Monday, November 5, 2012

An Underwood From Out of Time


Underwood Typewriter II 1930s Restored 2012 Front

As you may have heard, a little freak weather event called Hurricane "Superstorm" Sandy ripped through the area recently doing its best to destroy lives. I - and those close to me - were spared, thankfully, but we were all left to deal with the inconveniences like no power and a gas shortage. With the state rationing out gas by evens or odds, we thought it best to walk to the store rather than take the car yesterday, and it was nice to see the sights in the brisk air. Along the way, a gorgeous typewriter displayed in the window of an antique shop caught my eye.

Underwood Typewriter II 1930s Restored 2012 Behind Glass

Being an Underwood, I immediately thought of Jack Kerouac's early short story collection Atop and Underwood. The craftsmanship looks exquisite, and it certainly must have been built with quality to hold up so well all these years later. However, someone must have gone through great lengths to restore it recently, because it looks brand new. I'm not sure if it still works or not - in retrospect, I should have asked. The tag said, "Underwood II - 1930s."

Underwood Typewriter II 1930s Restored 2012 Back

They also had this little seafoam green typewriter, but I wasn't as taken with it.

Slivetti Letters 32 Typewriter Seafoam Green

And while our trip was successful and we're lucky our power came back on Saturday, there were still plenty of reminders that things aren't yet back to normal.

Traffic Light with No Power


Damaged Telephone Pole Broken Cable Wire