October 19, 2010

Out east for quail...




The conditions were amazing over the weekend out in Eastport. The wind was strong and the quail flew at crazy speeds... sometimes at you. Alarming. It was a great morning, and I should have taken some more photos but I was to busy shooting. Next time.  Also took the B past 25,000 miles- she's still young yet.
Had to wear my English shooting get-up, which made filling up with gas mildly terrifying. What passes for normal clothing in England, may get you heavy abuse over here. Noted.

October 15, 2010

Getting ready...

Hopefully getting out to the Long Island (Wyandanch) Club for some pheasant and duck this weekend. That means I need to do some clean up... no complaints.
The Long Island Club is one of my favorite places anywhere- shoots on Saturdays, walk-ups through the week, and fishing in the off-season. The conditions look particularly good on Saturday. I love this time of year.

September 27, 2010

Un homme et une femme...











A really great film from the days when you would drive to the race, compete, then drive several thousand miles in the same car to see your lady (and home to my favorite on-screen pony)...

September 22, 2010

Good things come in pairs

Maybe the easiest car in the world to park.

In an inadvertent ongoing tribute to summery BMWs.... give it up, the BMW Z1:

It's not really about the looks with this one. I would pay good money to go back in time and be there when the chief designer goes, "Doors? Yeah, we decided they should slide down." Yes. Blow my mind. You know when you're driving and the door is in that not-open-but-not-shut-all-the-way-either position and you should probably wait until you reach the lights, but fuck it, you're a daredevil, and you open and shut it anyway, mid-drive? The Z1 gives you the permanent lunatic option, a bit like a Jeep Wrangler but without the stigma.
BMW sold around 8,000 of them, ending in 1991. Here's the deal though- illegal in the US- something about getting hit and being eye level with the grille of the other car and having nothing between you and it blah blah blah. I like to think that I'd be able to react in time to slide up the door and maybe even throw on a helmet so I did a little research.
Turns out you can keep one stateside if you can argue historical significance and keep it to 2,500 miles a year. Not sure how historical significance is going to help when a raised pickup goes through me, but I'll take it.

September 20, 2010

Before it went all wrong...

Abercrombie was a great outfitter. Started back in 1892, the company originally catered for the moneyed adventure types; the types that would happily hunt the company's current clientele for sport. Items from Abercrombie's excursion-goods days pop up on Ebay pretty frequently. I sadly missed out on the late 19th century portable canvas outhouse that sold about a month ago, but I may quell my disappointment by picking up this flask:
It's got this great, utiliarian look to it. It's also huge, coming in at just under 11", top to bottom. This flask can beat up your flask.
And the kicker- the Hallmark:

It's not one I recognize though the seller claims the maker to be James Dixons and sons. Quick wikipedia check: "They were the best-known manufacturer of Brittania Metal, and also the world leader in manufacturing shooting accessories thru the late Victorian Era , and numerous other items from precision tools to aircraft propellers..." Sounds good to me. Do I need another flask? Probably not. One of us should buy it though.

September 17, 2010

Nice bit of rough

I like (almost) everything to be well worn. Anything that's too well looked after feels a little too clinical for me. Leather should have some patina; guitars should be road-worn; jeans should be beat-up; things should show their history with pride. The same goes for cars. While there's a definitely a place for Concours, I'll have the one that's seen a lot of tarmac time. No rat-rod rust- I don't want tetanus from the bloody thing- just don't buff it to hell and gone. It's creepy when all you do is wax-on, wax-off....stop being such a nerd and drive the fucking thing.

Cranborne Estate



One more drive before lunch. Browning 12 over and under (the cannon).


Great pair heading over my neighbor.


Sweating the Details... Beppe Modenese

Beppe and his trademark- the collar pin through the tie. My father recently bequeathed to me his gold collar pin, and I like to honor his sartorial flair by throwing it on from time to time. My collars are too spread to use the pin for what it was designed, so I Beppe it instead. You should probably only try this with knit ties and the trick is to go through the button hole to avoid damaging the shirt.
                                                                                via the Sartorialist
I'm not really into giving style tips but I'm sick of seeing everyone with tie bars... oh, and if you have to wear a tie bar: not too high and at an angle.

September 16, 2010

The BMW 3 Series (E30) Convertible

The E30 was first introduced in 1982, and the last one left the Bavarian factory in 1994. The best known model from this era is undoubtedly the original autobahn-storming M3, but as far as bang for your buck is concerned, I think the 325i Convertible can't be beat. The 325i was pretty fast, rolling to 60mph in sub 7 seconds and given it's simple preppy aesthetic, I predict a resurgence in popularity.

Gertrude here seems pretty pumped and I don't blame her. You can easily find a decent one for sub $7k, and if it's a little rough around the edges, who cares? It makes the perfect summer beach wheels- oh, your bathing suit is still wet? Hop on in. The more sand the better, I say.
It's maybe a long shot to say that this model will go up in value the same way the earlier 2002 did but if it does, I totally called it.

This '87 from the UK only has 65k miles, is in excellent shape, and is priced at under £4k- call it $6k on these shores:

Easy. Slap on a pinstripe down the side and a monogram if you're bold....  and maybe only wear tennis whites.

September 15, 2010

Enfield...


Bikes should have just stayed looking like this Royal Enfield number. I'm sure it's a pain in the ass to own one of these but they're pretty damn cool. Everyone owns a vintage Triumph thanks to McQueen and co, and sure, they're great too, but this one would set you apart from the rest. 

(Note: I do not know how to ride a motorcycle but it's on my list of things to learn. I bet it's similar to riding a bike.... I am awful at riding bikes.)