For Halloween this year, we decided to carry on the theme of school dances (last year was J H I Prom of ’85) and throw a sock hop! Our kitchen area was transformed into a 50′s diner complete with jukebox and… ELVIS. Enough said.
I recently returned from an amazing first trip to the Pacific Northwest. We spent 3 days in Portland, Oregon; 2 days driving south along the coast; 1 night camping in Humboldt Redwoods State Park; 3 days in San Francisco, California; 1 day in Santa Cruz, California and 1 day driving north along I-5 (past Mt. Shasta).
From magnificent vistas to retro signage, the whole trip was an endless feast for the eyes. It was also an endless feast for my belly, not pictured.
Above, left to right, starting at top row: Cool hand-painted signs in Portland; Lemons growing on a tree in Santa Cruz; Sign for Grant’s Pass, Oregon; Tiles in a SF BART station; Retro sign on the Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz; Hand-made kooky sign at Voodoo Doughnut Too in Portland; Stenciled sidewalk in SF; More Santa Cruz signage; Hand-painted pattern on SF store window; Golden Gate Bridge; Beautiful view somewhere along Hwy 1; View from the roof of our hostel, SF; View from Haight, SF; Dolores Park, SF; Eel River, CA; Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk; Me in the Redwoods; A rose at our table in Vita, a restaurant in Portland (Rose City).
These mugs are basically a comic strip with the superpower of containing my morning beverage of choice. The mug in the top row is an historical artifact at my J H I desk, having been with me through various office configurations and my transition from multiple cups of coffee daily to the occasional half-caff or Earl Grey.
The pair were part of a thank-you gift from ceramicist Adams Puryear, for putting he and a friend up on my futon as they passed through RVA a few years ago. They serve as daily reminders of two important life lessons:
I really think I got the better end of the deal.
(Click the photo to view it larger and “read” the comic.)
Here at JHI, we are big fans of billboards: they are quick to the point and they reach your customers where they are – being in their car and seeing billboards about cars is not lost on me in this instance! We’ve done quite a few in our time for clients, and although we’d like to take the credit for this one by a BMW dealer – this stroke of genius is entirely theirs. Not only does it directly respond to a competitor in a tongue-in-cheek way, it has also caught the attention of the blogosphere and the twitterverse – thanks to a blog post on the BMWBlog. Interestingly enough, BMWBlog isn’t owned by BMW AG, and I would bet their marketing and PR people are having a good day given all of the positive goodwill spreading around the net since the post on Monday. Well played indeed.
The internet is great for so many things, but just try and find a mailbox that you are in love with and…forget it! Especially if you want one with your company identity on it…nada.
So, wanting a heavily-branded J H I mailbox that was also a comfortable visual fit with our midcentury modern building, we decided to “gulp” have it custom made. We went to Old Dominion Metal Products, which has made all of our galvanized aluminum work surfaces and they said: “sure”. They can do anything, and I mean ANYTHING with metal. But what about the cost? 100% pure, last longer than any of us, hand-made, stainless steel, mounting holes and rubber cushions for the lid so it closes nicely…surprisingly LESS than we expected and less than many, many of the mailboxes we decided were better off left out in internet land.
When we have mail for pickup, we just hang one of our J H I rings over the side to let the postman know that he’s got mail. Anyone have any ideas about how we can get even more J H I symbols on our mailbox??? If you want a beautiful powder-coated J H I ring, just stop by.
I love living in a city with so many wonderful events. During the spring, summer and fall it seems that there is something to look forward to every weekend. We have the Richmond Folk Festival, Friday Cheers, the upcoming Monument Avenue 10k and dozens more. This year, we have one more! Our friends over at Venture Richmond have been helping to plan a new, action-packed festival. Dominion Riverrock (sponsored in part by our client, RVA Construction) will celebrate Richmond’s unique riverside culture. According to the website:
Dominion Riverrock unites the community through a unique mix of sports, music and fun, set against the backdrop of Richmond’s downtown riverfront. The party begins on Friday with a live performance by Rusted Root…a Mud Run…and an acrobatic freestyle bike competition. Then, join in the fun Saturday as athletes from around the region square off in high-adrenaline activities both in and around the river—like the James River Scramble trail run, mountain biking, kayaking and much more. With additional musical performances, spectator water sports like the highflying water dogs, food, exhibits, a downtown Bar Crawl and more, Dominion Riverrock is sure to make a splash as Richmond’s premier river event.
Visit their website for more information! We hope to see everyone there!
Recently, I ran up smack up against another one of those “this is the absolute best thing I have ever had in my life” moments. Briefly followed by a much clearer and somewhat sympathetic understanding of what it means to be a hopeless crack cocaine addict.
As the large airliner came to a final resting stop and the captain announced: “Bienvenidos a Bogota” the passengers spontaneously burst out with a happy and spirited round of applause.
This week Onyx had a play date with her BFF, Jackson. As you can see by the toy parts in the background, they had a great time. Jackson, who is much older and wiser, is very patient with Onyx’s rambunctious and demanding nature. Watching these two play is a great reminder that it’s important to have FUN!
