The Invincible Eagle! (Fourth of July Made in USA Bonanza and Victory Garden Update)

     As Henry sullenly reflects on all the sacrifices that have been made to make this great nation of ours what it is today, I've decided to take a more lighthearted approach to commemorating this Fourth of July. I realize, on the morning of the Mighty Fourth, that I have not made quite as many "Made in the USA" posts as I intended to, so like any good American, I'm going to clump a bunch of them together to get it over with, so I don't have to do more work.
     Don and I went backpacking a couple weeks ago, and as a result I got to try out some of the made in the USA things I bought before I cut my finger, with the intention of doing a good amount of bike camping and regular camping this spring, but didn't get to until now (at least not in the Great Outdoors). So here:

Therm-A-Rest NeoAir Sleeping Pad (Made in Seattle, WA) - This amazing little sleeping pad weighs just 13 oz., rolls up to the size of a 32 oz. (which are also made in the USA), and is a very comfortable (and warm) 2.5 inches thick when inflated. Sure, the self-inflating pads are a little more convenient when it comes to inflating, but the 1-2 minutes it takes to inflate this one is fine with me. Also, you can roll this up inside your sleeping bag stuff sack, inflate it, and it will make a great camp stool.

Wickers Wool Blend T-Shirt and boxer briefs- Wool shirts are generally expensive, and wool shirts made in the USA doubly so, but these Wickers wool blend shirts, which are 50/50 wool/Viscose rayon, and available through Sierra Trading Post, are extremely affordable. STP has different sales all the time, and I think I got mine for about $16. When we were backpacking, we went from flat ground to fairly steep, long climbs in the 85 degree sunshine, and once those climbs began, we were soaked in sweat after about 2 minutes, and when I say soaked I mean soaked. But the wool/rayon blend wicked the sweat away from me, kept me cool, and after the climbs were over, dried very quickly. The shirt also stayed very comfortable for the duration. They also make boxers out of the same material. Wickers wool things are a great deal for doing outdoors things.

Wiggy's Sleeping Bags - Like most made in the USA things, Wiggy's sleeping bags are more expensive than their Chinese counterparts. But Wiggy's has been around forever, they are rugged and durable no-frills bags. They are filled with Lamilite, which supposedly retains its loft forever and will keep you warm even when soaking wet (there are videos of people outside, in the soaking rain, with temps in the mid-30s, who still claim they are warm). I have the Ultra-Light, which is good down to 20 degrees (probably lower), and weighs 3 1/4 pounds. I could never really justify the price of this, which is generally around $140, for the amount or type of camping I do, but I found it very lightly used on ebay for less than half that. The backpacking trip was the first time I used this outside, and I realized, after lugging it for miles, that it was completely unnecessary for the temperature, but it was comfortable to lie upon.

I think that's it for the backpacking and camping stuff, at least that's all I can think of for now.

 One pint in my stomach, 23 pints in the bags, and 26 miles back home to go. It's blueberry season again, and Sunday morning I decided to ride out to Hammonton to pick up two flats of blueberries, which, of course, are made in the USA, and once you get hooked on Jersey blueberries, it's hard, if not impossible, to go back to imported blueberries in the off-season. The price is $15 dollars a flat, which is a little more than last year, but still pretty good. I devoured a pint immediately. More made in USA tie-ins:

Lone Peak H-100 Handlebar bag - (not my bike above, but it's a better picture than I have. Also, the H-100 is the bag in the middle of the bottom) This bag is a great bag. It's got really heavy duty construction, a convenient quick release bracket, tons of room, and has a really classic design. This bag is really all you'd need for most commutes, but when I combine this with the basket on the back of my bike (Wald, also made in USA), I can carry tons of stuff. The one downside is the price has gone up about $10 since I bought mine, but you can find them pretty reasonably priced on ebay lightly used. I also have a H-75 that I may be selling, if any of the two people reading this want to buy it. It's slightly smaller, but not that much and a great bag in its own right. Lone Peak also makes some other great bike bags, all of similarly tough construction.

Jandd Mountaineering Mini Mountain Panniers - Like the penny-pinching, but still economically-domestic minded self that I am, I got these on ebay for the price you'd pay for Chinese panniers of a similar size. They were (and still are) in great shape. I like these because they are smaller than full-size, but still have plenty of room for a lot of applications, plus are expandable to hold even more but retain a smaller size when you don't need it. Plus, they perfectly hold about 10 pints of blueberries each, and more room for other things in the external pouches.

That's all I want to do for this Made in USA section, because I want to get to the beach, go in the made on Earth ocean, lounge in my Chinese beach chair, and catch some made in Outer Space rays.

Now, for the Victory Garden update (it's really just my normal garden, but isn't every garden a Victory Garden today?)

 The square foot gardening method I have adopted keeps things well organized, and allows you to grow a lot in a little space. The tomatoes are growing non-stop this year, some have outgrown the 7-foot-tall trellis already!

 I love growing squash and zucchinis because not only are they delicious, and usually produce a plentiful bounty, but the leaves often grow to near-mutant sizes!

Some cherry tomatoes, which are just about to start ripening, and once ripe, will probably never make it in the house.

Mr. Waltham Butternut in his infancy.

Although this is a Chinese variety of eggplant, I can rest easily knowing that by growing it in the USA in my Victory Garden I have helped to defeat the Red devils on the other side of the world. JUST KIDDING!

 Fifth delicious zucchini almost ready for picking.

I planted two varieties of carrots, one called Danver's, which are traditionally shaped, and one called Paris Market, which are round. Unfortunately, I think these were the former. They still tasted good though.

Chioggia beets. None of my beets got too big, but the nice thing about beets is that even if they completely fail, the greens are still usually plentiful and very delicious when sauteed or steamed, so you still get something out of it.

That's it! Happy Fourth of July! Hooray for American! Down with the Hun! Long live Freedom and Victory forever! May England forever wallow in the filth of defeat and a faded empire! Hoorah!

If these don't make you love our country, then get out (I don't know why someone chose in the first three to have an awesome space photo, other than to imply that the USA is the King of the Universe, and Sousa is its soundtrack!)

Go to the Beach!

  
     If you haven't been in the ocean in a while, get there, because last weekend I was at the beach and the water was perhaps the most beautiful it's ever been, and with this NE wind blowing like it has been, I'll bet it's warmed up another 5 degrees. I'll find out tomorrow. What the ocean have to do with the picture above? Nothing at all, unless you count both the beauty of the ocean and the fully-defined tiny features on that nickel-sized dead bird both as marvels of the natural world. And I do, so here they are together.
     Jeannine and I saw The Avengers on Monday, and it was really fun. I love summer movie season, when all these big, fun movies unleash an onslaught of sensory overload. I really can't wait for Batman. Also, if you are lucky enough to have seen Moonrise Kingdom already, let me know how it was. I bet it's really good.
     
     Speaking of big and fun, the new Japandroids album, "Celebration Rock," is just that. I've listened to it a couple times, and it is some great summertime rock and roll. Really like the song above, "Continuous Thunder," which is the last song on the album. Check it out.

MADE IN THE U.S.A.

    
     In this interview with author Elizabeth Cline on NPR, a fact is mentioned that Americans each spend a smaller percentage of their income on clothing than ever (3%), but are still buying at least one item of clothing a week,  because it's all cheap garbage that falls apart so easily. The general emphasis of the interview, and her book, is that we should buy less, but buy better quality. She says that anyone born after 1980 doesn't know what quality is regarding clothing, and that if you go into a vintage store, you will quickly see the difference in quality in the older clothes. She says that we are basically wearing rags today.
    So buy some American-made clothes, spend a little more money, and get something that will last a lot longer.
     Today, another sock! That's right, Smartwool! While Smartwool doesn't make their clothes and other things in this country, it does make the socks here, which is something. And what socks they are! I got a thin pair of Smartwool socks this past Christmas, and wore them all through the winter, and even though they were thin, my feet were kept warm. And the nice thing about Smartwool socks (or any wool socks for that matter) is that they wick moisture away from your skin, which keeps your feet drier. This is also a benefit for summertime socks, of which I own a couple pair of thin no-show Smartwool socks, because the moisture-wicking keeps your feet from getting clammy and smelly in the heat.
    Now I know that these socks are more money than "normal" socks, but it's worth it. And if you look around for closeouts and stuff like that, you can usually find a pair of Smartwool socks for about $6 or $7 a pair. Even if you have to pay a little more, it's worth it.
    That's all I have to say about this installment of "Made in the U.S.A."
  
     
  

America...the Beautiful!

    Sorry Sorry Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. For someone with an excess of free time, I sure manage to not find enough of it.
    The finger is doing well. Well, it's OK anyway. They may have to cut it again to get full motion, but it doesn't sound like that big a deal. I'm at least able to ride my bike and stuff like that. Just don't know about surfing yet, since the finger is still stiff and seems like a bend the wrong way could cause trouble, and after two months, I figure I can wait a little bit longer. Still, I was in the ocean for a little bit yesterday and today, and there were some decent waves, and it made me a thing like homesick, but sick for the sea instead of home. Seasick, I guess. It'll be nice to surf again when I do. And I probably won't have to wear a wetsuit again until fall.
     Jeannine and Erin had the grand opening of their store School of Vintage yesterday, and it went very well. Thanks to all who came out, and if you didn't, come out now! The store is on the Boulevard in Surf City between 15th and 16th, across from Callahan's (aside: a recent dining experience at that restaurant may be the catalyst to spark the rejuvenation of my esteemed blog I'll Never Go There Again. Stay tuned.) Get there.

    So, it's Memorial Day. The beginning of the Summer season, and of all the wonderful things that come along with it. But the day is also a lot more (see above photo). For the past few months, for one reason or another, it has become increasingly important to me, when looking for a product, to seek out a U.S. manufacturer of that product. This is not just a jingoist pursuit, because if something is made better in Switzerland, I'll buy that thing from the Swiss. But, I feel that during the recession, the country (maybe every country) adopts a pseudo-isolationist point of view. It does make sense that if everyone bought things made in the U.S. instead of things made by our red brothers across the Pacific, the economy would do a bit better. I'm not against international trade, that would be stupid, but the fact of the matter is, while American made stuff may be generally more expensive, it is also generally much better quality than the "equivalent" made in China.
     So, during the patriotic season, which lasts from now to the magnificent 4th of July, I'm going to try to post some of my Made in the USA findings. By no means a definitive list, these are just things that I have a use for. Here we go...

MADE IN THE USA:

Darn Tough Vermont wool socks - Some of you know about my wool-only sweater policy. Well, I've expanded it to other garments. Socks, especially in the cold weather, must be wool. Darn Tough has been making wonderful wool socks in Vermont for 30 years, and so far, the pair I have has lived up to the name. A little more expensive than garbage cotton blend socks you'd buy at Walmart, but I prefer warm feet in the winter as opposed to frostbite. But that's just me.

EXPECT LOTS OF SOUSA!