We have received a can of really nice blue ink at the shop. Very strong tinting strength - a little goes a long way - It's like the blue you see on the roof of whitewashed Greek house overlooking the ocean. Much lighter in color and more opaque than the usual blue inks we have.

Apple season is upon us again. Gravensteins are starting to show up at markets. This is the best time to eat them as they don't store very well. They get mealy after a while. The few I have had thus far were crisp, juicy, and slightly floral. I tend to notice a bit more of that floral / perfume at the bottom end of the apple where the blossom once ( Read more... )

Last Saturday I rode my bike from San Francisco to the Maker Faire in San Mateo. It was organized by an outfit called Rock the Bike as well as the Maker folks. Everyone Gathered at Dolores park and headed out at 9:00 in the morning for the 20 or so mile trip. The riders filled the right lane of the road and stretched out block after block ( Read more... )

The first cherries of the season were in at the Bowl yesterday. They are the early season cherries - no Bings or Raineers yet. At home, the backyard cherries are still hard and green. It will be a few weeks before they are ready (eaten by birds). They usually ripen about the same time as the good local ones grown over the hill.

The apple tree had become infested with aphids. There were also the ants who tend the aphids on the leafy wide open range ( Read more... )

The photograph of a book of photographs of a book is strangely more compelling than the actual book of photographs of a book.

Publishing was put on the back burner for grad school. For example: The final proofs say copyright 2008, the negs say copyright 2009, and here we are in 2010 making plates for printing. This feels like a grand exercise in procrastination when I should be working on my thesis. Writing academic papers is such a drag.

It's no longer raining and it's staying light later and later. Bicycling season has started.

I don't have to drive a car for at least a week!

You too should go ride your bike.

I should totally make a book with Nomex paper. Probably as fireproof as a book could be made. The price per square foot is only 1-2 times the price of the finest of handmade paper.

From the NPR article: Typesetters still lay type on manual presses in some high-end custom printing shops that produce fine editions of books, invitations, and stationery ( Read more... )