Notes from the Field...and (hopefully) the Imagination

You really thought a blog that looks like this wouldn't have a Field Notes post? Please.

The first shipment of my yearlong Field Notes "Colors" subscription arrived a week or two ago. There it is, right up there. So woodsy. Two three-packs of boring ol' regular Field Notes and two three-packs of the seasonal edition (in this case, "Shelterwood," made from the thinnest slice of cherry-tree bark), as well as a pencil, pen, and rubber band thrown in for good measure.

The impetus for the subscription was my effort to find a better way to facilitate my creative writing. To this point, most of my writing has been on the computer. But often I find that inspiration strikes when I'm away from a keyboard. I usually have my iPhone and can use the Notes app to record the essence of my idea and flesh it out later, but many times the spark that I had when I first had the idea has largely fizzled out.

I added a legal pad (and later a sheaf of loose-leaf paper) to my everyday carry to try to have writing material available wherever I might be, but I found that the size of these items still constrained their usefulness. I've long bought and used moleskine notebooks, which solve the portability issue, but I found I have a mental block when it comes to committing to writing in a $12, 192-page notebook: I am hesitant to put pen to paper until I'm sure I have a well-formed idea that I want to commit to a notebook of that price and size, and such hesitancy inhibits the creative process.

Thus, I decided to try Field Notes. Each notebook is obviously portable, but also smaller and cheaper than a moleskine. As a bonus, they are an American-made product, and their tongue-in-cheek details are fun. I figured that if I committed to buy a total of 30 notebooks over a year, it might help me get over my mental block of actually using the notebooks I acquire.

The one drawback is that the softcover Field Notes are less durable for everyday carry than the hardcover moleskines. To address this, I looked for a leather journal cover. As it turns out, I wound up finding one made right under my nose here in KC.

Made by Sandlot Goods out of Horween leather, the journal cover was a bit pricier than what I was hoping to find. However, the local connection, as well as the baseball stitching and styling, wound up being the points I used to justify the purchase. I bought mine down at Westside Storey, which I believe may be the only current KC physical sales outlet for Sandlot's products.  

So far, preliminary results are positive. I have already nearly filled the first notebook, which has gone with me nearly everywhere. Moreover, it has just been a fun way to write. And increasing the enjoyment of writing, in nearly any way you can, is never a bad thing. 

   

Finish The Race

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Spring Refreshment: The Basil Instinct

A few autumns ago, I was able to visit Boise, Idaho for the first time. I cannot recommend Boise highly enough as a getaway spot...it is a clean, beautiful, vibrant city full of great places to eat, drink, and visit. One of the establishments I visited was Bardenay, which is a micro-distillery and restaurant. While there, I had one of their signature cocktails, the "Basil Instinct," which was a crisp, herbal/citrus gin concoction.

Having found myself recently with an excess of both gin and basil, I decided to see if I could recreate the drink, described on Bardenay's website as containing Bardenay Gin, Patron Citronge, fresh basil, and pressed margarita and sweet & sour mixes. After a bit of trial and error, I think I've found a reasonable approximation. And even if it's not a facsimile, it's still a perfect cooling cocktail for these warm spring days (and a great way to use your superfluity of basil).

Basil Instinct
(based upon the original Bardenay version)

2 parts gin
1 part triple sec
.5 part lime juice
.5 part lemon juice
.5 part simple syrup (or 1/3 part sugar)
Sprig of basil (4-6 leaves)

Muddle the syrup or sugar with the basil. Add juices, triple sec, and gin, and shake with ice. Pour and serve with a sprig of basil to garnish, if desired.

Notes: Simple syrup can be made quickly by combining equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan and bringing to a boil, while stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. This can be kept in the refrigerator for a few weeks. If you like a sweeter cocktail, use a full measure of simple syrup or sugar to taste.

History of Graphic Design

Pop Chart Labs, $29

Discoveries: Spring 2014

New (or new to me) things I've discovered around KC this spring:

→  PT's Coffee, based in Topeka, has taken over the Crossroads Coffee House. I was introduced to PT's a few months ago through the coffeepot at work and am particularly partial to the John Brown blend. I was having a tough time finding it in KC, when the nice folks at Second Best Coffee told me they thought Crossroads might already be carrying some of the PT's line, even though (at that time) the transition to PT's was not complete. I called down there and, sure enough, there was a five-pound bag of John Brown that the staff was happy to dip into for my sake. When I walked in to pick it up, I was told that someone had walked in with the same request just minutes before...so word's getting out about the availability of PT's in KC (and my favorite blend).

→  I rarely buy t-shirts anymore, thanks to the storage boxes full of date party and student organization shirts acquired in college and the fact that t-shirts are no longer in heavy rotation for my daily wear, but I made an exception when I ran across Normal Human in Mission, which makes area-themed shirts and prints. I wound up buying their Scout t-shirt:

as well as their Kansas wheat flag print:

but it was tough to choose just those two from their collection. Looks like they'll soon be moving to a more foot-traffic-friendly location in Westport.

→  For various reasons, I've found myself in Westport more often recently, and a welcome recent addition to the food options down there is Eat Me Gourmet, in the back of the Westport Saloon. They specialize in delicious sandwiches, and I and my friends can personally vouch for the banh mi, cuban, and shorty (short ribs). You can sit down and enjoy in the Westport Saloon earlier in the afternoon/evening (they open at 4 p.m.), order to-go at the outside window, or they will also deliver to several of the neighboring establishments later in the evening.

→  We recently tried Barrel 31, which took over the Velvet Dog space in Martini Corner. The revamped porch was perfect for a mild spring evening, and the overall transformation of the space is significant and impressive.

The drink menu is full of intriguing concepts, but at the time of our visit the staff still seemed to be familiarizing itself with the signature drinks. They had also run out of the house-infused ingredients needed for some of the drinks, and several of the more attractive whiskeys listed on the menu were already unavailable. Nevertheless, there's enough going for Barrel 31 that we plan to return once they've had time to smooth some things out so we can enjoy the great atmosphere and try the food.

→  On the radar for the summer: Julep, Westport Ale House, Bridger's.

Steller: Town Bike Outfitting

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