Ten Great Christmas Records

If you don't already have music picked out for the big day, get on the ball.  The below selections are just a taste of what will be spinning at my house this Christmas.  There's a nice mix of sacred and danceable and I've provided links to download them all.

Everybody has one.  This is mine.

What Burl is to me, Bing is to my wife.

This one makes everybody's list every year for a reason.  It gives us all hope.

You've heard him sing but have you heard him SING?

 

This is what it claims to be.  Every other girl singer needs to hang it up.

The Season of Light meets The Wall of Sound.

Sinatra does the sacred hymns like no other.

Once Nat Cole recorded The Christmas Song , why did anyone else bother?  Definitive.

Sometimes I need a choir of voices to remind me of the holiness of Christmas.  Shaw.

This one is just fun.

Fishin' Fancy

It's 36 degrees here in Nashville but I can't stop looking at these old fishing photos from the Library of Congress database.  You may notice the common thread (there's always a common thread) being that all of these fellow are dressed up rather nicely for fishing by today's standards.  This tells me one of two things:  Either people took more pride in the way they dressed for fishing (and photos) in those days OR these gentlemen will literally fish any time and anywhere they can, regardless of where they have come from or where they might be going.  I can't decide but either way, I hope you find these as enjoyable as I have:

Can you name the famous opera singer on the right?

The bow tie makes this.

Is the Tarpon like the Jackalope of the sea?

Have vest, will fish.

1 in a series. Bavarian royalty?

And number 2.

Fishing buddies.

Smoke 'em out.

Fishing Patrol 

Quoddy® and J.Crew

Among the latest batch of classic American brands to be picked up by J.Crew in their ever-growing "partnership" effort is the legendary Perry, Maine shoemaker, Quoddy® .  I happen to love Quoddy products (my boat shoes are pictured below) so I'm glad about the potential visibility boost that comes with the J.Crew add.  While it might seem like a less logical pairing than Quoddy's association with more independent labels who offer primarily American-made items (like South Willard or Freeman Sporting Club) I still think it works.  So far, it looks like only three models have been picked up and only one of them is for men.  I found the Grizzly Boots through a search on jcrew.com but I cannot find them linked to the front page of the shop so I'm not sure if these are officially announced yet.  In any case, if you are looking for a pair of individually hand-made moccasin boots constructed from Horween leather, these may be just what you need.

Quoddy® Grizzly Boots at jcrew.com

 

My daily wear Quoddy® boat shoes

Dog Is My Co-Pilot?

Dogs of Flight

Silent All These Years

Occasionally, two kinds of genius collide in a way that makes so much sense you wonder how the world survived before without the combined force....

In the early 1990s, Seattle-based avant-jazz guitarist Bill Frisell took on the enviable task of composing scores for six silent films from the 1920s starring Buster Keaton.  Frisell and his trio began performing the soundtracks for a live audience with VHS copies of the films projected on stage.  Reissues of the films including the Frisell scores have been a point of discussion (and Frisell's ultimate desire for the work) off and on in the nearly fifteen years since the scores were created but plans never seemed to fully materialized.  Finally, last September three of the six pieces (Go West, The High Sign, One Week) were made available on DVD as "Films of Buster Keaton, Music by Bill Frisell" complete with the "new" scores performed by Frisell, bassist Kermit Driscoll, and drummer Joey Baron.  Nonesuch has also released the scores as a separate CD.  Any fan of film or music should own this set.

Bill Frisell

Buster Keaton (with a puppy in his pocket)

Fashion Backward

There's nothing new under the sun, friends.  A couple of days ago, David Colman of the New York Times posted this piece on a worldwide movement in fashion that seems to be growing amongst young gentlemen (and ladies).  The trend, which has at its core a late 19th century Victorian sensibility, includes elements such as groomed mustaches, bowlers, taxidermy, suspenders, wool pants, English bicycles and lots and lots of tweed.

On an unrelated note, a more obscure but ultra-hip trend in men's fashion seems to be gaining popularity here in Tennessee.  Its core elements include coon skin caps, buck skin breeches, trapping for fur trade, log construction, cholera, and being incredibly uncomfortable.

The Patrol

From the 1979 edition of The Official Boy Scout Handbook:  "The Scout patrol is the finest boys' club in the world.....It is a group of boys, usually six to eight, who pal together because they like to do the same kinds of things.  A patrol is a team.....All of you work toward the same goal.  All of you have a wonderful time.  In the patrol, you learn what fun it is to plan exciting things to do with some of your best friends...to hike and camp together...to sing and laugh together homeward bound from a strenuous hike or around a flickering campfire...to work together to meet the tests that will carry all of you onward and upward....."

Below are a few timeless images of the true patrol in action.  As always, thanks for joining our patrol by stopping by and checking things out.

Fowl Patrol

Hillary and Tenzing on patrol

Vodka Patrol

Coon Patrol (includes dogs)

Rascal Patrol (includes dog)

Deer Patrol (these jackets are killing)

NYC Stickball Patrol (girls not included)

All Ages Patrol (Is the cat dead?)

Shackleton Patrol

This patrol gets major extra points because of the clubhouse.

The Ulitmate Patrol

Recent Obsession: Red+Black Buffalo Plaid