Walk Around a Beach Town



New Balance Shoes  |  Topo Designs Mountain Bag  |  Taylor Stitch Grey & Black California Bear Ballcap  |  Bonobos Solid Black Board Shorts  |  Lands End Canvas Fly-Away Linen Cotton Shirt  |

Big Appetites

Big Appetites is quirky and fun!

by Christopher Boffoli

View larger format photographs on his website or buy a pack of post cards for your refrigerator!

4th of July Picks

Hey you, Happy 4th of July!  I hope you have a nice cold beer and a hotdog! 

Classic Pipe Board Shorts

APC T-Shirt

Hess Handplane

Fairends Cap

Pointer Tote

Best Made First Aid Kit

Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz

Poler Stuff Camera/Cooler Bag

Tretorn Kicks

NEPA by Motorcyle

The plan was made the evening before as we all sat on the back porch catching up.  We would be off at 8AM on Saturday and ride all day until 2:30PM and see how far we could get.  Since I've been having problems with my rear caliper seizing on my bike, I opted instead to ride my dad's other bike.  The Harley softail is about twice as heavy as I'm used to.  The handlebar position is not ideal for a lady with short arms, but it's pretty tough looking, right?



We took a right at the bottom of the hollow down the road from my dad's house and made our way towards Nicholson, PA.  The sleepy town laying beneath the bridge is already awake, fresh and ready to take on the Saturday.  We stop to get gas and give everything a second glance before really getting into the ride.

After about an hour of being in the sun and the day warming up we had to break and take off our jackets.  Stopping under a bridge, we packed the leather into the touring bike before continuing on.

We stopped in a dusty town called Clifford to check out a seemingly abandoned building that used to be a car dealership.  There were some pretty cool vintage cars, bikes and snowmobiles inside.  This Trail-Breaker bike never really caught on back in the '60s, but my dad told us about his neighbor when he was a kid that had one.  I couldn't imagine handling something like that, imagine the torque on the front wheel.

We continued on through windy mountain roads and over the crests of the mountains.  Stopping through the one streetlight in some towns, Hop Bottom and other funny sounding places that actually exist.  Big cumulous clouds decorated the blue sky, so vibrant that it almost seemed unreal. 

We found this motocross track 20 mi. outside of Carbondale.  It was built on the side of the mountain and had some pretty fast riders out doing tricks and wheelies.  My dad tried explaining the physics behind specific moves.

All of this coming from the man that built one very steep ramp for his lawnmower into his truck.  It didn't end well.  The ramp won and the lawnmower ended up face down on top of him.  A story for another day.

He did make sure to remind me again and again all of the rules of riding a bike.  "Look through the turn," he would say and adding "always search ahead for an escape plan."  You really do have to be very vigilant and on your toes.

About when we hit the Carbondale Highway up on the side of the mountain (wind gusting, tractor trailer trucks blowing me around) I envied my dad's bike accessories we teased him about.  The windshield and java holder would've been so nice.  We stopped in Olyphant to grab a bite to eat.  Then headed to the little town of Jermyn, PA.

After this we meandered our way back to Tunkhannock, PA and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.  Even with sunburned wrists and the stinging memory of bugs hitting my face, I still smile when I think about how nice that ride was.

First-Ever GIVEAWAY: Corter Leather!!

We have Corter Leather Guitar Picks up for grabs for our first-ever GIVEAWAY.  Here's a description of what you could win:

"The original leather guitar pick, available in natural. These picks are great for a bit of everything, giving a much warmer tone than plastic picks and molding to your grip a bit. Hides are picked by hand to be more firm than wallet hides- they are not made from scrap. Don't let the thickness fool you- as leather is a natural material and performs much like skin, these picks act similarly to the slim plastic picks we're all used to. We suggest playing with the rough side on your thumb for grip."-Corter

-American Certified Byproduct Vegetable Tanned Leather
-Pack of 5
-5oz thickness
-Can be tanned and oiled to a carmel brown color
-Includes carrying pouch

HOW TO WIN:  The winner will be randomly selected by Saturday, June 16th 5:00PM.  3 Ways To win: simply Follow by Email to this blog (see subscription box on right side), RT this giveaway on twitter @vwalker1 "SHHHHH gives away #Corter Leather"  or simply comment and say send me this!  It's that easy, so why not get some free goods?  I'll update the winner here so check back!!  

WINNER: Congrats to kate "letters to anna" and "at least for now"  email you address to vwalker1 (at) gmail (dot) com to receive some mail!  


Check back monthly for more giveaways!!  Thanks for your support!

What Goes In The Ditty Bag? | Best Made Co.

Pictures by Best Made Co.

Pictures by Best Made Co.

Pictures by Best Made Co.

The Best Made Ditty Bag Origins

Originally a ditty bag would most commonly store the tools of a sailor’s trade, typical contents might include: beeswax, varied needles, buttons of different types, pins, white tape, Dutch tape, thimble, whited brown thread, black thread, worsted blue and scraps of light duck, his marlinspike, a fid, a palm and needles, a bullock’s horn, and personal sundries. As wind was eventually replaced with gas and nuclear power, the sailor’s ditty would contain uniform and personal effects (see above diagram). Since its nautical origins, the ditty has been adopted as an effective all-purpose utility bag for other trades including space exploration, forest services, the boy scouts, sea scouts, etc.

Some say the ditty bag got its name from from the word “dittis” (a derivation of the Saxon word “dite” meaning “tidy”), others say that because a sailor would spend great lengths at sea he needed two of each item (hence it derived from “the ditto bag”).  Here

My Camping Ditty Bag Picks:

I'm no sailor so these are some essentials that I think every camper's "Ditty Bag" should have:

Details: New Balance Trail Runners  |  Outlier Waterproof Jacket  |  Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap (shampoo, cleaning dishes, laundry)  |  Ziplocks Double zips  |  Gravity-Free Pen  |  Field Notes or Any small notepad  |  Film Camera: Pentax K1000  |  Kershaw Leek Knife  |  Tough Hatchet  |  Insect Repellent  |  Collapsible Kites and Fishing Rods

The Best Made Co. Ditty Bag $118.00

Summer Picks

Topiary: Longwood Gardens

Magnificent Topiary Designs at Longwood.  I really loved this place!

toys!

Miller Goodman Blog

As seen on Design Milk, these puzzles brought to us by millergoodman are brilliant.  I love simple toys that can double as cool coffee table art.  Check them out.

summer activities

Things to Wear and Things to Do