November 30, 2013

Thanksgiving (Nerdsgiving) 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

This Thanksgiving was very foggy, great weather for sitting around inside eating. We had our friends Brian and Pam over, for what we ultimately called Nerdsgiving -- we all cooked a bunch of food and had two separate rounds of eating interspersed with board games. I neglected to take many pictures once they were here (and none of them turned out very well), so here are a few of the prep Dustin and I were doing before they came over. Rowen was excited to watch us cooking for a while, then took a nap. Overall it was a great success.

November 24, 2013

around Capitol Hill

Melrose Market

Melrose Market

Melrose Market

Melrose Market

Around Capitol Hill

Around Capitol Hill

Around Capitol Hill

Around Capitol Hill

Around Capitol Hill

Mina

This weekend we stopped by Melrose Market in Capitol Hill. I had a cappuccino from bar ferd'nand and shared an excellent cheese plate with Dustin from The Calf and Kid. We walked around the neighborhood north of the market a bit afterward, then went to our friends' place in West Seattle for dinner. They have many cats, including this amazingly huge 23 pound Alaskan cat that I think is either a Maine Coon or a Norwegian Forest Cat, or both.

November 18, 2013

November so far

November 2013

November 2013

November 2013

November 2013

November 2013

November 2013

November 2013

November 2013

November 2013

Some photos from November so far.

November 17, 2013

Savoir-Faire Bag by Ferdinand's Supply Co

A local Ballard leather-working company, Ferdinand's Supply Co., has been a regular at the Ballard or Fremont Sunday Markets throughout the summer and I always visited their booth when we're there. They make some awesome leather goods and a few other interesting objects. We bought a coiled rope bowl from them at one point that currently lives on our coffee table as a catch-all for our various remotes and controllers. More importantly though, this little company makes spectacular bags out of domestically sourced leather that I have been admiring for months.

A few weeks ago, we were checking in at a favorite local shop called Velouria and found they had started carrying some Ferdinand's Supply Co items, including something called the "Savoir-Faire Bag." (Savior-faire: a French noun phrase that means being adaptable and adroit, knowing what to do in any situation.) I was immediately in love with the bag but hesitant to add to my already sizable bag herd. It had a black oiled leather body and vegetable tanned handles fixed with copper rivets. A hand-cut thin wood piece was used for structure at the base, and a small leather slip pocket was inside. Topping it all off, a stamp of Ferdinand's logo (a bull, naturally). I loved it because it was perfectly sized/proportioned, made of excellent materials, and basically looked like the pure essence of what a leather tote bag should be.

Well, this Friday Dustin surprised me with the very bag (grabbing it from Velouria), and I've been cavorting around with it ever since. The vegetable tanned handles should darken some and show an interesting patina over time, and the black oiled leather will repel water (good for Seattle!) and remain awesome looking for a lifetime. The leather is really thick and durable. This is definitely an 'heirloom' sort of thing and I'm really lucky to have it. I hope to run into the Ferdinand's people again soon at a local market or holiday show to let them know I'm savior-ing the faire now.

Ferdinand's Supply Co - Savior-Faire Bag

Ferdinand's Supply Co - Savior-Faire Bag

Ferdinand's Supply Co - Savior-Faire Bag

Ferdinand's Supply Co - Savior-Faire Bag

Ferdinand's Supply Co - Savior-Faire Bag

Rowen

Rowen's pretty great too.