Pittsburg, Children, Letterpress And the Denture Cup

Shopping for letterpress always seems to lead me to a new adventure.  To start with, you can't hop down to a local letterpress store (even in Atlanta); they don't exist.  The "normal" shopping you can do is limited to a few printing supply companies.  Often it is about digging things up from different locations, different suppliers.  And of course, as I have heard, letterpress printers develop a sickness- crusing ebay, craig's list and Briar Press (kinda like a craig's list for printing).  (Okay, I have suffered from a slight dose of this sickness, although I believe I have it under control.)

Letterpress comes up as old time printers retire- people discover stuff in their basements, a buisness goes under and the old presses and stuff need to be gotten rid of -quick.

So this is how it happened that we ended up in Pittsburg, PA on one sunny weekend.  Actually it was sunny there but it happened to be the weekend that Atlanta had all that rain; neighborhoods under feet of water).

My husband had a wedding to attend- we couldn't find a babysitter for the weekend, so I stayed with the kids.  My husband jokingly said he would bring back letterpress to appease me.  I looked on Craig's List- Voila: type still in original packing to be sold- lots.

When my husband got there he said it was amazing. (Okay- this is my little dream- so to hear it from him I knew it had to be good.)  The gentleman was retiring from 60+ years of printing- and the things he had accumulated were amazing.  I asked my husband to not take pictures( I didn't want to see what I was missing and what he couldn't fit in his suitcase on the plane.)

When he got home I got goodies and he relayed what he had seen.

Which is how a month later we ended up on a speed run to Pittsburg.

All for letterpress.

And this is how we loaded 1000 pounds of metal type and cabinets into our 4runner.

Now let me tell you that we brought home two cabinets and that each cabinet held 24 cases(drawers).  All of which were filled with at least two fonts.  Judging by the sore shoulders, we guessed each drawer was at least 20 pounds. We had the drawers strapped down in the back of the truck to prevent them from running over us.

What made this trip memorable-

1. I had never been to Pittsburg and was fascinated by all the Bridges- they have more bridges than I can count on one hand- in the MIDDLE OF THE CITY- (we got to drive over a few- and back over them and then back around again)

2. We had coffee at the Beehive- and I a guiltily yummy piece of red velvet cake.

3. We had Taco's at    , and I order the duck taco- in some stupidity failing to realize that it had duck in it. (yeah I know- forgive me)

4. And I realized how wonderfully important families are and how blessed we really are- we have a great family and two wonderful boys. (Some people spend a lifetime without children in their lives...)

5. Letterpress is heavy-