Open for Business

And now for something different . . .

My Etsy Store.

(Where you will be able to buy a few Black Velvet pencils.)

The Pencil Test

 

Last night I took notes at a FEMA meeting with both. One thing Palomino has down pat is laying down a dark line. When the PBW602 first hit the paper, I thought, oh, this is smooth. The slightly larger circumference makes me not mind the hex. The point lasted longer than the Original, in this unscientific, fast scribbling notes at a meeting, test. Then I had to change to a Biro because I forgot my sharpener. oy.

So, there you have it. PBW602, a very nice pencil. The difference in the smoothest between it and the Original, while there, is negligible.

Oh, and I heard everything the FEMA guy said.  ; )

The Other Side of The Door

E=MC2

Gracie, formerly Naughtiest Puppy in the World, is no Einstein. She's not even Einstein's slow brother, Irving.

She is sweet. She loves everybody, and is trainable with repetition. Most of us are.

Rocky is something else all together.

Not just a pretty face.

We noticed early on, he seemed able to figure stuff out. Were all dachshunds like this? Was it his hound heritage? Or were we just growing older and slower as we grew older and slower.

A smart dog can be a challenge and a lesson in humility.

Rocky is not my first dog. I'm used to terriers. Even the dumbest terrier has a cunning that exceeds the ability of normal dogs, so I figured I was up to the challenge of a smart little wiener hound.

Maybe not.

Rocky is eight months old. He learned how to ask out and back in a long while ago. Gracie never has, and she's five years old. She asks out, then waits patiently for us to let her back in. Or, maybe she doesn't want back in. Who am I to say?

Yesterday, Rocky scratched at the door, looked up, saw me watching him, kicked the door again and when I let him in, he ran down the hall and scratched at the bathroom door.

I opened that door. He ran in, looked around, out, then scratched at the hall closet door.

I opened that door. He looked around in there then ran to another door. I could almost see that little wiener brain working. If she's behind that door, what's behind this one?

Try to keep up, human.

Yep, I opened all the doors he asked at because I wondered -- what was he looking for?

Was he emulating George Mallory -- because it's there?

Maybe The Other Side of the Door is The Last Frontier.

Perhaps he's looking for the Tardis.

Either way, I realized as I followed the little dog around, exactly who, in this relationship, is Einstein's slow brother, Irving.

Close

Original Blackwing 602 / Palomino Blackwing 602

Just out, California Cedar's new entry into the find the perfect pencil quest - a re-inventing of the Blackwing 602.

For those of you joining our program already in progress, Eberhard Faber's Blackwing 602 woodclinched pencil topped the list of the perfect pencil (for those who don't mind a pencil not being round.)

In my search to reconnect with Black Velvet pencils, I read so much about the Blackwing, I had to give them a try.

Enter eBay, and yes, I will pay more money than a sane person would for a pencil.

Guess what? In that rarest occurrence, the hype was right. The Blackwing 602 is different. Your hand will tell the difference. Woe though, they not be round, they became my perfect pencil.

Smooth. Like writing with ice on glass.

Which is like hearing about the Titanic and booking a ticket for the next trip.

Yeah, they don't make these anymore either. (But they still can be had - for a while anyway - on eBay and places like that.)

So, the search for the perfect pencil was fini, right?

Google pencil reviews and get back to me. I'll wait.

California Cedar produced a pencil called the Palomino Blackwing, which was a nice pencil - made a nice black line but was softer than the original. They received so much feedback, they decided to take a second swing at it. (Soft and Smooth are different qualities.)

 It's too bad the Palomino Blackwing 602 will always be compared to the original Blackwing 602, because the Palomino version is a very nice pencil in its own right.

Slightly larger around, makes a dark line, not too soft, lovely lacquer (gun metal gray), serviceable eraser that is also not too soft (doesn't bother me that it's black) and it is so close in the smoothness feel to the writing hand -- well, how close is close enough?

S.W.A.G.

 I did all the unscientific, in the wind testing. The Palomino version lays down a darker line than the Original, but the Original still feels smoother to my hand.

The real problem with the Original and both Remakes is that unique, problematic eraser assembly. It unbalances the pencil until the pencil is short enough to rest closer to the hand. (I've removed the eraser from a couple, replacing with the old school red pencil tops which takes care of that problem, but lessens the coolness factor by about a million.)

Does the quest continue?

I, for one, am ready to throw in the towel.

I'm just going to love them all.

 

6/15/11 Last night I took notes at a FEMA meeting with both. One thing Palomino has down pat is laying down a dark line. When the PBW602 first hit the paper, I thought, oh, this is smooth. The slightly larger circumference makes me not mind the hex. The point lasted longer than the Original, in this unscientific, fast scribbling notes at a meeting, test. Then I had to change to a Biro because I forgot my sharpener. oy.

So, there you have it. PBW602, a very nice pencil. The difference in the smoothest between it and the Original, while there, is negligible.

Oh, and I heard everything the FEMA guy said.  ; )

On The Road

Due to a family emergency, we went to California.

Due to the emergency and because this was not my idea of a nice vacation, I was in a really bad mood. Didn't take my usual plethora of stuff. You know, the cameras.

Woke up on the coast and all I had with me was the little Canon I got last Christmas.

oy.

At least it works off regular batteries. In fact, the biggest consumer complaint about this camera is that it eats batteries. I used the Canon branded ones and never slowed down.

Anyway, bad mood or no, disaster or no, I was kicking myself later when -- emergency dealt with -- we moseyed up the coast taking in the sights.

Hearst Castle detail.

Had lunch in Monterey and I wondered how many tourists are run over taking this picture.

When in Rome.

Every person who stopped here ran out in the middle of the road and snapped a pix of this sign.

Then I found myself on my old stomping grounds, the cradle of my photography career, the landscape of my hero, down the road from Cannery Row, Point Lobos.

What would Weston and Adams would think of it now, with the manicured trails, safety rails, campgrounds, and bathrooms?

But, there it was, in all its glory and all my Nikons were at home.

Did I mention it runs on regular batteries?