So Long 2012, some parting thoughts...

I’ve been pretty lax about posting recently. I worked at Harry and David this December, so the month has been a blur. Today I took down all of our Christmas decorations, a project that always seems to exceed the time I think it will take by a factor of at least four, but it is DONE! We had homemade pizza for our New Year’s Eve dinner, so it is highly unlikely that any of us will make it till midnight. One thing I did in 2012 was to read 101 books. Jaim and I are both voracious readers, and this year I decided to keep a log of what I read. This was the first year I have ever done that, and when I saw the list growing steadily, I decided to try and reach 100. My list was wide and varied, with many new (for me) authors, and it was very satisfying to reach this goal. If anyone is interested, I would be glad to email the list. On tap for 2013 are some online studies via coursera.org, my classes will begin in about March. I’m also going to be studying/taking a basic electronics class through the books in this photo. I’ve wanted to build a tube amplifier for many years, and am going to try and learn enough to make that happen this year. So, Let me wish all of you a Happy 2013, and have a great year!

The Wahl Eversharp Skyliner Fountain Pen

My interest in Fountain pens began to stir in the early 90’s. I remember seeing an advertisement for a Mont Blanc model 149 and thinking “Wow, that thing is pretty impressive”.  The 149 is a pretty hefty unit, and is what comes to mind for most folks when they think of a fancy pen. Will Smith carried one in “Enemy of the State”. So thanks to a nice tax return, I went to Signatore Pens and walked out with a brand new Mont Blanc. My handwriting was, and actually still is, fairly rocky, getting a pen was not something I had ever given a lot of thought to, but man this pen was nice!

After a while, I started going after more pens, and built up a collection of some very nice ones over time. I was also buying pen magazines, and articles on older pens began catching my attention. This led to a gradual shift in my interests and priorities regarding what I was after with my collection. Fountain Pens have been around for a long time, with Lewis Waterman starting the company bearing his name in 1884.

There was at one time a huge number of manufacturers of pens in the United States, virtually everyone carried a pen as part of their daily routine. Not as a status symbol, although there were some more ornate models to be had, but rather an everyday object. This aspect is what began to really catch and fire my enthusiasm, as I learned more about the pen industry and what it had been at one time, I became hooked on the subject. The ingenuity in design and engineering appealed to the part of me that enjoys all things tactile, much like the guitars that have been another ongoing fascination of mine. There is a very distinctive feel to a well designed and manufactured product that I am bonkers over, that’s what has kept my interest going over the years.

The subject of this post is my Eversharp Skyliner. This pen was introduced in 1941 by the Wahl-Eversharp company and was designed by Henry Dreyfuss. Dreyfuss was a leading industrial designer of the 1930s and 1940s who is also known for streamlining the steam locomotives of the New York Central Railroad’s famed 20th Century Limited in 1938. (Another design of his is the Princess phone, introduced in 1959). You can see the commonality of the designs between pen and train in the photos below.

The 20th Century Limited locomotive designed by Henry Dreyfuss in 1938.

Cap to the Eversharp Skyliner pen, also designed by Dreyfuss. You can clearly see the influence, especially after an era appropriate cocktail.

This is a commemorative postcard of the Chicago to New York City inaugural run of the Ltd. I love this school of design, very elegant.










My pen has a black body, with a green striped cap. The Skyliner came in a myriad of colors, with three sizes available, a smaller “Demi”, the standard, and an oversized “executive”.

 

This pen is wonderful to write with, the nib is very smooth and puts down a nice wet line in use. Skylines are lever filled pens, this is the most common filling system used. Think of vintage 1940's  cartoons with someone being squirted with a pen, that's your lever filler in action!

Skyliners were an enormous success for Eversharp becoming the best selling pen in the USA in by 1945. They were made until 1948, and remain a popular choice for collecters due to their modest prices and wide range of variations. I have really enjoyed this pen, and hope that you enjoyed learning a little bit about it. I appreciate you stopping on by, thanks and come again....

Giardiniera at Home

I thought I'd share my first stab at making Giardiniera, an old Italian condiment that can be used on just about anything. This is actually a pretty simple dish to put together, the ingredients are common and inexpensive. This photo shows the produce used,  you'll need 1 cup of small-diced carrots,1 cup of cauliflower florets, 4 to 8 Serrano peppers, sliced (depending on heat level desired), 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 stalk of celery, diced small, and 1 red bell pepper, diced small.

Here are the results of some pretty basic knife work. IMHO, it's a good idea to keep your stuff cut to roughly the same size for best results. There will be a lot of good smells in the air at this point, dogs and small children may start to show some interest in your activities about now.

After all of your goodies are chopped up and looking good, they get an overnight soak in a salt water bath, use a glass or non-reactive bowl. The recipe I started from called out for 2 cups of water and a 1/4 cup of salt. Try that ratio to start with, and adjust to suit. After everything is soaking in brine, cover your container and put it in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Here is a close up of what we have after the veggies complete their salt water bath. The colors are beautiful. After soaking overnight, the veggies are rinsed in cold water, then packed in canola oil that has been prepped with 1 tablespoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. From this point, you just put it in the fridge and let it soak in all that good stuff. The reason that canola is used instead of an olive oil is that the canola is a neutral flavored oil. With this dish, the veggies are the star, and the lack of additional flavor gained from using canola really lets their flavors shine.

Here is what you end up with when it's all said and done. (Plastic grapes are strictly optional) This is an easy and fun thing to make, and the results are well worth the time you invest. Your Giardiniera can be used on tons of stuff, I like it on pizza, it makes a nice adjunct to a hearty red sauce over pasta (Use lots of Romano) you could fold it into an omelet, you get the idea. If you have any questions about this recipe don't be afraid to leave me a message, I'll be glad to try and help you out with it. I hope you enjoyed our little excursion here, thanks for dropping by!