Monday, June 14, 2010

travelling companions




“Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand”


~ William Blake, And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time









(abolitionist preacher's diary, Maine & Vermont, ca.1860s)



















10 comments:

lissa said...

A shovel and a frying pan? those are unusual request. perhaps they really will get him to where he is going.

I like to write with pens or even typewriters but I find it's not quite as fast or easy as a computer. I'm too much into the computer age to turn back to pen and typewriters but now then, I like to. I think they, these instruments, give you more time to think about the words you might want to put them. A computer is much too fast sometimes.

Mike said...

hello fellow typewriter and fine writing enthusiast. First off, nice choice of J. Herbin ink. I have that shade of brown myself. Did you get it at Goulet Pens?

I was wondering where you got your wooden dip pen, nib and pen holder?

thanks,
Mike

Joe V said...

Wonderful, as always. I like your thought that encouraging writing is just as important as encouraging reading, that the two are somehow inexplicably intertwined.

Great photos, too. Do you use a self-timer and tripod on your self-portrait images?

~Joe V

speculator said...

Joe- yes, I use a timer+tripod; I've always done this- whether with film or digital cameras.

Mike- Living in New England, I find all I need at many local shops. For inks and pens, Bromfield Pen Shop, Boston (they have a web site); they even do repairs. For pencils and pen-and-ink/calligraphy materials, Bob Slate's in Cambridge, and many various art supply and stationers in this area.

James Watterson said...

How about them Celtics huh? I love when I see you have put up another post. I always set aside time so that I can read your words of wisdom thoroughly. The pictures are amazing as well spec.

What kind of paper do you prefer, just looking to get some for the lovely circa.

And aah the implements. I have found that I prefer analog implements with only one complaint, my horrendous spelling. Word processors and always having the crutch of spell check is making people lazy. I feel that writing with analog implements I am slowly improving though. I also like things that last a really long time and don't wear out. That goes for everything I buy, if it will last longer I will spend the extra cash. Probably answers why I like older things as much as I do, everything was built to last.

Strikethru said...

You strike me as a person whose vocation is in line with his values, just the sort of balance I hope to someday achieve.

speculator said...

to James-
I'm totally with you.
You asked about paper- and what I've found is that because most seem to use paper for laser-printing, it's becoming tougher to find writing paper that isn't cardstock-thick (not good for typewriters!).

Fortunately you can easily find "Vergé de France" paper (that's the blue paper you see me using). At Slate's on Mass. Av there are many varieties of Hammermill paper- thin enough for our typers.
Both are great for Circas; anything close to 40-60lb paper.

Anne said...

Excellent, excellent! I absolutely loved this! It was nice to read about your interactions with school children. Your line about the Holy Spirit moving us where we need to go really touched me today. I just wrote a post for my blog- (yes, I've been following your advice and writing something every few days-it seems to be just enough but not too much)-about the Holy Spirit leading me to a new friendship. http://annebender.blogspot.com/2010/06/turning-strangers-into-friends.html

LOVE the picture-it's beautiful!

Lisa said...

Simple? You have beautiful writing implements. When I was a little girl we would play in the woods in our backyard. We woud play "school" or something like it and would use ink berries for our ink using a stick or the ever handy finger! Now that's a creative writing tool! You can share it with the school kids that visit. Guess you can imagine the look on my mom's face when we arrived home after playing with ink berries all day? I'll save the catching of the salamanders in the creek for another time!

adair said...

Another thoughtful and thought-provoking post. And I agree with Strikethru about your balance of vocation and values. Thank you.
The fountain pen next to the dip pen---is that a Waterman Phileas in marbled brown? I've never seen one! Lovely.