The · Affected · Provincial’s · Almanack

Two weeks ago, I helped send off artists Mark Dion and Dana Sherwood as they departed Bartram's Garden to retrace the explorations of eighteenth-century naturalist and explorer, William Bartram. Mark and Dana's progress can be followed from the expedition's website, which has journal entries, accounts, photos and even a GPS map giving updates on their location. Enjoy.

~W

Here's my new suit from Duchess Clothiers of Portland (I was waiting for adjustments on the vest to be completed before I trotted it out, but when my new shirts from Simone Abbarchi came last week from Florence, I caved like a good little peacock and threw the shiny new plumage on my back.

( More shameless primping behind the cut )

No? Fair enough, but I do have a soap you might like:

The missus and I stopped by Duross & Langel Savonniers on 13th Street in Center City Philadelphia last week, and picked up some new handmade soaps. My personal pick is "Moroccan Cedar", a blend of North African cedar oils that is woodsy, spicy and musky; very flinty and masculine, perfect for the winter months. An added bonus is that the soap fills the house with its lovely scent after a shower. The bar itself is very colorful, and looks like this Rothko. Have you ever been in a hot shower and held a colorful glycerine soap to the sunlight coming in from the window? I highly recommend it.