By The Binding

His Royal Procrastinator

Re-purposed a poster from the series that everyone has re-purposed. The original poster I discovered a few years back—before the Keep Calm boom and bust—and it was actually used by the Brits during the London Blitz; unlike Keep Calm, which was printed but never saw the light of day, waiting in storage for a potential Nazi land invasion.

I thought it would be perfect for UC sports (“us” replaced with “UC”). Little did I know that my procrastination would lead to such a waste of potential awesome due to the entire world having this idea for every personal niche topic.

OH WELL. UC Basketball has had its best season in years, so I whipped this up finally while getting pumped for the NCAA Sweet Sixteen game versus Ohio State. Too bad we lost. I guess now I need a “Keep Calm and Wait For Next Season” variant… And to let the self-loathing begin.

Bulova Watch - Need it.

Between the Woods and the Water

I recently inished reading Between the Woods and the Water, an amazingly detailed and well written travel narrative by Patrick Leigh Fermor. I learned about Fermor by reading his obituary in the New York Times. The man was cut of a different cloth. Educated in Great Britain in a classic style. Essentially a polymath; he was comfortable discussing Byron, Chaucer, and Homer while at the same time knowing his geography and wide variety of languages. Fermor’s life was extraordinary. Gentleman, officer, writer, and British hero.

This book is the second volume in a memoir trilogy describing a walk he took across Continental Europe in the 1930s, at the ripe young age of 18 (a college dropout nonetheless!). Between the Woods and the Water vividly describes a long-lost time in Central Europe, before the great destruction and upheaval caused by WWII, but after the dismantle of the great empires and monarchies of the Napoleonic Era.

You almost feel like his travel partner and confidant while following the Danube. Dining and singing in gypsy camps, getting lost from humanity in deep woods, and living for weeks at a time in the country estates of noble blooded families currently searching for their new place in a post-dynastic society.

For any reader that has suffered “golden age” syndrome, Fermor provides pages of reminiscence, tempered through age and wisdom, that make for an exquisite time machine.

Lamingtons

I came across this recipe from Australia a few months back. They certainly made me curious so I researched the story about their origin and the name:

Most accounts of the creation of the lamington agree it was named after Lord Lamington, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901.

….the Lamingtons’ chef at Queensland’s Government House, Armand Gallad, was called upon at short notice to provide something to feed unexpected guests during the busy period leading up to Federation in 1900. According to the Melbourne Age newspaper, Gallad cut up some left over French vanilla sponge cake baked the day before, dipped the slices in chocolate and set them in coconut. Coconut was not widely used in European cooking at that time, but was known to Gallad whose wife was from Tahiti where coconut was used in cooking. Lady Lamington’s guests then asked for the recipe.

Ironically, Lord Lamington was believed to have hated the dessert that had been named in his honour, referring to them as “those bloody poofy woolly biscuits”.

Source Account: Wikipedia

I was a little skeptical of making a coconut dessert, as I’ve never been a huge fan, but I think I’ve found a new staple to add to my baking arsenal.

Wow. These little furry monsters are delicious. It all starts with a traditional sponge cake baked in a square tin. Cut it into equal size rectangular pieces. Let cool until solid. Make chocolate frosting and dip all the edges of the Lamington into the frosting until completely covered. While still gooey, roll the cakes in shredded (and sweetened) coconut. Lick fingers. Serve. Try not to over-indulge.

A few more pics after the jump.

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Foggy Night Front Lawn

Just some photos from a front lawn long exposure shoot last night. The conditions were eerie yet weirdly enchanting. Frogs croaking by the pond in the woods etc. Lens flare are killing some of these unfortunately, so if anyone has a recommendation on ways to avoid please holla. Using a Rebel XT EOS.

Enjoy. Full size can be seen here.

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Snow Day - Glen Helen & John Bryan

Two weeks back we had a powder dump in southwest Ohio. I decided to trek to Yellow Springs and explore a favorite set of parks from my youth—Glen Helen Nature Preserve and John Bryan State Park.

Glen Helen is a nature preserve that is frequented by Antioch University students in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Antioch at one time was a bastion of liberal education and thought, in the middle of Ohio farmland just east of the Dayton metro; but now lies derelict due to constituents having trouble maintaining their finances. A movement among the alumni is growing to get the school back in the black and and thriving again.

In a small prairie of nature preserve lies a scene you might encounter playing Zelda 64 back in middle school. A large green statue of a man atop a stone pediment is nestled at the end of this prairie, as if you had to make a spiritual pilgrimage each time you visited.

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Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio; c. 1970

Amazing photos of a vibrant downtown Cincinnati in the 1970s. These and more via The U.S. National Archives (via OTRCincy).

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Frye “Owen” Boot

How beautiful are these boots? Frye has created some men’s leather boots with an amazingly rugged sensibility in the “Owen” model. It’s a shame they are not currently producing this model according to what my sources (read: Google) have informed me.

I imagine the downfall is wear during the winter on icy and wet ground—gum rubber soles. The last pair of Chukkas with the same sole are currently horrible for stability, especially at home in the Midwest.

By all means, though, these are a way better choice than pretty-man Tom Brady’s Uggs

For anyone unfamiliar, Frye is the oldest continuously operating boot manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1863 by John A. Frye, an English cobbler, the company has historically supplied many an American soldier. From the Union to the Confederacy, Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, and even General Patton (and we all know how much of a dandy he was); Frye has a celebrated heritage selling to those who recognize quality and craftsmanship.