My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
I was gifted a beautiful fountain pen from a good friend, a Monteverde Prima. It is a physically bigger pen than I’m used to writing with so it’s a slightly different experience. However, I’m enjoying the experience. It had a #6 broad nib which puts down a wider line than I prefer. I put a #6 fine nib from Nemosine and find that to be more to my liking. I love the blue marble color. Each pen will have its own unique marbling to it. There is just enough sparkle for me to enjoy.
This was taken last week when I met a friend at the Linden Street Cafe in Old Town Fort Collins. We were not sitting at this table but loved the light so grabbed my journal and pen to setup this scene. Would have been a sweet place to journal.
It had been a while since I’d been here. The place is under new ownership and has had some new touches added. I liked it.
“You write because there’s fire in your bones. You’ve got to do this whether anybody ever reads it or not.” Eugene Peterson
These are two of my sisters fountain pens. The front pen is her new Pilot Legno 89s fountain pen in deep red, and features a rhodium-plated 14K nib. It is an open-grain (as opposed to sealed/varnished) “wood” finish – which is actually a resin-impregnated compressed laminated wood product. Both barrel and cap are lathe-turned from this solid yet light-weight material. One website stated the body was made from “Kabanoki” is Cherry tree called the “Queen of broad leaf tree” in Japan. Kabanoki Wood is used to make furniture, so the grain pattern is relatively bold and tough. Believe what you want.
The white pen is a Pilot Stella 90s in pearl/white. It has a pearly painted lacquered brass body and is heavier than the Legno. It also features the rhodium-plated 14K nib. This pen, appropriately named Stella, is one of her favorite pens. Both pens look and feel similar to the Pilot Prera pens.
I do not write novels or technical reports. I leave that to those with the passion and talent to do so. My writings/musings are confined to my daily carry journals. Within the pages are a mix of daily events, a few quotes that resonate with me, my thoughts and questions about life and a book I many have read, dreams of what could still be and letters to the Source within me. It is a creative art form.
All my writing is done in cursive. My journal is always with me, allowing me to make entries wherever I am, the coffeehouses, the library, a restaurant, parks, nature areas and more. Because of that people will see me write. When they realize I write in cursive it draws their interest and curiosity. That is primarily because our cursive writing is almost a lost art in our world of emails, text messages and skypeing. Nor, is it a required part of our school curriculum.
And what is cursive? It is any style of penmanship in which the symbols of the language are written in a conjoined and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster. The origins of the cursive method is associated with practical advantages of writing speed and infrequent pen lifting to accommodate the limitations of the quill. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
This is an image of one of my favorite spots at Morgan Library to write. I usually arrive at the library around 7:20 then grab a mocha latte at the small coffee shop. For exercise I then walk up stairs to the third floor and over to the east wing. So somewhere around 7:40 I’m sitting at one of the four tables outside the conference rooms.
I have with me my journal, two fountain pens (Lamy Logo in Pearl), my Kindle Paperwhite, maybe a book, my camera and an extra lens. It’s quiet. I love the light. It’s a favorite spot.
This is the Lamy Logo fountain pen in a Pearl color, has a champagne look. I bought this pen because I liked it’s look and style. It comes in four colors. This Pearl and the Twilight are the ones I’m attracted to. It is a thin fountain pen, about the diameter of a pencil, and when posted about the length of a pencil. Bought this pen with a fine nib and glad I did as it puts down a line width that suits me. I find the nib to be scratchy as it works on the paper. And, it is one of the most consistent writers I own.
The journal is a Leuchttrum 1917, my first but not my last. I have for years used Moleskin journals but found issues with them when using fountain pens because of too much bleed through. This has not been an issue with the Leuchttrum journal. The Leuchttrum uses a heavier 80g paper. Due do the lighting in this image the paper is a bit more on the yellow side than the ivory color it really is.
This is my TWSBI Eco fountain pen. This pen is not as attractive to me as my conventional pens because it is a demonstrator pen. A demonstrator pen is made of clear resin so you can see the inside of the pen, its piston mechanism and ink flow. I have this pen loaded with Pelikan Edelstein Topaz ink which is a very pretty blue. The more I use this pen the more I like it. It is a smooth writer and allows good ink flow. I ordered the medium nib which seemed too wide for me until I found this ink that works well with the wetter nib.
A side note. Had to replace my water heater on Thursday. I have been wanting to replace it for the past year as it’s somewhere between 16 and 18 years old. The last thing I need is to have it break down and deal with flooding. On Monday it began making unfamiliar noises so I called to have it replaced. There is a sigh of relief but also a cringe because my wallet it $1150 lighter which means a delay on the next camera lens. 🙁