Montecristo No. 2 Cigars And A Darker Experience Down An Unmarked, Deserted, Cuban Dirt Track Just Outside Havana

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It was a love of Montecristo No. 2 cigars that seems to have led Ken Gargett to one of Cuba’s dirty secrets, “At the end of the road, two men stepped out. They were friends of our crew. One called Ivan (I swear I am not making this up) took our birds. We were directed off the road into a makeshift parking area, half of which is filled with Ladas and the rest the wonderful old 1950s cars so prevalent in Havana. More than a few have government number plates.”

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Aurora Borealis seen in Germany, note how bright the scenery looks for a dark night

The How, What, When, Where And Why Of Seeing The Aurora Borealis, AKA Northern Lights – Reprise

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Ian Skellern and his wife serendipitously chanced upon “seeing” the aurora borealis while visiting Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the excitement of that led to months of research. And that research led to spending a few days in the Arctic Circle in the north of Sweden. Here is what Ian has learned about the northern lights so far, some of it firsthand.

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Graf Von Faber-Castell Bentley Limited Edition Barnato Pen: A ‘Bentley Boy’ Driving Force

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Graf von Faber-Castell’s new Bentley Limited Edition Barnato, the most recent addition to its Bentley pen collection that debuted in 2018, is an homage to Woolf Barnato, who was one of the legendary “Bentley Boys.” Nancy Olson has the lowdown on this pen world high point.

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Gintastic! The Weird And Wonderful World Of Today’s Oddball Gins (Warning: Some Are Just Mad As A Hatter!)

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What do truffles, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, trout, elephant dung, and green ants have in common? These items and countless more have all been used to make specialist craft gins. Sure, gin needs juniper. But after that it is open slather. Indeed, it is hard to think of a plant, herb, root, flower, leaf, and much more than has not been used to make gin. And some of them are just batsh*t crazy!

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A fuller view of the Haldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon

Behind The Lens: Beat Haldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon – Reprise

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In GaryG’s view, every successful independent watchmaker has elements of a “house style” that may attract some buyers and put off others, but nonetheless set him or her apart. And, at the highest level, this style goes beyond “branding” to become an expression of the personality and artistic vision of the creator. In the picturesque Swiss town of Thun, Beat Haldimann and his small team distinguish themselves by focusing on technical virtuosity of the highest order as typified by the Haldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon.

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Gincredible! How And Why Gin Went From Murderous Swill To 007-Level Cool

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In eighteenth-century England, a typical sign outside a gin shop read, “Drunk for a penny. Dead drunk for twopence. Clean straw for nothing.” But by the twentieth century Sir Winston Churchill reported that, “The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.” Ken Gargett fills his glass and takes a look at the evolution of gin. Cheers!

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Mesa Verde National Park’s Cliff Palace, an almost fully intact cave village built by the ancient Ancestral Puebloans

How The Native American Ancestral Puebloans Kept Track Of Time – Reprise

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If you’ve been lucky enough to travel to the “four corners” area of the southwestern United States (where U.S. states Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico “meet”), then you may have seen or even visited some of the cliff dwellings built by ancient native peoples. Read on to find out what we know about how this ancient tribe now known as the Ancestral Puebloans kept time and why.

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Giant Patek Philippe Nautilus By Artist Simon Beck In The Sand On British Beach

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Artist Simon Beck has created an enormous 170 x 100-meter drawing of a Patek Philippe Nautilus in the sands of Britain’s seven-mile-long Brean beach. That awe-inspiring thought alone was enough reason for Elizabeth Doerr to take a closer look.

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The Tennis Tale Of A Signature Zenith Defy El Primero 21: Little Details Make Big Differences For Coach Patrick Mouratoglou

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One charismatic coach and one cool chronograph: tennis’ premier mentor now wears a fast-paced Zenith El Primero Defy 21. Here’s the story behind Zenith’s new Defy 21 Patrick Mouratoglou Edition told by tennis journalist Miguel Seabra.

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Bond Roberts Cigar Auctions: Avoid The Plethora Of Fake Cigars With This Trustworthy Source

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Bond Roberts is a joint venture between Rob Fox of James J. Fox and Rob Ayala of Friends of Habanos. They refer to the operation as, “a transparent cigar exchange where technology, oversight, and member participation come together to offer the largest continuous selection of aged, vintage, and rare Cuban cigars to the global market in a secure trading environment.” Ken Gargett weighs in on the trustworthiness of the new operation.

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