A Late Birthday Gift. . .

A wrist-selfie featuring my new Bulova wristwatch, which arrived the day before Thanksgiving.

One of the few acceptable pieces of visible jewelry that a man can get away with, besides a wedding band, or perhaps a signet ring, is a nice, understated wristwatch. Now, some guys with big wrist bones and muscular forearms might be able to pull off a sports watch, a Rolex, or one of the many Rolex wannabes out there. I have always felt, though, that this type of watch -- unless you actually happen to be an oceanographer, a fighter pilot, or an astronaut -- is on the ostentatious side and even veers wildly into needlessly garish territory depending on the model of watch and how prominently it is on display for the world to see. Thank you, Mr. Agnelli.

And an Apple Watch is just so. . . I don't know. Intentionally obsolescent after about a year? They don't exactly scream classically stylish either. More like Dick Tracy meets The Jetsons.

No. Far better to err on the side of something more subtle and traditional. Hence the acquisition above, subsidized by my in-laws for a recent birthday at the beginning of the month. I already have and routinely wear a gold tone slim dress rectangular Seiko with an oxblood leather band, a 36th birthday gift from good ol' Mom back in 2002, but I've been on the lookout for a similar silver tone watch with a black leather band for ages. This one nails both requirements, not always easy to do.

Here's an menswear accessory savings tip. If you're looking at various company, or department store websites, be sure to check Amazon first before making the purchase. Often enough, Amazon will offer the same item but at a substantial savings. Such was the case with the watch featured here, meaning that I was able to cover the purchase price and tax -- free shipping thanks to our Prime membership -- with the birthday funds sent to me by the in-laws.

The watch is one of Bulova's more modest men's models, fairly understated, about 6mm in depth and 40mm across. The strap is black calfskin. The watch itself required only setting to the correct time before it was ready to put on my wrist. No days, dates, or any other superfluous gadgetry to tinker with and get right before use.

If you too are after a fairly plain, easy to set up model of wristwatch, I recommend this one, or another model similar to it.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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Up North Style. . .

Bad Dad makes a friend. YMP and Bad Dad on the shores of Lake Michigan. Or was that Crystal Lake? The Grand Duchess takes a selfie in her kayak. How NOT to impress the girls sunning themselves along the river. YMP and Bad Dad kayaking on the Platte River headed toward Loon Lake. J ust back from a week in Northern Michigan in a charming and spacious house on the banks of the Betsie River outside of Thompsonville. A largely pleasant seven days despite some challenging episodes with the Young Master, who has picked up some very questionable habits and language from his friends in the 8th Grade during the school year just ended. But otherwise, we enjoyed ourselves and contemplated remaining for a few days longer since the house was available. In the end, we decided to return home as planned originally since neither my wife, nor I wanted to spend the remaining days chained to our computers in Zoom meetings from our vacation destination. I actually managed to leave the laptop and ip

Mid-June Thursday Style. . .

A nother pretty typical variation on the theme for late spring, summer, and very early fall. I'm a huge fan of Madras and have several such shirts in the seasonal rotation. Lightweight, exceedingly comfortable, and even dressy when pressed and tucked in, which is the usual way of things here at Totleigh in the Wold. Now, if I had my druthers, I'd still rather be skiing the trails in the upper half of "The Mitten" (of Michigan), in the Upper Peninsula, or Ontario. But summers ain't so bad either, and I'd look pretty funny walking around in cross-country ski attire during June. -- Heinz-Ulrich

A Lazy Saturday at the End of June. . .

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Classic Style

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