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Best regards,

Lesli and Tom

Shopping from Japan - Shoes Like Pottery

Thanks to Archival readers who suggested Shoes Like Pottery as an alt to my obsession over Wakouwa Deck Shoes.  As was noted in my original post, the Wakouwas are not sized for women, cost over three hundred dollars and are difficult to find in the US.  In contrast, SLPs are unisex, comparably stylish, and easily sourced in the US via favorite shops like Hickorees and Mohawk General Store.  The shoes are made from best quality canvas duck and rubber.  And like a nice pair of Aldens, they are hand sewn and hand assembled.  The SLP moniker refers to the vulcanizing process in which the shoe rubber is fired in a kiln for 70 minutes to make it more soft, durable and flexible.  I still haven't purchased a pair of canvas shoes but I'm wishfully hoping to find these on sale upon my return from London.  

  

Shopping from ebay: Beaulieu Movie Cameras

 

  

 

One of my most prized, obsolete possessions is a Beaulieu S2008 Super 8 motion picture camera.  I've owned this camera for over twenty years without using it to shoot a single frame of film.  I purchased it in the 90s from the original owner who advised me to replace the decaying battery.  After costing out my options, I discovered that a replacement battery would cost more than the camera was worth.  As it were, I've held onto the non functional camera as evidence of an era when film and motion picture cameras were designed to be both functional, durable and beautiful.  In researching my own camera, I discovered all sorts of terrific print ephemera on ebay including operating manuals, lens boxes and magazine ads.  I'm posting a few of my favorite examples plus hero shots of several stunning Beaulieu motion picture camera models. 

Archival Field Trip - Pisgah

Snap views of from our recent hike up Mt Pisgah, a favorite local wilderness area.  Tom and Archival intern, Val, test drove our canvas duck packs on a walk up to the Pisgah rope swing.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archival Picnic

From the archives, here are some exemplary snaps of classic summer picnics.  What could be better than an impromptu, en plein meal in the trees, next to water or on the patio of a tent trailer.  When Tom packs for a picnic, he prefers to bring along real plates, flatwear and glasses.  Lynn has been shopping for Made in USA picnic supplies that add a little kick to the spread.  Her recent finds include compostable wooden spoons, paper drinking straws and of course, canvas throws.  Since I'm spending so many outdoor hours on my bicycle, I prefer to picnic indoors, via my screen surrogate, Doris Day, and her Sleep-Tite pajama factory colleagues.  The Fosse choreographed, Once a Year Day picnic, perfectly encapsulates all the wild glee, group dancing, aspirational color blocking  and mass mayhem of a first rate American picnic.  A future post will address the lost of art of picnic blanket tossing.

 

 

 

 

Fly Fishing in Eugene

 

  

 

Tom took our Archival Trail Cap and Flap Musette down to the Willamette River and did some evening fly fishing.  No bites, but what a beautiful time to be on the river.