Ruben Flores in his shop, U.S. Office Machines
For my birthday, Sandy accompanied me to the Benton Museum of Art on the campus of Pomona College, where we took in three interesting new exhibitions.
Roy Thurston Painting: Acrylic Polyurethane on Aluminum
The caption reads:
“(NY58) NEW YORK, MARCH 12-FIGHT CITY HALL ON SCHOOL BUS PLAN-Taking a page from civil rights demonstrators’ tactics, white parents march in New York’s City Hall Plaza today in protest against plans to bus children from neighborhood to other schools for the purpose of balancing racial enrollment. Some 15,000 braved the swirling March snowstorm. First they gathered at the Brooklyn Board of Education, then marched across the bridge to this show at City Hall, extreme right background. (APWirephoto) gv521019stoft1964 (SEE AP WIRE STORY)”
The caption reads:
“(CWP1) SAN FRANCISCO, July 13–THEY HELP TELL CONVENTION STORY TO NATION. This is a battery of Wirephoto transmitters in the Associated Press photo workroom at San Francisco’s Cow Palace—part of a vast complex of electronic equipment being used to carry the story of the Republican convention to the nation and the world. (AP Wirephoto) (rhs21605stf)1964. (See AP wire story by Wilbur Martin.)”
I topped off my little birthday celebration with a complementary latte at Starbucks.
I had carpal tunnel release surgery not long ago, and while the pain’s still hanging around, I’m starting hand therapy today. That ought to ease things up a bit. Funny enough, typing’s not much of an issue—it’s writing longhand that’s the real challenge right now. It seems like pens are giving me more trouble than keyboards.
I ventured out to Riverside under the sweltering summer sun, the air thick with the heat of the dog days, to meet the Typewriter Muse himself, Bob Marshall. Bob is the sole typewriter repairman in Southern California, and his expertise is unparalleled. Running an analog business in a digital age demands a deep understanding of his clientele and their unique needs, which Bob handles with ease. He’s a friendly guy I connected with through his Instagram account. You can also catch Bob with Joe Van Cleave in a delightful video that highlights the exceptional rapport between these two typewriter maestros.
Bob put in a call to Joe Van Cleave, another typewriter guru.
The typewriter I handed to Bob for repair is a Royal Safari with a rare and exquisite script font, elite 12-pitch. This font is a true gem, scarcely seen these days. The machine was an eBay find, so I was a little worried about shipping. And of course it arrived in dire condition—an unfortunate victim of poor handling. While it reportedly worked perfectly for the seller, by the time it reached me, it was DOA with a battered and bent carriage. Bob assessed the damage and confirmed it would require some effort, but he assured me he could restore it to working order. I eagerly anticipate the day this machine is back in action, ready to type again.
Southern California gets a lot of monsoonal moisture coming up from Mexico in July and August. It makes for quickly forming cloud formations. I thought I’d capture the cloud movements with this time lapse.
I recently contacted Bob Marshall at Typewriter Muse about these three parts machines I have. He showed an interest, so I told him I planned to be in Riverside later this month and would drop the machines by his shop. I’m always happy to put typewriters in the hands of people who can use them.
By the way, here’s an excellent write-up about Bob (“Meet Bob Marshall”) in a local magazine.
They were filming Tuesday at this house on the corner of College Avenue and 10th Street. I don’t know if the house is occupied or not, but the film crew had taken over for sure.
On the campus of Pomona College, past the Sonntag Greek Theater, is the Frank P. Brackett Observatory, presented in 1908 to Pomona College by Llewellyn Bixby, class of ’01.
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