Health and Fitness / Outdoors / Toys and Games

by Nathan on Feb 1, 2012 • No Comments

It’s nearly Superbowl Sunday, and it’s downright chilly in much of the country. When I grew up in Washington, winter was a time when the soil was damp, with the smell of rotting leaves, and often with the perma-damp texture of mud that freezes at night and thaws during the...

Clothing

by Nathan on Nov 24, 2011 • No Comments

It’s hard to throw a good pair of jeans away.  How many other articles of clothing do we wear with gaping holes in them?  Shoes?  No.  Shirts?  Not likely.  Jackets?  Certainly not.  Most of my jeans are older than my children.  When you spend this much time with an article...

Health and Fitness

by Nathan on Jun 29, 2011 • 2 Comments

It was the early 90s and love was in the air. I found myself near Vantage on the sandy banks of the Columbia River. I was camping with a circle of hippies, making our way to a show at the Gorge. It was a balmy evening, and several of us decided to bathe in the...

Clothing

by Nathan on Jun 24, 2011 • Comments Closed

It’s offcially summertime! That means it’s time to grab your cut-offs, an inner tube, hop in the Mustang II and head on down to the lake. I’ve already got cold Shastas on ice! Who’s with me? Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell...

Toys and Games

by Nathan on Jun 21, 2011 • No Comments

We all had blocks, didn’t we? Well, if we did, we can count ourselves lucky. My Grandmother once told me that when she was a kid in Montana, they played with chicken bones. Really? Were there no sticks? But I digress… Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the...

Kitchen / Outdoors

by Nathan on Jun 13, 2011 • No Comments

Since the dawn of time, mankind has cooked food on sticks over a fire. There are few things that taste better than good barbecue, and fewer things more satisfying than eating a meal off a stick. Ask any child. The problem is, we have a round grill, and there always seems to be underutilized space....

Lawn and Garden

by Nathan on Jun 8, 2011 • No Comments

I was poking around the internet looking for American-made products, as I am wont to do, and I stumbled across this company. I initially saw it as Suncast Reels and thought that it must be fishing equipment. Not so. We’re talking hose reels today, my friends. Let’s see… Now how do I make this interesting?...

Health and Fitness

by Nathan on Jun 4, 2011 • No Comments

It must be great to be a chemist at MIT or CalTech. So many of these companies seem to originate with loveable eccentrics having a problem and using their powers of science to solve it. These are the kind of stories we love, so much so that they have become a bit of an archetype...

Clothing

by Nathan on Jun 1, 2011 • No Comments

Here’s another Father’s Day post, and today I am going to talk to you about something that every dad can appreciate: A good pair of socks. It’s true. Yes, you are likely to see a flash of disappointment across his face the first time he opens a gift of Smartwool socks. It’s not a new...

Clothing

by Nathan on May 27, 2011 • No Comments

With Father’s Day quickly approaching, I have been looking for some products that any dad can use. It didn’t take long before I found Pendleton Woolen Mills. As I started looking into the company, something seemed familiar. I went to the site to see clothes, but I kept finding myself drawn to the blankets. Were...

Kitchen / Outdoors

by Nathan on May 25, 2011 • 1 Comment

As spring comes to an uneventful close, I once again find that it is time to bone up on the summer rituals: Geocaching, forestry, bird study, wind sprints in the yard, the kids timing me as I put up and take down the tent, and getting out and cleaning up the grill. I guess that...

Tools

by Nathan on May 19, 2011 • No Comments

I’m not terribly handy. I wish that I were. I like to think of myself as a do-it-yourselfer. Too often though, I find that I am a start-it-yourselfer and then realize that I am in over my head and call a professional. Give me time. I’m coming to terms with this. Digg this post Recommend...

Health and Fitness / Outdoors / Toys and Games

by Nathan on May 18, 2011 • No Comments

It’s almost summer. And with summer comes sunshine, cookouts, beach parties, and the heart of the baseball season. What’s more American than baseball?  And what’s more American than taking baseball and scaling it down so that it can be played with friends and family in a backyard? Don’t let your lack of athleticism prevent you...

Musical Instruments

by Nathan on May 12, 2011 • No Comments

I must admit, I have been excited about writing this post all day. Not only am I a drummer*, but I also think that Zildjian has a fascinating history. At fifteen generations, it is the oldest family-owned business in America. It all began nearly four hundred years ago… Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Tumblr...