Classic Rolls-Royce near my work... :D

I was walking to Starbucks and I saw a classic Rolls-Royce drive right in front of me... imagine my luck when I discovered it had parked a row or two away from my car! :) I don't know who this car belongs to, but it is beautiful and in perfect shape!

I failed to look close enough at the model tag on the back, unfortunately... and my pictures aren't clear enough to read it, but I think this article is close as to the range of models it probably falls within... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Silver_Shadow

(I blanked out the license plate number for privacy, FYI)


I used my camera with flash, and for some shots I used my car headlights to help illuminate. I wish people made cars more like this, with hood ornaments, individual headlights and nice lines. I generally prefer more curves like the Jaguar marque, many vehicles from the 50's, or even most Bentleys and older Rolls-Royce models... but a Rolls-Royce of most any generation will always have a certain elegance to it (alright, there are a few exceptions... but as a general rule...). If I can ever afford one (highly unlikely anytime in the foreseeable future), I should be severely tempted to get one, especially if it is a convertible... :D (daydreams may potentially ensue)

Defenders Day at Fort McHenry!

Defenders Day is when we celebrate the War of 1812... I took a number of lovely shots during the celebrations last Saturday... :)  

(click on any image to enlarge it... if you want to use it elsewhere, talk to me first and make sure to credit)

Maybe in the future I too will have a proper costume... if I stop being lazy about making it... :P (I've been getting a number of leads on how to make them and find patterns lately... if you know anything, I would love to hear, as I'm not an expert but want a decent result when I do get around to it)

I was amused by the people sitting on the earthworks... :)

Some of whom clearly were not completely in the 1800's... ;)

Camp life :)

Old meets new...

Vantage point from where my family were sitting... :)

Panorama of troops lined up

Panorama of the camps

Governor Martin O'Malley spoke too... :) 

This is the smoke pattern from the cannon

Modern cannon used during 1812 overture

Afterburn on modern cannon

They raised a replica of the Star Spangled Banner

And finished it off with celebratory fireworks!

I might post more later if I feel like it... :D Enjoy!

Eating Regency Style...

I just ran across a rather interesting set of clips ('Supersizers gone Regency') about eating during the Regency... by some rather amusing, sarcastic, and ill behaved hosts, ha ha... :)

By the way, they mention a book called "The Mirror of Graces" written by "a Lady of Distinction"... I actually own this book and have read it... it's really good actually, I recommend it... although I don't necessarily advocate any of the recipes that are included! (on fashion and modesty, it does pretty well, though...)

Enjoy!

Curved Elegance: Stylish Cars!

I know I haven't really done anything related to cars yet, but I thought I'd post some thoughts related to them. I find it sad that the flowing curves that used to grace cars and carriages of the past have been abandoned in favor of bland, disposable, 'modern' shapes that go out of date just in time for us to buy a new model with different angles and features. There are so many models to cover, I can only highlight a few here... I'll write about more later as I come upon them!

In honor of the cars with sweeping curves, I present to you the following Delahaye automobile from 1947:




Unfortunately, my understanding is that French taxes during the 1950's drove this luxury brand out of existance... :(

Here's another example (Delahaye Roadster car model 135 MS):






Here's another lovely curved model... (Porsche 356 Preens):




Scene at 10 Downing Street:



The 1953 Corvette is another great example:



Jaguar from 1952:



Great closeup of a Jaguar XK 150...




This Maserati bumper picture is great!



Here's an awesome clip on some of the history of the Jaguar XK 120... this is a truly beautiful car!



I've found actually there are two manufacturers of vehicles which have at least recently still made classically inspired vehicles... as I find more, I will feature them.

First, Jaguar has had a resurgence in their retro vehicles during the 1990's and 2000's, although they were unfortunately recently discontinued. Here's a clip of the new S-Type which is themed on the Mark II (this ad here does a great job of showing the old and new):

retrouver ce média sur www.ina.fr

Here's a picture of the UK variant of the new S-Type: (from Wikipedia)

Additionally, I've noticed that Morgan Motorcars in the United Kingdom still makes cars that look like they were designed in the 1930's and before! Check out their website...

I'll close this out with a picture of the new Jaguar S-Type (2005) at night:

Update: one more XK120 video!

Northanger Abbey is Adorable!

Originally when I read Northanger Abbey, I found it to be a fun read... but I never really enjoyed it nearly as much as I do now, having seen iTV's period drama adaptation!

I'm going to go through a couple of pictures to show you a few glimpses of the loveliness in the film... simply: the story is beautiful, the characters are deep and yet funny as well as personable, and the costumes and music are absolutely wonderful! I strongly recommend this film! These are just a very few and only cover about 1/3 of the movie length... my hope is they will encourage you to see the whole thing... I will probably post more on specific style/fashion posts later, because some of the outfits are just so noteworthy that they deserve more than a cursory overview! Catherine, the heroine, discovers love in spite of her ridiculous notions, fueled by the popular gothic novels of the Regency. Mr. Tilney actually sees through her and enjoys teasing her quite a bit... making the larger part of the film rather sarcastic and very funny!  I love how innocent and naive Catherine is, she remains her honesty and propriety regarding the world and relationships even to the very end after getting mixed up with some influences who do not have her best interest at heart. In short, Catherine is a very cute sort of heroine... it's quite difficult to think ill of her, unless you insist on having jaded characters... that you will not find her to be! (I don't think she's weak, I think she's just naive... she never let's up on what she believes is right, which is a clear sign of strength) The film also has a number of serious moments and they really add depth. This isn't just a comedy, it has a good deal of moral opinion and advice built into it, just like Jane Austen's other novels. Thankfully though, it of course ends well... although I won't tell you how the story gets there. You will have to read the book and then watch this film! PBS Trailer: Please go here to find the iTV Jane Austen series trailer:

Click here to purchase on Amazon.com

 (note: there are some scenes which may require a little discretion from my good readers, depending on your opinions on modesty)

New Piano Improvisation: Reflections in August

The melody for this piece is inspired off of the music in the 2008 Sense and Sensibility from the BBC by Martin Phipps. I clearly did not fully imitate him and varied greatly, so I think I'm good on the whole fair use thing.

Here's a download link, I wish I had a little player for the blog, but I'm still working on figuring out the best way to do that... :) Again, I play by ear and don't understand music theory, so not all of you are necessarily going to like it... enjoy!

Click here to download Reflections in August, Tonight on the Piano: Various Experiments, Justin Gist Preuninger

Brigadier General Mordecai Gist + Maryland Governor's Office

As it turns out, I am Brigadier General Mordecai Gist's 1st cousin, 8th removed! I had the special privilege of meeting the Governor at a fundraiser a year ago, and when he saw my middle name, he instantly remembered the existence of the portrait you see now. Governor Martin O'Malley has been known for participating in 1812 reenactment activities at Fort McHenry, so similar era. I believe he is something of a history buff, as he knows all the details about Gist and other figures of the era. His walls are full of various historical figures, as the panorama I was so kindly permitted to take will show you... :D As my work was recently having a retreat in Annapolis, I was finally in the area to see it, and his staff was so gracious as to help arrange my visit and allow me to take the pictures here!

Please visit the wikipedia article hereto linked, because the history of who Mordecai Gist was and the service he rendered Maryland would take too much space to fully and justly relate here. Suffice to say, Gist fought a number of battles bravely, particularly in South Carolina and was present at the Surrender of Cornwallis. He later settled in South Carolina.

Click on the picture to enlarge... there is a lot of detail!!!

(click here to download high-res version)

And some closeup pictures:

This is a cutout of the panorama above. :)

Photographs taken and posted by Justin Gist Preuninger, with permission from the Office of the Governor of the State of Maryland