This is a hand blown glass pen that I found several years ago in a shop in Tennessee. I don't handle it often as I would be heartbroken if I accidentally dropped it. But it really does work - the ink fills the grooves on the nib.
Does anyone write letters anymore? I hope so, but I know I seldom do... the cell phone, email and Facebook are my primary means of communicating with family and friends. And for ease and expediency, those are quite efficient. Even when I do use the regular mail, it's usually to send a check or photo and I rarely include more than a sentence or two on paper.
I kept a hand-written journal while I was in South Africa, but the notes I made were more a means of record keeping - places, dates, people - than long paragraphs on my journey... sadly.
Will I make an effort to do more hand writing? I doubt it. I make too many promises to myself in this blog as I recognize my shortcomings and wish to make amends. But every so often, I will take this pen out of its box, admire the beauty of it and then put it back in a safe place.