The PENguin Blog

Just returning from the Washington DC Supershow. Usually I do not post regarding pen shows but this time I wanna. One of the many things I love about pen shows is that you never know what will happen. Sometimes your plans and expectations will be met and sometimes not. At this show I really wanted to sell. Sometimes I do and sometimes it is not so much a priority. This time it was a priority, but sales were only modest. Was I disappointed? Only a bit, afterall I was at a pen show working and playing with good friends. What makes this show singular is that I got one of my grail pens. My “favorite” war is World War I (sorry Richard). And I have for sometime had so-called “trench” pens from Swan and Moore, but not the biggie. At DC I got a Parker 24 trench pen. But wait there’s more. A friend of mine is selling parts of his collection and hecame to me with a number of things. About 35 years ago I lived and worked in Cincinnati and began collecting there, so I ha...

Toward the end of our recently concluded Oregon trip things got busy, what with plays, ice cream, and knife purchases and I did not get a chance to post these. Those of you who know Crater Lake will realize that these images do not do the place justice, but I did my best. Sharon waiting while I walked a bit Crater Lake Lodge. We haven't stayed there, but we have dined, mostly for the ambience. Great place for that afternoon drink

As I think I posted earlier, part of the trip is a ritual pilgrimage to our favorite tourist trap in the area, Jacksonville, Oregon and to our favorite restaurant in the area, Gogi's. And for me no trip to Jacksonville is complete these days without a stop in to another of my favorite knife shops, the Carefree Buffalo, which is devoted to items for "Modern Western Living." They are a William Henry dealer and over the past few years I have gotten several knives from them. In a week's time, they will be offering a major William Henry event, but I got a small preview which comprised more WH knives than I have heretofore seen in one place. With some help I was able to compile a short list of half a dozen candidates for acquisition. Than, although it has not yet been officially released, Joe Surges, the shop's owner was kind enough to show me a special edition he put together with the folks at WH, "The Carefree Buffalo Route 66." Joe said I was only the...

For us the climax of each year's Oregon trip is the week spent in Ashland at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This year we see nine plays in six days, which is about typical. I don't really have my camera out and about with me, that's not what this is about, but for your consideration some scenes of Ashland and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A civic tribute to the festival that built the city More from the cool cars series, a '67 mustang, clean and with Shelby pretensions A tribute to the pig from an unknown admirer The deer in town are pretty accustomed to people. We've seen them in the front yard of our B&B, these were in Lithia Park The park is one of my favorite places here.In the past I have done walking and hiking. This year a torqued ankle has limited me to one mile-and-a-half walk Three theaters center around this plaza This is the Elizabethan This is the New, or Thomas, theater, a classic black box w...

Well, on Saturday we shopped along NW 23rd Avenue and then on Sunday we visited a fashion exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art, so draw your own conclusions. For a number of reasons we allowed a day, possibly two, more than we absolutely needed, just because we so enjoy the city. So the weekend was real leisure time when we were not visiting friends. No images of us shopping or eating some incredible ice cream, but on Sunday I did some iPhonography at the Museum. What we saw were two Summer Exhibitions; Native Fashion Now and Case Work:Studies in Form, Space & Construction by Brad Cloepfil/Allied Works Architecture. If you are anywhere around Portland before September 4, be sure to see Native Fashion Now. It is an interesting, educational, delightful exploration of one of those "who knew" subjects. The main hall Look up A lot of the stuff on exhibit is just playful fun, all of it is exquisite This was part of the "Provocateurs" dis...

And not too many images. I guess Portland its everyone's favorite city, at least on the west coast. I kind of class it with Santa Fe, Savannah, Austin, Mobile as one of the most livable mid-size cities. We have been coming up here regularly for about fifteen years and enjoying the pleasures and treasuries of the city. For part of the time my destination was the Portland Pen Show, so Sharon has sen more of the city than I have (and she's been here a couple of times without me. So I am still discovering new places like the Rose Garden and the Art Museum as well as trodden paths like the Columbia River Gorge, the Lan Su Garden, and Powell's. Friday we were on familiar ground, Powell's and the Garden. A few images: Sharon in her element and me playing with the camera in the Garden. Sharon in her element su Lan Su Gardens. Portland's Chinatown is derelict, but the gardens are exquisite There are a couple of large koi in here, can you see ...