Ink from the Keel

My experience with Waterman fountain pens is limited. I own only one, and it isn’t a pen I use too frequently, earning a place in my collection by its very unusual black and white checkerboard design that includes a broad orange stripe down the barrel. It is a 2000 model in the Waterman Harley Davidson Free Wheel Racing series. A good looking fountain pen, but my patience with the stainless steel nib was short lived.

Trying my hand at a Waterman Carène turned out to be a very different experience, and a pleasant surprise. Another of the pens I am evaluating for a friend, this one had to wait a couple of weeks to have its turn. Anyone with an interest in Waterman will know that the Carène is a very popular model, and that it comes in several variations. The one I am trying out today is the Carène in Marine Amber, called by some dealers Amber Shimmer. Waterman’s own description of this is typical ad agency copy: ‘Deep undulating browns and blacks mixed with the seasoned richness of gold-plated trim evoking a timeless elegance.’ Take a little of the pizazz and exaggeration out of that statement and what you’ll see is a barrel and cap in satin lacquer finish of brown marbled amber, enhanced by a gold plated pocket clip and trim. And my redaction of Waterman’s hype is not meant to imply this lacquer finish and gold trim might be anything less than beautiful. Most wouldn’t hesitate to call this a handsome fountain pen.

But if there is to be hype, to my eye, the pen’s attractiveness stems more from the overall line, the design of the pen’s shape. Fulfilling the nautical image implied by the name Carène—an old French word for ‘keel’—the designer envisioned the line and grace of a racing yacht, flowing from one end to the other with the least interruption. Begin with the top and what Waterman calls the ‘button,’ a slanting gold form echoing the curved stern of a yacht. From there the eye flows uninterrupted to the inlaid nib over a curving bottom, which can be seen as a yacht’s bow slicing into the waves. This nautical line is what Waterman means when they suggest ‘timeless elegance.’

Not a large pen, the Carène measures 14.4cm capped, and at 14.7cm posted is not a great deal longer. The weight is a comfortable 33 grams. What is noticeable is that the pen is slimmer than average, or maybe sleeker would be a more fitting description.

The inlaid nib is rhodium-plated 18k gold, and in the case of this pen, medium. Most interesting about this nib is the absence of an ink hole on the top. Instead, it is located behind the nib, on the underside of the pen, and 1.5cm up from the tip. The pen uses either a cartridge or converter filling system.

In my writing test, the pen performed beautifully. Smooth flowing without a hint of skip. The inkline is consistent throughout the stroke, either up, down or curving. I have my favorite pens and preferred nibs, and while I won’t say the Waterman Carène puts them in shadow, it definitely is a pen I would buy without hesitation. It writes well.

For the test in the attached photograph I used Waterman Havana ink on Clairefontaine 90g paper.

Juiced Up

A couple of years back when I was spending a summer here at the beach, I got a juice notion in my head and came home one day with the monster of juicers, a Breville Juice Fountain. Let me warn you from the start, if you like the sound of making fresh juice and are thinking about a juicer, the Breville is terrific, but so large you may need to remodel your kitchen to make room for it.

While in Japan, I used for years a small juicer made by Panasonic and it worked well enough, but required difficult cleaning after processing a small amount of fruit or vegetables. Thus, it took more time than I wanted to spend for an eight-ounce glass of fresh apple juice. Hoping to avoid that problem here, I chose the giant Breville Juice Fountain. And it was a good choice apart from the problem of storing the darn thing.

Can’t imagine there’s anyone who would deny that drinking freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juice offers better flavor and more nutritional punch. No question it’s not as convenient as the supermarket carton or bottle; higher quality usually requires a sacrifice of some kind. But a word about that above mentioned ‘better flavor’… To put it simply, everyone I have ever offered a glass of fresh juice has been knocked out by the flavor—EVERYONE.

Around the same time I got the Juice Fountain, I found the perfect companion book. The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies by Natalie Savona is colorful, fact-filled and offers 365 natural blends. Each of the recipes includes a two or three line description of the flavor, a list of the nutrients, and a zero to five star chart measuring the degree of benefits in: energy, detox, immunity, digestion and skin. The simplest recipes are for things like orange juice (The Original Juice) and apple juice (Eve’s Downfall), but for the more adventurous are recipes like Black Mud (tomatoes, beet, kale leaves and lime). Admittedly, something this exotic—or weird—is not for the beginner. I can recall some of my own disastrous ‘blends’ that ended in 8-10 hours of hysterical colon seizures. But in all honesty, ninety-eight percent of the recipes in Ms Savona’s book are a taste treat and offer a bundle of health benefits.

Following are a few of my personal favorites:

APPLE GONE LOUPEY

3 apples

2 thick slices of melon

1 small bunch of fresh mint

This one’s high in energy, detox, immunity and skin benefits.

EVE’S PEACH

2 peaches or nectarines

2 apples

High in energy, immunity and skin benefits.

CREAMY PEAR

3 pears 1 thick slice of melon

1 small bunch of mint

Good for energy, immunity and skin.

GREEN PINES

1/2 pineapple

3 sticks of celery

1 large handful of watercress

This one’s a bonanza in everything.

BREATH FRESHENER

4 medium carrots

1 handful parsley

High powered in everything; freshens the breath from the inside, and not merely a mouth rinse.

PEPPERY TOM

6 tomatoes

1 large bunch of watercress

1 stick of celery

The watercress is the seasoning in this one; also great for energy, detox, immunity and skin.

See Natalie Savona’s book at Amazon or BetterWorldBooks

September Wind

Could just be me, or maybe I’m reading it wrong, but in the past several days the air feels a little different here along the coast in central Florida. Not a day passes, rain or shine that I don’t log some time walking on the beach. Unless there is a disruption in a rather undemanding schedule, that time comes early every morning. The rare occasion will see me walking in late afternoon, but my preference is to be out early in the day.

The wind has altered, and something tells me it isn’t an offshore wind or breeze related to storms far out in the Atlantic. Storm generated wind has a different feel and even a different scent from what has characterized my beach walks this past week or so. Is it perhaps the first shift of season in moving from summer into pre-autumn? That is exactly the feeling out on the beach this week.

For several days I’ve sensed a change, a feeling immediately noticeable upon stepping outside in the morning. Gone is the spike of heat so regular these last months. Gone, too is the hard glare of sun that makes cap and sunglasses a requirement. Naturally, mornings are always cooler, even during the hottest weeks of summer, but there is now a creeping awareness that before long my trunks and sleeveless T-shirt may be inadequate.

The feel of the sand beneath my feet was for three days this past week very unlike what I am used to, a softness or mushy surface that made hard work of walking. On each of those days, to spare myself the struggle, I left the beach near the halfway mark and walked on a narrow street just over the dunes. This change in the sand’s firmness is influenced by phenomenon I can’t describe, but common sense tells me it must be related to tidal patterns.

But, the off-beach walking brought a big surprise on one morning. Happily walking along I came face to face with a five foot snake in the road. A rat snake, and a very beautiful one. The snake was obviously recharging its energy through the warmth of the pavement. A nudge near the tail produced a slight head movement, but nothing else. It was still there on my return, and I watched a few minutes until it slithered off into the tall grass of an empty lot. Not a big fan of snakes without the glass barrier of zoos and television screens, I must say this rat snake was a handsome specimen. Usually quick to remember the camera in my pocket, this time I never thought of it. The photo here is a stock image of a rat snake very like the one I encountered.

The beach photos are north and south views of the stretch I walk each day.

Pachyderms & Dwarfs

Two words in a New York Times review by Elizabeth Judd prompted me to buy Sara Gruen’s 2007 novel, Water for Elephants.

‘On our first date, my husband took me to see Todd Browning’s Freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly Diane Arbus feel that takes a voyeuristic delight in dwarfs, fat ladies and other sideshow improbabilities. Sara Gruen’s arresting new novel, Water for Elephants, explores similar subject matter—the PATHETIC GRANDEUR of the Depression-era circus.’

What a marvelous description—pathetic grandeur—and one that immediately triggered my interest. Something about it had resonance with an image I have always had of circuses attended as a boy.

Like many good titles, this book was a longtime coming to my bookshelves. It was first published in 2006 by Algonquin Books, and I can remember seeing it in my Tokyo bookstore around that time. Too bad for me, I passed it by without paying much attention. It wasn’t until a month ago that I stumbled upon Elizabeth Judd’s review of the book, and intrigued by her description, bought myself a copy of the book.

Booksellers are often quick to categorize books, to fit them into a genre that makes order easier. Water for Elephants is one of those multi-faceted books that require inclusion in as many as five categories. It is as much a circus history as it is a love story, and adventure novel, a mystery and a fictional memoir. Ms Gruen’s story proves that she is sensitive to the ingredients that make up a page-turning novel.

The story is told in flashbacks by Jacob Jankowski, with chapters alternating between his circus days as a young man in 1931, and his present ‘sentence’ to a nursing home. These alternating environments provide the writer with a powerful playing field.

Shortly before graduation from Cornell University, 23 year-old Jacob’s parents are killed and he is left penniless and basically alone in a Depression-era America. In his despair he blows off his final exams and jumps a passing train, which just happens to be one carrying the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth—And there begin the adventures of young Jacob Jankowski.

The circus is not much more than a second-rate operation hopscotching from town to town, playing a day or two in one place before hightailing it to the next, often just ahead of the cops. With his education in veterinary science, Jacob is put to work looking after the menagerie of animals, an assortment of mangy, ill-fed unfortunates. Everything about it is squalid, filthy and brutish. Jacob finds himself butt of the impresario’s cruelty, and all too close to a schizophrenic animal trainer. As fate would have it, Jacob falls immediately in love with the man’s beautiful young wife. He soon becomes protector of the weaker employees in this new life of his, where his love and care extend beyond human boundaries to encompass the animals as well. Gruen is not new to writing about animals, and her characterizations of the circus animals, especially Rosie the elephant and Bobo the chimp are lovingly drawn.

The novel is a result of careful and thorough research tingling with the authentic color and personality of circus life at an earlier time. A distinct language of the time and place practically crackles in the mouths of characters like Kinko, Camel, Blackie and Diamond Joe. Much of the texture in Water for Elephants is built upon real events chronicled in circus archives, and from the personal recollections of circus workers and performers.

Admiration and liking for the characters allow us to accept the almost too sweet happy ending on both sides of the story—salvation from a circus tragedy at one end, and from a depressing old age in a nursing home at the other. Water for Elephants is ultimately escapist literature rich in the elements that keep us turning pages. The midgets, freaks, small town rubes, the sequins and cotton candy, the earthy circus ground and love, all invite our submersion in Jacob and Rosie’s world.

At Amazon and at BetterWorldBooks (cheaper, free US shipping, greener, serving global literacy)

The Other Side of Porsche

Focus today is on another fountain pen outside the circle of names most commonly associated with writing instruments. We all know the name of Porsche; most of us admire the car, many of us would like to own a Porsche car. Both the design and engineering of Porsche cars are highly regarded. With the help of Faber Castell the carmaker has made a bold statement in the field of writing instruments with the Porsche Design P3110 TecFlex Stainless Steel Gold fountain pen.

The barrel of this beautiful pen is woven TecFlex steel with fine gold threads. This TecFlex, woven from stainless steel combines nickel, chromium, molybdenum and tungsten is resistant to corrosion, is hard-wearing and highly elastic. The same material is used to sheath brake lining and electrics in cars and motorcycles driven in high performance environments. In addition, all metal parts are coated with palladium, a silvery-white metal resembling platinum. With these materials is it any surprise that Faber Castell (in partnership with Porsche) offers a lifetime mechanical guarantee?

The nib is Rhodium-plated 18k gold and comes in either F, M or B sizes. The radial ground finish guarantees what Porsche calls ‘optimum stroke.’ Still, some thought is recommended in choosing a nib size, because they tend to be broad. The P3110 fine nib will seem medium by most definitions. The one I am testing has a medium nib, which to my eye looks about right, but I think it has something to do with the Clairefontaine 90g paper. On plain white copy paper the stoke is much broader.

The Porsche P3110 measures 15cm closed and 17.6cm posted. The weight of the pen is a whopping 50 grams, or 1.9 ounces, and might just frighten off most of the ladies, or at least those whose hobby is not throwing a shot put. No question, this is a big, heavy fountain pen, though a handsome one.

Memories Are Made of This

Flashes of former days, pangs of nostalgia and thoughts of then…

Rainy Season Tokyo—

An all day pall of pounding rain. The streets of Shibuya a mess. Walking is rarely easy there, but harder still in the curtain of rain. Being out and about becomes a rumple of wet umbrellas, damp bodies, crowded buses and trains—all of it nasty and made horribly uncomfortable by the raging humidity…

Now hot, humid, bright and oppressive, the rain in temporary retreat but leaving a dampness of multiplied stickiness on clothes and skin.

Overheard at Church—

Masako E. has an ingrown toenail, but is afraid of needles. Yuki Y’s father has to have the other big toe amputated, his second loss to diabetes. Jonelle’s phlebitis spread to her vocal chords and forced her to give up choir. Pray for her. Pray for them.

Sights on the Train—

Young businessmen on the way to work, the ubiquitous blue suit, and on their feet a pair of snowy white socks inside black or brown dress shoes. Flash forward twenty-five years and it’s no longer the standard white socks, but the hugely popular white or gray ankle socks with the business suit and dress shoes—a flirtation with fashion crime.

Waiting for Kumiko—

Tokyu Plaza, place of old memories over the years in Tokyo. It once housed an excellent Kinokuniya Bookstore, but since the large Shinjuku branch at Times Square opened, this one has slipped into the category of second-rate. No more stationery goods, few books in English…

Sitting in the lobby café, a fourth or fifth regeneration café now called the Morozoff Soda Fountain. Crammed full, like everywhere in Shibuya at 6:00 pm on a Saturday. Sipping iced coffee, wondering if the waitress balancing a tray of what looks like six fruit sodas chartreuse green and bubbling with scoops of ice cream will safely work her way through the congested squish of tiny tables.

Doutor Housewives—

Amazing to me that others in the small room of eight tables are able to sit as though all around them was a state of perfect quiet. Conditioning from birth is the likeliest reason. On the other hand, I have to bite my tongue to stifle a rude remark. A gaggle of giggling, chattering, clacking housewives enter and wrestle three tables together, close all the window shades to darken the sunlit room, and like magpies on Amphetamine, all talking at once destroy completely the peace of a late afternoon. They have a peculiar skill of all talking at the same time, yet never missing a word of what each one of the group is saying.

Big Time—

Buying the trainman’s pocket watch at Nakajima-san’s small secondhand shop on the corner. Admiring the watch in the window, giving in after a week. It is a big watch, a Seiko quartz, silver-plated, made in 1989 and the very same model used by all train drivers and conductors in Japan. Cheap at ¥8,000, it becomes one of my treasures.

Renovation—

In 2004 Yokohama Station was renovated, a completely new redesign of the 1928 structure. Soon after the renovation, which erased the old station’s interior layout, I find myself inches from an anxiety attack in trying to find my way out. Certainly there are improvements, but the new station is now an impossible maze, an almost-prison designed to keep people wandering in underground circles looking for one of the fifty or more exits. Often taking as much as thirty minutes to find the desired exit, then discovering you’re on the wrong side for buses going to your destination. Call it a preview, a shallow hell.

One Christmas Dinner—

A fine cook, Kumiko outdoes herself this time. We sit down to a beef stew, a huge salmon pie, a Japanese salad, an Italian-style green salad, assorted cheeses, Japanese pickles, two bottles of Cabernet, a chocolate cake and pots of coffee. I go home later with new fur lined slippers.

Superman’s Fountain Pen

Back fiddling with fountain pens, still not done with the checking out of my friend’s collection. I’ve had eyes and hands on one today that honestly provoked some surprise, since I never before associated the name Alfred Dunhill with fountain pens. But I’ve learned there is a long list of Alfred Dunhill pens, and judging from the Dunhill AD2000 Carbon Fiber pen here before me, high quality is the name of the game.

The AD2000 Carbon Fiber is Swiss made, but more manufacturer detail than that I can’t offer. I discovered the fact of its Swiss origins from the tiny SWISS MADE stamp on the underside of the pocket clip.

The dominant feature of the pen is its carbon fiber barrel and cap, a heavy and super strong material. The term ‘carbon fiber’ was familiar, but not in any sort of real understanding of what it is. Carbon fiber is another of those miracle products from US military-industrial research of the late 50s, early 60s. In those days it was the exclusive domain of Air Force jets. These days it’s quite common in things like tennis rackets, mountain bikes, fishing rods, racing yacht masts, and yes, fountain pens. Here’s how they do it: Graphite, the same ‘lead’ we use in pencils is baked in an oven heated to a few hundred degrees centigrade. The result is thin, enormously strong fibers that are nine times stronger than aluminum and thirty times stronger than steel. A fountain pen made of this material is virtually unbreakable and leakproof at any altitude. Like a diamond (which is pure carbon), the strength comes from a simple structure. The fibers don’t stretch or compress; wrap them together and they won’t bend. The Dunhill AD2000 was the first pen to utilize carbon fiber and might be the pen you would find in Superman’s pocket.

It was first produced in 1995, and has since been discontinued. This is why most of those you find for sale are going to be expensive. Looking at thirty or so online sites showed prices around $800, and often more.

The AD2000 uses a push type converter, one which you press on the top and pump two or three times rather than turning, a Pilot converter, I believe. It holds a generous amount of ink.

The nib is 18k and I’m almost certain is Rhodium-plated. But I did read one description that called it white gold. Mmm…not sure of that. It is an M nib, which in my hand writes a little stiff, has little glide, or none of the buttery movement I personally like. Have to say, it looks good on the page, or at least it does in the Sailor Hearth Red (Irori) I tested the pen with.

Unable to find the information from Dunhill or other websites, I am going to say that the clip and top of the cap, as well as the small cap at the top of the barrel are not silver, but brushed aluminum. The center band engraved with ALFRED DUNHILL looks more like silver. Here again, as with the nib, I could be mistaken.

This is a large, bullet-shaped fountain pen, solid and heavy. Capped, it measures 15cm, and slightly over 16cm posted. It feels good in my large hand, and is a pen I would enjoy owning, though I might balk at the high price. If you have it to spare, the Dunhill AD2000 would, in my opinion, be a solid buy.