Question: Fountain Pen Friendly Letter Paper?

A Reader Question:

Good Morning and Happy (almost!) Thanksgiving! 

It's almost Thank you season and I'm taking stock of my stationary. I have used Crane Ecru sheets to write my letters (including thank you letters - I prefer those to cards) since I was a teenager, but my most recent box of Crane & Co stationary has "(c) CRANE&CO." printed on the back of each sheet. Unless this changes, this will likely be my last time purchasing that since I roll my eyes every time I flip the sheet over.  

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for fountain pen friendly letter paper and envelope sets of a similar or higher quality that doesn't have a copy write mark printed on the back. Watermarks are fine.  

Thanks so much.

Scratchy Photo: Old Lilly Whale Pants, Darien Sport Shop, 1990s

Photo by Salt Water New England

Mercer Shirt Delivery

Photo by Salt Water New England

• James Bond Tattersall Brushed Cotton Flannel <http://www.mercerandsons.com/swatches_and_pricing-larger-checks-and-plaids.htm>

• Blue and White University Stripe Pima Cotton Oxford <http://www.mercerandsons.com/swatches_and_pricing-stripes.htm>

• Classic Skye Blue 1/8" Bengal Broadcloth Stripe <http://www.mercerandsons.com/swatches_and_pricing-stripes.htm>

Christmas Music, 2018 Edition

Photos by Salt Water New England

From a reader email:

I've scanned through your blog looking for a post I remembered in which you posted some holiday music ( I want to say last year but I may be wrong) that I really enjoyed and was looking to purchase this morning. I am however, unable to find this post. I want believe it was choir music or perhaps instrumental only. Traditional in nature (in the classical sense, not the "Santa Clause is Coming to Town sense"), nothing pop related or current. Would you be able to provide me with he album name? Any help would be much appreciated.

Men's Navy Pheasant Velvet Slippers from Cordings of Piccadilly, Hand Made in England

Photos by Salt Water New England

Velvet slippers can elevate almost any outfit at almost any time, but are perfect for evenings with friends, especially this time of year.  Cordings offers their beautifully finished version, hand made in England.  These are available in three lovely colors, and shown here in their deep, rich Navy.

The quilted satin lining cushions the foot, and the tonal braid smartly highlights and frames the shape of the shoes.  They run true to size.

• Navy Pheasant Velvet Slipper <https://www.cordings.co.uk/menswear/gifts/british-made-gifts/navy-pheasant-velvet-slipper.html>

• Wine Pheasant Velvet Slipper <https://www.cordings.co.uk/menswear/gifts/british-made-gifts/wine-pheasant-velvet-slipper.html>

• Olive Pheasant Velvet Slipper  <https://www.cordings.co.uk/olive-pheasant-velvet-slipper.html>

Add Your Own Caption

Photo by Salt Water New England

Nickels-Sortwell House, 1807

Photo by Salt Water New England

Spotted...

Photo by Salt Water New England

This Side of Complexity

Photo by Salt Water New England

Some have a craving for complex flavors and an increasing distaste for simple, flat, or inert ones.  A choice between freshly squeezed orange juice compared to Tang, or unpasteurized cider rather than apple juice, is no choice at all.

This craving of complexity goes well beyond food of course.  It applies to almost everything, from news sources to clothes to furniture.

A few have conflated this complexity with a rough-hewn presentation. Others think a variation is more enduring; the ability to engage complex ideas, materials, even - in technology, for example - ecosystems in elegant forms may be at the heart of lasting value.

While this ability to be refreshed by embracing complexity seems to be a benefit of advancing years, the culture of the millennials seems to be able take solace in certain kinds of depth at an earlier age than prior generations.   Education - formal, informal, or just as a feature of the zeitgeist - may accelerate and direct the growth.

This skill is becoming more important.  Appreciating this side of complexity - be it in coffee, a symphony, tweed, a flock, a walk in the forest, an open wood fire, or an active ocean - is the most reliable balm for almost any cacophony, including brought on by the holidays or the milieu in which we currently find ourselves.

Snapshots of Essex in Autumn

Photos by Salt Water New England

Pumpkin Muffins

From a reader:

Would it be possible to get a repost of your pumpkin muffin recipe? I have been making and freezing your wonderful banana muffins. It's so nice to have a stash of them to have with tea. Now that autumn is here, the pumpkin ones would be nice, but I can't find my copy of the recipe.

In Season

Photos by Salt Water New England

First Settlers - You never have just one.

Photos by Salt Water New England

Direct ancestors from Newbury, Massachusetts’ First Settlers, 1635, include: Brown, Cheney, Coffin, Cutting, Davis, Gerrish, Long, Morse, Moulton, Osgood, Pike, Sawyer, and Woodman.

Dubarry Ballyfin for Men

Photos by Salt Water New England

The Dubarry of Ireland Ballyfin Tweed Shoot Coat is a substantial, worthy addition to a wonderful category of outerwear.  Nicely finished, Teflon coated, waterproof, and made of a handsome 100% wool tweed, it is a bit longer than their earlier Ballyfin, and overall, generously sized.  It is built to be a shoot coat but also transitions smoothly to a more in-town or business casual setting.

• The Dubarry of Ireland Ballyfin Tweed Shoot Coat <https://www.dubarry.us/ballyfin-men-s-tweed-jacket>

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Photos by Salt Water New England

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

1 15 oz can of pumpkin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ nutmeg nutmeg
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 ½ Tablespoon melted butter
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
⅛ cup molasses
2 eggs

Combine ingredients and stir.

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

Photo by Salt Water New England

The recipe for whole berry cranberry sauce is just 138 characters..

For every 12 ounces, add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring to boil in a saucepan. Lower heat, cook for 10 minutes and stir.  Chill.

Apple Pie For Breakfast

Photo by Salt Water New England.

To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.
To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
To Northerners, a Yankee is an Easterner.
To Easterners, a Yankee is a New Englander.
To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter.
And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast. 

- Attributed to E.B. White

On Veterans Day, and Remembrance Day, 2018

At the National World War II Memorial - Photo by Salt Water New England

With deep appreciation to the soldiers who fought to make the earth a better place, and their families who have borne so much.

Out and About

A Problem Never Satisfactorily Solved

Photo by Salt Water New England

Quoddy Slippers, Made in Maine

Women's Spillcollar Slippers (and a Rhinoceros) - Photo by Salt Water New England

• Spillcollar Slipper for Women <http://www.quoddy.com/products/womens-spillcollar-slipper>

• Fireside Camp Slipper for Men <http://www.quoddy.com/products/mens-fireside-camp-slipper> 

• Fireside Camp Slipper for Women <http://www.quoddy.com/products/womens-fireside-camp-slipper> 

10 Questions About Taste

Over the years, this site has received quite a few questions for the community about taste.  These include:

1.  Is taste free? Do you have to pay more for taste? 

2.  Is taste personal (de gustibus non est disputandum) or universal?  

3.  Why do the same clothes work on some people and be completely inert on others?  

4.  Is "style" always bad? 

5.  Do most people value taste?  Why do people lose their aesthetic flair over time? 

6.  What is the difference between dash, flash, and trash? 

7.  Where do people go to refresh, renew, and expand their aesthetics?

8.  What is the difference between outfits and costumes?
Is it appropriation or respect to adopt the look of someone else? 

9.  What is the role of complexity and richness in clothes versus simplicity and elegance? 

10. Why do some people have such trouble discussing these issues?

Blue Tattersall in Brushed Cotton from Mercer & Sons

Photo by Salt Water New England

• Nottingham Tattersall Brushed Cotton Flannel - Mercer & Sons - Made in the USA <http://www.mercerandsons.com/swatches_and_pricing-larger-checks-and-plaids.htm>

The Tripp II from Lotuff Leather - Made in New England

Photos by Salt Water New England

Lofuff Leather offers their clean and sleek Tripp II, made of sumptuous vegetable tanned leather, in a lovely shade of bright navy, Indigo.  A streamlined and efficient handbag, credit card pockets are built in, eliminating the need for a wallet.

• The Tripp II <https://lotuffleather.com/collections/handbags/products/the-tripp-ii>

Vote!

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Photos by Salt Water New England