The Gadgetry

One purpose that I had in mind for my blog is to display my purchases and furnishings that make my retro lifestyle so fun and enjoyable. There's no denying that the best things in life are also the most simple. How often have you reflected (perhaps while driving) on how perfect something is just as it is - and because of what it is?

Many of my gadgets are from the years between 1930 and 1960. All are simple, mechnical and repairable and add a touch of class to my life. You could call it backward if you want, but I think it's important to know that our past has a way of taking care of us by leaving small, well-preserved instances of itself in our wake. I mean, look at ebay....

But perhaps the best part of these little objets is their way of taking us back to our parents' or grandparents' kitchens, porches, living rooms and dining rooms. It's the metal screwnut in the ashtray your grandpa used to extinguish his cigarette, or the tube radio your grandma had on top of the refrigerator that she turned on in the morning. The sound traveled back to the bedroom where you were still half asleep and you could by the sound alone hear the spatial squareness of the kitchen.

On the topic of radios today. Below I present to you my 1944 Bendix Aviation tube radio, the uncommon 110 model. It's a 5-tube radio with catalin knobs swirly bakelite case... a wide tuning band... at night I can get stations as far away as Ohio...

It's a beauty...