This blog post originally began as an overview of my new digital camera. In celebration of turning thirty-five earlier this month, I used a portion of my birthday money toward the Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR camera. While I enjoy taking photos just for fun, the purchase was also made to improve the quality of photos here on shaggy-money.flywheelsites.com.
We know the writing for years has been flawless (ha!). However, I say with all truthfulness that since Grain & Mortar gave shaggy-money.flywheelsites.com a much needed design overhaul, I often felt that my blog’s (primarily iPhone) photography was subpar and, at times, distracting.
With great excitement I purchased my first Canon and debuted its image quality with my recent knitting blog post. (This one’s my favorite!)
Then, on Christmas Eve, I unboxed this beauty from my husband. (And shortly thereafter, grabbed my new Canon.)
A vintage Underwood typewriter.
I gasped not only when I ripped open the festive wrapping, but also when I attempted to remove it from the box. It weighs a ton! For years I have longed for an older model typewriter, something tying me to my journalist’s roots. And this Christmas, Matt answered that call in the best way possible.
The Missouri Valley, Iowa, antique dealer who sold Matt the Underwood isn’t a typewriter expert and couldn’t pass along much information about its origin.
I share these photos not only to brag on my new analog beauty, but to pose a handful of questions to you, dear readers and fellow typewriter fanatics. What more can you tell me about this model? How old do you suppose it is? And, where can I purchase a new ribbon? (All of the keys appear to work just fine.)
I find myself tap-tap-tapping away at the old typewriter keys – yes, the little bell even works! – and daydreaming of all the ways I’ll use my new Underwood.
For a writer who has only written on computers, telling a story on such an old machine will serve as a lesson in patience. Typing doesn’t come as quickly when the keys stand sprightly and stiff-necked.
Yet somehow I know the experience will be just as magical – if not more so – as typing the tens of thousands of words I have thus far on my beloved MacBook Air and all of the Macintoshes that have come before.
Wendy, it’s a beautiful typewriter. But as someone who came of age on typewriters — not quite this old — I appreciate the tactile sensations and the glorious noise of a typewriter, but it does make editing, revising and saving things much harder. Have fun. Slide that carriage with all the attitude of Rosalind Russell in “His Girl Friday.” The ding at the end of a line is a satisfying punctuation mark.
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Wendy Townley Reply:
December 27th, 2013 at 9:29 pm
Carol, you are so correct! But didn’t I read something about hard work building character? :-)
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Hi Wendy, I haven’t lived in Omaha for the past 14 years. However, there use to be a typewrite shop in South O called Kirks typewriter. If you could find them or someone who worked their. They were from St. Thomas More. I hope that is some sort of help. Cool gift :)
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Wendy Townley Reply:
December 28th, 2013 at 10:32 am
Thanks Francie! This is great background information. My mom even remembers this shop. What a small world!
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