Dispatch from the ASR in San Diego

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early longboard by John Hughes

Not surprisingly, I found simpatico with the deans of the old school of skate and surf at the ASR. Carson and Dale Smith of Skate Designs Skateboards staged an exhibition of classic racing boards as a backdrop to their line of contemporary cruisers. I was especially drawn to a vintage board built and raced by John Hughes in the mid-1970’s (above), and was reminded that the origin of the longboard is in achieving feats of pure speed. The desire to conquer the steepest hills inspired a generation of ‘shapers’ who designed and built their own boards, not unlike their big-wave counterparts in the surf world. ???? ???? ??????? 888 casino arabic Coincidentally, I had the good fortune of meeting the legendary surfer/shaper Greg Noll, who had several of his hand-shaped surfboards on display, some of which he now makes collaboratively with his son Jed. Seeing Greg’s beautiful work and lifelong dedication to the art of shaping confirmed that the best ‘brand’ is always authenticity.

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Greg Noll surfboard in the traditional Koa Continue reading “Dispatch from the ASR in San Diego”

Old School Market Research

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I’m taking a deep breath before I fly down to San Diego to dive into a couple of days of market research at the ASR (Action Sports Retailer) Conference. I will be scoping out the viability of my Deep Deck TM, an innovative, solid wood interpretation of the classic homemade, old school longboards of yore. I have successfully prototyped the Deep Deck and it has already demonstrated regional, niche appeal, which has me wondering if any eco-comparables exist on the market so I know what scale of production to anticipate. I’ve even had my first ever business cards made, designed by Ene using the now familiar ‘deep’ logo I developed with C2, lovingly printed by The Ligature in San Francisco.

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Stay tuned for a dispatch from the floor of the ASR Convention Center, and wish me luck as I seek simpatico in sunny San Diego. ?????????? ???? ????? a que hora se toma la ivermectina en gotas

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The Week in Bloom

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After more than three years on the land we’re getting a better feel for the rhythm of the garden and the fruit trees and have successfully stocked the larder with treats for the rainy season to come. Working with friends and neighbors, we’ve harvested and pressed all of our Gravensteins, which yielded about 20 gallons of juice and 17 gallons of fermented cider, now pleasantly bubbling away in glass carboys.

We’ve also bottled close to four quarts of nocino and are preparing to pick and press the pears, some of which we’ve already combined with blackberries and mixed into one of the fermenting ciders as a flavor experiment. Over the Labor Day weekend, we harvested and pickled banana peppers planted by our friend Josef Szuecs, who was understandably detained at Burning Man. Meanwhile, our tomatoes are ripening and I’ve heard rumor that the stripers are running. Perhaps I’ll have time to ‘wet a line’, as my dad says, and assemble the ingredients for an autumnal bouillabaisse.

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Ene’s Pickled Peppers

Slice banana peppers in half and remove seeds and stems; stuff into sterilized canning jars, along with 1 clove of garlic and assorted hot peppers; dill or other fresh herbs may also be added.

Boil 1 gallon of water with 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup salt added, pour into each stuffed jar; seal jars.


In the Studio with Gabriel Russo

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Gabriel Russo wearing a Hipari of his own design at his studio in Richmond, CA

My friend Gabriel Russo taught me that style is a state of mind, and in capable hands can literally be constructed. What I see as the ‘everyday-special’ style evoked by his clothing design- relaxed, well-made, familiar but fresh- flows from the seasoned knowledge born of a steadfast commitment to quality handwork. Russo seamlessly weaves divergent influences into his shirts and jackets, with references to his own past as well as to traditional Japanese textiles and classic Americana. In many ways, Gabriel Russo’s Fall Collection of timelessly hip menswear tells the story of the designer’s journey from Brooklyn street kid to pattern maker and textile designer. I had the pleasure of an advance glimpse of the new line the other day, and learned a lot about Gabriel’s original approach to the art of designing and making clothing over a meandering conversation at his Richmond-based studio.

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Wishing Wands Installed

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two of the three Wishing Wand sculptures tower over Berryessa Creek Park in San Jose

Ene and I completed the installation of our Wishing Wand sculptures at Berryessa Creek Park in San Jose yesterday, mounting the ‘seed heads’ to the stainless steel posts. Overcast skies do not do justice to the sparkly crystals, and we look forward to returning to document the sculptures when the sun is shining brightly and the ‘seed heads’ refract light prismatically. We’re very proud of our latest Wowhaus public art project, and hope the community enjoys living with the Wishing Wands as much as we enjoyed the collaborative process of designing and making them.

This project is the result of many hands working in harmony to bring our vision into reality, and we owe our deep gratitude to them all- special thanks to: Lynn Rogers & Joe Saxe, San Jose Public Art Program; Jeff McCann, (Metalworker Extraordinaire), McCann Machine & Manufacturing, Santa Rosa; Tim Hyde, Structural Engineer, Ahearn Knox & Hyde Inc., San Jose; Brian Itterly, Manu-Fab, San Jose; Ray Yamanaka, SF Tube, Inc., Hayward; Van Bebber Steel, Petaluma; Robert Balf, JRL Machine & Driveline, Petaluma; Kurt Hogan, Duran/ Hogan Construction, San Jose.

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Here are some images documenting the progress on site: Continue reading “Wishing Wands Installed”

Vicis Vigio

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the unique Red Gravenstein, just picked and ready for the press

I never thought I needed a motto, but Vicis Vigio, which translates loosely as ‘Week in Bloom’, appears to suffice. I’ve become interested in the notion of mottos because they tend to go along with things that have lasted the ages, from heraldry to masonic orders to corporations and related ad campaigns. when does ivermectin start to work on chickens with gapeworm Have you ever noticed how people in their very, very advanced years always have a motto to explain their uncanny longevity, despite overwhelming odds to the contrary? I recently found a great collection of mottos on wikipedia, which you might find of interest by clicking here.

Meanwhile, we’ve had a great week of project progress, proposals and pressing cider. ??? ??? ???????? Here are some images that capture the season of sharing with friends and family while the apples are dropping from the trees and the freshly pressed cider ferments: Continue reading “Vicis Vigio”

Wishing Wands

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One of three ‘seed heads’ of stainless steel and crystal, fabricated by Jeff McCann

After a year of planning with the City of San Jose’s Public Art Program, we’re excited to be finally installing our Wishing Wands sculptures at Berryessa Creek Park. The latest Wowhaus project consists of three 12′ high sculptures depicting ‘dandelions’ in their parachute ball stage, rendered in stainless steel and Austrian crystal. The concept was inspired by the universal practice of children blowing on the plant’s downy-dry seed head and making a wish, which is what we found the neighborhood children to be doing during our exploratory site visit to the park last year. ?????? ???????????? While the sculptures were under fabrication, Ene conducted a wishing workshop with the children who frequent the park, where they made wishes on the 120 crystals to be mounted on the three seed heads. Like magic wands, the sculptures will cast cascades of tiny rainbows when the sun refracts through the prismatic crystals. ??? ???? ?????? 2024

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a neighborhood boy makes a wish on one of the 120 crystals; early concept rendering

The common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is one of the world’s most prolific weeds, whose English name is a corruption of the French dent de lion (lion’s tooth). In many languages, the flower’s name reflects the universal appeal of blowing on the seed head during its parachute ball phase; the flower is variously called pusteblume (German for “blowing flower”), soffione (Italian for “blowing”; in some northern Italian dialects), dmuchawiec (Polish, derived from the verb “blow”), одуванчик (Russian, derived from the verb “blow”).

The First Dandelion, by Walt Whitman

Simple and fresh and fair from winter’s close emerging,

As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics, had ever been,

Forth from its sunny nook of shelter’d grass–innocent, golden, calm as the dawn,

The spring’s first dandelion shows its trustful face.

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