles at 6.8 ABV, so slight left hook effect after easy, quick drinking. Sidenote: having mustache pint glasses to drink it out of might be de rigeur here...

...With a great, gleaming moustache, knee-deep in a wooden mash tun, he [Jack D'or, on the label] conjures himself into beer. Helped along by the other "Pretty Things" like the mischievous hops and the transformative miniscules we know as yeast - a magnificent fester would no doubt ensue! One of the most joyful transformations in nature, better than any rabbit from a hat, beer is the result.
via PrettyThings

I think real beer-ies are into pouring a massive head and checking lacing stats etc., just not my preference. Do check their site though, plenty of bon mots and info on the brewing process (done in Westport, MA), and they stress the general importance of having very clean glassware which is rare to see.

mtb holiday in scotland -macaskill and co.

A road trip with Hans Rey, Steve Peat & Danny MacAskill through the North West Highlands of Scotland; including Skye, Torridon, and Glen Coe. Produced by Resetfilms.co.uk, and organised by HandI Adventures. Sure, flora-wrecking... but amazing scenery. #endangered_dirt

johnson woolen mills, inc. -let's review

Love to highlight the Johnson Woolen Mill in Vermont, it being a battling remnant of New England and a stalwart manufacturer of iceproof woolen pants, jackets and vests -since 1842.

They have a factory store onsite that occupies the original woolen mill (Johnson no longer weaves its own cloth, but has it regionally sourced) that is at the top of my shopping list... or you can buy the stuff online or through your local, right thinking hardware store. Big in Japan as they say..

Have saved a ton of images via eBay over last 2 years but first a few photos from a tour of the mill by TobyGrubb, reproduced with permisson.

© Toby Grubb

© Toby Grubb

© Toby Grubb

© Toby Grubb





This via etsy. Grab it.




























Still with me? These take it to 11...

the package store gets meta

I guess Leno mentioned the last one.