Tailgating at Bristol

Tailgating is a big part of any outdoor American sporting event and a facet of the utmost importance at a southern NASCAR race.

Like the Christian religion that many NASCAR fans abide by, the tailgate has it's own trinity: drinking beer, eating copious amounts of red meat, and passing time with good company. In order to properly understand the NASCAR experience, we embraced the tailgate like seven-year-old at a McDonald's play structure.

Packing those patties.

Although small, the Webber Smokey Joe cranked out BTU's.

The finished product; you wont find any vegetarians at a NASCAR tailgate.

Edge enjoying the fruits of his labor.

and Panzer his.

Bruce grabbing two long necks.

Chris planning the next leg of the trip before festivities started.

These bros were tearassing around the parking lot the whole day with a sign saying "Beads 4 Tits." Note the Igloo cooler strapped to the front.

This is middle America.

After lubricating for three hours with hamburger grease and cheap beer, we walked down the Yellow-brick road towards the Food City 500.

Here are some more links,
Tailgating at Bristol (Picasa),
Beer Cooler (Vimeo),
Tailgating (Vimeo).

Fear and Loathing in Bristol

As you are reading this, I am in a 2002 Chevy with five other dudes heading towards Bristol, Tennessee in search of the American Dream, AKA the Food City 500 Nascar race. Few things are more American than beer, tailgating, barbecue, living beyond your means, and racing cars. I can't wait.

For the next week I will be out of internet contact gathering content. Here is a rough plan for our trip.

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Clothes from the LL Bean Archive

The majority of our time at the LL Bean Arts and Archives department was spent sorting through racks of clothing. I was like a boy in a candy shop, well actually more like a boy in a camera shop. Here are some great pre-war, except for the 29 year old River Driver shirt, finds from the archive. Enjoy.

You can get a new one these here, but it wouldn't be made in the USA.

My mom had one of these that she wore for years.

Amazing label.

Ruth told us that US airman during the war wore LL Bean jackets like this one to keep themselves warm in the unpressurized cabins of Allied bombers.

Shearling lined cotton jacket.

Blaze orange, hunting pea coat from 1940, how sweet is that?

I wish all my tags looked like that.

Amazing.

Its hard to tell, but these buttons read LL Bean, Freeport Maine. I also really like the pocket's leather lining around the openings. This jacket had awesome details.

This shearling-lined jacket weighed a conservative 15 pounds and smelled like your great grandmother's quilt.

I really liked the corduroy elbow pads on this cotton jacket.

I hope you enjoyed these jackets as much as Max and I did. I will let them speak for themselves. Have a great weekend.

Here are some more links,
Clothes from the Archive (Picasa),
All Plaidout,
LL Bean (ART).

From the LL Bean Archive

Ruth Porter swipes her fob and types in a four digit access code. The mandatory white gloves absorb the sweat from my palms as I grip my heavy Canon. The air-tight door opens with a sound like the popping of a can of Pringles. The stale air, erie tangerine light, and all-white surroundings make me feel like I am preparing to negotiate with Hal for the survival of the human race, not go play in LL Bean's Art and Archives department.

These go for around 25 dollars on Ebay for an original one. They are also available here on Google books.

Special Pipe Tobacco for Hunters and Fisherman.

A lunch box and leather case from the 40's.

Geese decoys from the 30's.

For her, Manolo Blahnik originally purchased at Barneys in 1978 by Leon Gorman himself.

They even have triple stitching, good luck finding these.

I felt like a guy from CSI taking photos of these Vibram soles with my huge camera and flash.

For him, Bean Boot Roller blades from the mid 90's.

A collection of LL Bean knifes including a Gerber from my home town.

Fishing reels from the 20's on.

This was one of my favorites, A Hamilton, mechanical pocket watch from 1962 in mint condition.

A matchbook protector from the 50's.

LL's office chair.

LL Bean's stamp that Mr. Bean used at the bottom of the introduction of the old catalogs.

Visiting the LL Bean Arts and Archive was the highlight of my day. I could have spent weeks in there and I am sure we just skimmed the surface. Max posted a bunch of vintage footwear on All Plaidout. Check back in tomorrow to see clothes from the Archive.

Here are some more links,
Hunting-Fishing and Camping by LL Bean (Google books),
From the LL Bean Archive (Picasa),
All Plaidout,