Chooks on cards

If like me, you're fond of eggs and their creators, you may enjoy these great old illustrations. The first two are on cigarette cards and the last from a French children's game. I have 5 lovely hens of my own wandering the back yard as I write.

The much sought after Ogden's Poultry Alphabet, 1924. Via the collection of Tim Bones.

Rhode Island Red from United Tobacco Co. "Farmyards of South Africa" series (c. 1918-1943). via The New York Public Library

Zoo families via pillpat (agence eureka) on flickr

Vintage Parker fountain pens

If you live the perfect mid-century lifestyle, you write your letters using classic fountain pens. For a while in the early years of the 21st century, I collected fountain pens, trolling the ebay listings for a few choice pearls. Many will tell you that Parker had two of the best and most popular fountain pens of the mid 20th century: the Vacuumatics and the 51s.

My collection of Parker 51 and vacuumatic pen & pencil sets. Somehow, I misplaced the cedar blue 51 fountain pen that I bought with the pencil.

One of the nice things about them is the "pearl" embedded in the end cap, and the deco lines in the pencil tips of the 51.

The packaging ain't bad, either.

Not to mention the ink...

The creme de la creme of the 51s was the chrome "flighter". Here is a mint in box set.

A 1939 parker vacuumatic ad.

From Dwell magazine

A modern pre-fab addition to a MCM Joseph Esherick 1954 classic in Berkeley, CA.

A slatted walkway leads into the new library.

The tearoom, reached by breezeways on either side, provides a transition from the main house to the pavilion, which measures 1,800 square feet. “The pavilion has a distinctive Japanese flair to it, like the original house,” says Parco. Photo by Caren Alpert.