THE GOOD. So many great things happened this month! First, we hired two new fulfillment assistants. We've all been pinch-hitting to fill orders while we searched (and searched) for the right people. It took us a few months, but Erin and Molly were definitely worth the wait. Both are talented creatives (see here and here) who get our quirky sense of humor and have the positive attitudes to match. We are so glad they are part of the crew! Second, the summer outing was a hit! It’s been one thing after another so it was nice to hit pause for a day and talk about things other than work. And last but not least, we got another press! Lovingly named Athena, she is truly glorious. Margaret got her up and running yesterday and the new chugging and hissing sounds are music to our ears. She's really going to help speed up our production time.
THE BAD. We're in the middle of reorganizing our space and it is a MAJOR pain. Basically, we’re moving our inventory from one room to another. But first, we had to clear out and rearrange big (and heavy!) furniture, computers, and equipment to make the layout more functional and have room to install brand new shelving. I don’t even want to think about how many boxes of cards, stacks of wrapping paper, and piles and piles of stuff we’ve lugged. The 99% humidity and 95 degree weather wasn’t doing us any favors either. It hasn’t been fun but I know we’ll be able to utilize the space better once we get through this messy part.
THE UGLY. Given the aforementioned humidity and heavy lifting we basically look like this. Yikes.
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Beating the Heat in Concord: Our Summer Outing
For this year’s summer outing, we headed 18 miles outside of Boston to the historic town of Concord. We spent the day walking the famous paths of the American Revolution and cooling off in the shady beaches of Walden Pond. Eric kicked it off by doing some extensive research at the Visitor’s Center (really, he didn’t have the heart to turn down any of the 60 brochures handed to him by the older gentleman manning the information desk).
(image: Eric fills in as designated tour guide and feels confident we're headed in the right direction)
(image: listening to the audio narration of the first battle of Independence)
With map(s) in hand, we made our way to the Old North Bridge where the “shot heard round the world” was fired. The walk itself wasn’t very long, but in the 90+ degree heat, we retreated to the former mansion of Major Buttrick from circa 1910 (aka the souvenir shop) for some lovely 21st century air conditioning.
(image: April's smiling because next stop is lunch)
We made a lunch stop at Main Streets Café, followed by a most necessary ice cream run at Bedford Farms next door. Choosing which ice cream flavor to get was probably the most challenging part of the day. What’s in Moose Tracks? How about Mississippi Mud? Ack, the pressure! I’ll just get a scoop of Vanilla, please. Unfortunately, inhaling an ice cream cone and taking photos are two things I cannot do at the same time. So you’ll just have to trust me that everyone was looking mighty happy at this part of the outing.
(image: playing dice and feeling bada** in the high school parking lot)
(image: checking out the replica of Thoreau's cabin and exploring the deeper meanings in ... Pokémon GO)
(image: sign marking the original site of Thoreau's cabin)
After being instructed we were a good 14 minutes too early to enter the parking lot, Deb taught us how to play Left Center Right as we waited for Walden Pond to open. Then we planted ourselves on a breezy nook at the far end of the pond, stopping by a replica of Henry David Thoreau's 1-room cabin and its original site on our way. To Ryan’s chagrin, the weak wi-fi signal made it impossible for him to catch any Pokémon.
(image: the shady side of Walden Pond)
For the rest of the afternoon, we lazed away on the beach, some of us dozing off and others dipping in their toes, most missing Sarah (who was sick at home), and all enjoying a day off work. Thanks for a great time, April and Eric!
How to Move a Heidelberg Windmill
A couple weeks ago, we welcomed Athena to our family! She came rather unexpectedly as we hadn’t been actively looking to bring in another press. Then we caught wind that Bill and Andy Schell in Jamaica Plain were looking for new homes for their Heidelberg Windmills. Curiosity got the best of us, and soon we had Margaret and Deb scouting it out. It was pretty much a done deal at first sight (and test run).
With so much else going on, we were really fortunate to have Margaret work with Mike Andrejewski to spearhead the logistics of moving the press, or rather press-ES. Yup, Margaret had placed dibs on the second Heidelberg, Athena’s sister. The process took the better part of three days from start to finish during which Margaret would pop back in the studio covered in grime and with a huge smile on her face. Read on for Margaret's highlights of the move ...
The main challenge of this move was getting the presses through this (not so roomy) doorway.
Taking the clutch arm off is pretty simple but that still did not create enough clearance. We ended up having to remove the whole table base, and the only way to do that is to disassemble the front of the machine. That base is as heavy as it looks.
We spent the next day figuring out how to get both presses down two stairs outside the building’s front entrance. Mike brought a heavy metal plate that he propped up with big wood blocks in order to extend the first stair out over the second. With the palette jack, we wheeled a press out on the makeshift platform which then allowed us to come around to the front to pick it up. Mike is a maniac in the fork lift. He just plucked the press up out of the doorway while turning sharp (and backwards!) in order not to fall off the curb and then just, nice and easy, set it down on the flatbed like a boss.
We fork lifted and chained the presses onto the flatbed, and they were on their way!
Thank goodness we had a wider entryway over at Smudge HQ! We rolled Athena right into the press room and placed her in her new home.
I was psyched to help out with this process. I learned a lot from taking them apart and putting them back together. It's incredible how well and relatively simply these machines are built. Here's to another 50+ years of printing!
Shout out to Bill and Andy who generously gave us these presses and put up with the ordeal of us trying to get them out of there! Happy retirement, and I hope you're reading this in Florida!
Thanks, Margaret! We hope Medusa is enjoying her new home too!
I Get Around: Colorado Part 2
Nathan's mom laughed when I told her the story of how the rental car lady compared Telluride to heaven. Apparently, the name Telluride is a shortened version of the phrase "To hell you ride!" Back in the olden days, Telluride was known for being full of hellions (i.e. bandits, thieves, shady people) on top of being quite difficult to get to. Hence the not-so-heavenly saying they called out to wayward travelers making their way to town.
As I made my way to meet up with my friend Emma for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, I soon found out that perhaps there is something to Telluride’s name. First, I discovered that the cell/wi-fi tower was down, leaving me with no way to reach Emma (and celebrate her birthday with her). Then I was denied entry into the campsite because I didn’t have my festival pass. In an attempt to retrieve said pass, I found out that it had already been used!
No campsite, no concert, no friends.
Faced with feeling sorry for myself, getting angry, or treating myself to some libations, I chose the latter. This led me to the historical New Sheridan Hotel, where a bluegrass band from Oakland, California (an anomaly if I've ever heard one) was playing. And despite my initial skepticism, they were very good! Later that night, I was fortunate to have made friends with a bunch of people from Dallas who spared me uncomfortable lodgings in my car rental.
Thankfully, the cell/wi-fi signals returned the next day, and Emma and I were united (and I was able to wish her a happy belated birthday). After some intense ticket troubleshooting and printing at the public library, all seemed right in the world once again and we headed to the main concert venue.
(photo by Emma McCleavey)
For the next three days, a myriad of bands performed on the main stage and free stage surrounded by nothing less than blissful scenery. Non-stop music, sunbathing, star-gazing, lounging, fresh brews, margaritas, Moscow Mules, chicken sandwiches, burritos, lovely conversation, silly conversation, and river dipping tied the days together.
(photo by Emma McCleavey)
Standout moment of the festival? Emma's friend, Mikey, who hasn’t missed the festival for the past five years, won a free pair of custom made skis for participating in the car pool raffle! I've never seen any individual so excited in my entire life!
Standout performances for me were The 'Lil Smokies, Sara Watkins, and Pokey LaFarge. The 'Lil Smokies played a set worthy of any traditional Bluegrass aficionado's praise. Not to mention it’s a tradition that their fans hurl marshmallows when they perform. Sara Watkins' vocals whispered the crowd into a calm. And Pokey LaFarge really knew how to keep the audience on its toes, borrowing musical nodes from genres like Rockabilly all the way to 80's pop.
Amidst all of this, I even managed to go on a run up to Bridal Veil Falls (I figured after my crash course with altitude poisoning in Aspen, I'd be okay). It was gorgeous. Someone even has a pretty little piece of real estate right atop the fall (though it must be a pain in the you-know-what for the owners to go on grocery runs).
As much as I hate to admit it, I thank you, rental car lady, for making me take the sports utility vehicle for the following reasons:
1) I was able to transport Mikey's skis since they did not fit comfortably in any other vehicle.
2) We were able to stop for breakfast at Kate's Place in the quaint town of Ridgeway where the official Grammys are made (yes, those gold phonograph trophy thingies are made right outside of Telluride).
3) We may or may not have encountered some torrential rain and a landslide detour on our way to Denver. Despite the terrifying and simultaneously awe-inspiring lightning and thunder, we managed to make it back safe and sound and in good spirits.
After dropping off Emma and her friends, I hit the gas and steered toward Boulder (more specifically, Longmont) to make it in time to a summer solstice dinner held by my friend Chaz and her husband Clayton Cole.
Stay tuned for Part 3: Boulder!
I Get Around: Colorado Part 1
Last month, I made my first trip to Colorado. It was a place I've been wanting to check off my travel list for a while, and upon arriving in Denver, I got to check off another milestone. PICK UP MY FIRST EVER RENTAL CAR! HELLO, ADULTHOOD! Well, sort of, if that means getting hosed by the fast-talkin' woman who allotted me my vehicle.
I opted for an economy sized car upon initial registration only for the following conversation to ensue:
"Where ya goin' hun?"
"A few places really. Aspen to visit my friend Nathan. Telluride to go to the Bluegrass Festival and meet up with my friend Emma and her friends. And then Boulder to visit my friend Chaz and her husband."
"Oh hun, Telluride's beautiful. Gorgeous. Been to Red Rocks? Gorgeous. Went there last week. Saw a concert. Haled like crazy. Waterfall down the outdoor rock bleachers. But worth it."
"Oh yea. I've heard good things about Red Rocks."
"But Telluride's gorgeous. If there's a heaven, it looks like Telluride. You traveling by yourself, hun?"
"Yep."
"Oh. Well, hun, you can't make it to Telluride in this economy size car. You need at least 6 horsepower to get through those hills on your way there."
"Really? I can't take the (way more affordable) economy sized car?"
"No, you'll be going like 20 miles an hour up those hills. You won't make it. Believe me hun. You'll thank me later. I'll give you the corporate discount. You need that red sports utility vehicle out there. That one. Yep. You have insurance? You'll need this and this and this and this . . . "
And before I knew it, I was holding the keys to a red sports utility vehicle that put more of a hole in my credit card balance than did the round trip ticket to Colorado. But oh well, I was off to Aspen!
The drive to Snowmass, a small town just outside of Aspen, was a beautiful 3.5 hour drive along forest-lined winding roads. I arrived to the warm welcome of Nathan and his family surrounding a game of dice and the communal duo of salsa and tortilla chips. (A little back story: Nathan was part of the Smudge Ink team until he left to work at the Aspen Music Festival). Shortly after introductions, Nathan and his mom showed me around their family’s cattle ranch. Taking in the fields of dandelions, lush greens, and snow-capped mountains in the distance, I fully intended on spotting Maria/Julie Andrews temporarily escaped from her nunnery (a round of Do Re Mi, anyone?). That did not occur, but we did see an elk!
The next morning I was awoken in the best way possible: sunlight shined through the large glass windows as a puppy named Bernie nestled at my feet and a cattle dog named Tinker nudged my dangling hand. After a cup of tea and some home-made yogurt parfait, Nathan and I left to hike Haystack Mountain. No big deal … just a mountain you can climb that happens to be on his family's property. Our packs were stuffed with Kind Bars, PB&J, water, beef jerky, iced tea, Fig Newtons, jalapeño kettle chips, sunscreen, windbreakers; we were prepared! Or at least I thought we were.
We parked at the base of the hike, and beautiful views called us further up Haystack. But soon the Sound of Music musical playing in head morphed into more of a life-or-death adventure novel as the 2,500-foot incline progressed. But I kept my cool, especially after Nathan told me about his uncle being one of the first men to climb to the top of Denali in Alaska in negative 48 degrees. After a few breaks we finally made it to the top! It was breathtaking; I tried taking photos, but nothing could really do justice for what I saw before my very eyes.
We signed a hiking journal to serve as documentation for completion of the hike. Nathan wrote something very poetic in true Nathan fashion. I wrote, "YAY PB&J SANDWICHES!" followed by my name. Needless to say I was hungry.
In the distance we peered out at another mountain, Capitol Peak. Nathan stated longingly that he had yet to climb to the base of it. Feeling emboldened, I persuaded him that we should go for it. We set off, and the trek became snowier as we ascended further. For the icy stretches, Nathan found shards of rock to gouge the frozen snow and create extra friction to keep us from sliding.
We made it to our second hiking destination. To one side of the peak, a gradual rolling hill. To the other, a more than 300-foot vertical drop. In my head, altitude poisoning was setting in. I should have realized it when I tried to take a picture of the precarious vantage point to send to my parents. But alas, the recognition was suspended long after a splitting headache took hold and I began to speak Spanish. Was I drunk?
As if things couldn’t get any goofier, Nathan found a pink aluminum balloon as we descended and carried it along the remainder of the hike. Back at the base, I had never been so happy to sit in a car. Now fooooood.
After our 8-hour hike, we freshened up and zoomed on over to Aspen to see Nathan’s lovely concert pianist friend, Mandy. To my stomach’s good fortune, a delightful dinner of salmon and rice awaited us. Conversation consisted of music lessons, running groups, and agricultural upbringings. The night took us into town where I ran into someone from my hometown (small world run-ins I'll say) and ended with freshly fried mini donuts and a final attempt by Nathan and Mandy to get me to move to Aspen. Side note: I am tempted.
Stay tuned for Part 2: Telluride!