The good news Friday, which was somewhat overshadowed temporarily by my illness, is that my birthday gift from Ralph arrived.
This year, he made me a gorgeous fountain pen, turning some box elder (a.k.a. “Manitoba Maple“) to produce a really wonderful item.
The pen’s cap is threaded, so you can screw it on to the pen (I assume this is to keep the nib relatively dry, and perhaps also to keep my clothes clean in the event that I stupidly take this pen on a plane while it’s “loaded”), and the “top” of the pen is also threaded, so you can screw the cap onto the top while you are writing. I assume the hardware is Lee Valley, and they seem to have done the usual good job.
Apparently this particular hunk of wood was also put through some sort of advanced resin-impregnating pressure treatment, which means that the wood is basically impregnable to any ink I might spill on it (Ralph knows me well!) but still feels and looks exactly like normal wood. This treatment also obviated the need for any special finish on the barrel of the pen–apparently it’s just sanded to 1200 grit, and the oil from my fingers will keep it in fine shape.
High-tech wood. I love that. It’s such a juxtaposition.
Now, if only I had something laden with significance and gravitas to write…
