»»» The Explorer's Library    October 24th, 2005:
  For the next couple of weeks, you might hear sounds of eHammering and eSawing coming from this webpage. I'll be working on a new section of my site that will probably take up way too much of my time to do anything else on here, but should result in a great addition to the ever-growing world of Kahunna.net. The section will be called The Explorer's Library and will feature vintage guidebooks and autobiographic travel books from my personal collection. With each book, you'll be able to read information about the writer and their journey, as well as view selected passages and maps. You will also be able to study ephemera found in the book, like train tickets, pressed flowers or marginalia left by the owners long ago but preserved between its pages.
  I have already begun construction on The Explorer's Library. At work today, I sketched out a map of the new section and how I want it to look and feel. In my mind's eye, I see it looking like a forgotten shelf of a traveler's library. I want it to feel aged, dusty, slightly-dilapidated, but with a strong sense of soul and purpose, like a child's favorite stuffed animal that's missing an eye and leaking cotton at a broken seam. Many of the books are torn, water-damaged, sun-damaged and missing pages, but these were not heavily neglected books, they were heavily loved books. I hope that The Explorer's Library can point out the distinction between these two by example of the latter.

A rough design sketch for The Explorer's Library
  I doubt if any of these old books will ever be found on the auction block at Sotheby's. In fact, many of them were bought on eBay for just a few dollars. Despite their condition, they are priceless capsules of history, holding insight into the author's era and, in some instances, the previous owner's life and travels as well. One book I will feature on The Explorer's Library is a copy of Baedeker's Guidebook to Central Italy from 1909. All of what I know about the previous owner and her journey was gathered from the scribbles notations she left in the margins of the book's pages: Her name was Ida R Hood and she carried the guidebook on her travels to Italy in the summer of 1914. She joined her Aunt Mary and cousin's Alfred & Louise in Rome in May. On May 13th, she picked a clover from the Protestant Cemetery of Rome and slid it into the book as a keepsake (96 years later, the clover still lies undisturbed). The last dated note penciled into the guidebook was from the Tuscan medieval walled town of San Gimignano on June 21, 1914... one week before Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, igniting the First World War.
  Well, I've got a lot of work to do so I'm off to warm up my scanner, open up Photoshop, and charge the battery for my digital camera. But before I go, I'd like to share a template design I completed last night. Click on the thumbnail below to see the full page (none of the links will be active). Enjoy!

 »»» Death Valley Trip Report    October 22nd, 2005:

  In what seems like nearly a lifetime ago, I was a huge fan of the Star Wars films. Like most kids of the 1970s, I grew up with the action figures, Luke Skywalker underoos and plastic light sabers. However, my obsession took on a life all its own in 1997 when the original trilogy was re-released in theaters. My obsessive- compulsive tendencies pushed me into a ream of fandom few ever see. I passionately studied the non-fictional aspect of the films: I read as many books I could find that discussed the production of the series. I traveled to Death Valley many times in search of the handful of locations used for small pick-up shots in two of the original Star Wars films. Before each trip, I would ask my Star Wars friends if they would like to go, promoting the trips out to the Mohave with the catchy slogan "Tatooine or Bust!," referencing the desert planet from the film series where young Luke Skywalker grew up. Back in November of 2003, as a birthday gift for a friend, I organized my sixth trip to Death Valley - "Tatooine or Bust VI." Fourteen friends and I set aside 3-days for the trip and good times were had by all.
  Unfortunately, four friends were out of the country at the time of the trip. When they returned, they had to endure the telling of story after story of the exciting adventures, which made appearances in conversations for months. Obviously, they knew they had missed out and wished another trip would be planed soon - one that they could be apart of. So, in October of 2004, we came up with a solution: let those who did not go the first time pick the date for the next outing. Calendars were carefully studied. Appointment books perused. Finally, the right time to go was decided upon: October 7-9th, 2005.
  A year passed and word had been spread among friends that there would be another trip to "Tatooine." Preparations were made: time was requested off from work months in advance, camping supplies were purchased, and transportation was organized. On the eve of the departure, we had close to 30 people ready to egress from all over the Los Angeles area in three separate caravans. What arrived into Death Valley was an eclectic mix of people. Most in the group were Star Wars fans. Among them, four pre-teenagers who were most likely first introduced to characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Artoo Deetoo in the 2001 Star Wars prequel, Episode One - The Phantom Menace. We also had a few older die-hard fans as well, who grew up with the franchise and who stood in line to see A New Hope in 1977. Some of those in their late teens and early twenties brought home-made Star Wars props and costumes for wearing at the sites. But not all in the expedition were fans of the films: some had reluctantly joined the excursion to keep their Star Wars-loving spouses and children company.
  Whatever the level of fandom for Star Wars - if any - all that went had a great time exploring the wonders of Death Valley. Many of those on this trip had never been to Death Valley before. I enjoyed watching and hearing their reactions as we drove down into the valley on Highway 190. It was said best in The Best in Tent Camping - Southern California: "Seeing Death Valley for the first time is like seeing the earth without clothes." The blue sky is in stark contrast to the palette of browns and oranges of the dusty landscape. As a Star Wars fan, I once pictured fictional characters like Jawas and Tusken Raiders hiding in the narrow canyons or behind a mound of colored earth. Since then, my enjoyment of the Star Wars films has all but faded away. Today, I see Death Valley as a natural wonder, not as a large natural movie set. With every trip, I have discovered something new and wondrous in the 3.4 million acres of the national park, the largest in the contiguous United States.
  I had planned visits to seven filming locations, each having a unique look to the Mohave Desert and a great introduction to Death Valley. A favorite location for the group was traversing the frozen rippled waves of sand at the Stovepipe Wells Sand Dunes. My favorite is Twenty-Mule Team Canyon, where we explored the abandoned borax mines dug into the deeply-eroded hills. Fortunately, we had time on Sunday before we left to visit Badwater Basin, the lowest spot in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. This basin has formed a unique layer of salt and other minerals which were left behind when rain water evaporated countless times for thousands of years. Wearing shorts and sandals, I walked with our group out onto the stark white saltpan; thoughts of falling through ice on a frozen lake came to mind when the salty layer covering the mud started to make crunching sounds with every step.
  The weather was very mild compared to Death Valley norms, hovering just under 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and drastically dipping into the mid-sixties at night, causing a powerful wind to blow through the valley until just after dusk. I stayed up until midnight and gazed up at the brilliant canvas of stars, wondering if this would be my last trip to this beautiful-yet-desolate landscape.
  On the drive home Sunday night, I thought of how much I would miss visiting Death Valley. It has become one of my favorite national parks and I doubted I would see it again after I move to Oregon next year. When I got home, I told my parents about the fantastic geography of Death Valley and shared the photos I took. A few days later, they called me up with great news: we would be spending Christmas this year at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley! It will be nice to spend time in Death Valley without any persuasion from friends to see the area as a fictional world. Then again, it doesn't take much to envision such a place as it is.

Link of the Day: Treasure Island ~ 600 barrels of loot found on Crusoe island: A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era appears to be culminating in Chile with the announcement by a group of adventurers that they have found an estimated 600 barrels of gold coins and Incan jewels on the remote Pacific island. "The biggest treasure in history has been located," said Fernando Uribe-Etxeverria, a lawyer for Wagner, the Chilean company leading the search. Mr Uribe-Etxeverria estimated the value of the buried treasure at US$10 billion.

 »»» Mohave Photos    October 11th, 2005:
  I had an excellent time in Death Valley this past weekend. I'll give the full report later this week, but for now, enjoy these photos I posted for your perusing pleasure.
  On the way out to the desert, we stopped briefly in the small town of Mohave where I had a few minutes to check out the local thrift store. I found the following photos. Thought they were unique so I scanned them for later use in a project.

I liked how this shot was framed. The out-of-focus feline in the foreground makes me think of a care-free summer day. There isn't a date on the photo, but it looks like it was taken in the mid 1940s.

A note was written on the back of this photo: "Telescope Peak from the Panamint Valley. Death Valley is dry and the snow. Great trip up through Wildrose Canyon and Townes Pass. 1947"

I was attracted to this photo by its ghostly properties. At first glance, it looks as if the subject's legs seem to have faded away. (He is, in fact, standing behind a bush) I have no idea what this man is doing or why he was photographed doing it. The photo isn't dated but I imagine it must be at least 60 years old.

If you were driving along in the Mohave desert one windless day in June of '64 and you saw this large plume of smoke, could you email me and let me know what the heck this is? The photographer didn't write anything on the back, so while I'm anxiously waiting for your email, I'll ponder the endless scenarios of what might have happened.

Link of the Day: National Geographic Radio Programming ~ From the website: National Geographic World is a one-hour, weekly talk show that takes advantage of the hundreds of explorers and scientists fielded by the National Geographic Society. In a dynamic twist on typical radio talk shows, National Geographic World host Peter Laufer calls out to experts all over the world. The spontaneity and excitement of live talk radio combines with the fascinating and inspiring stories told by these heroes.

 »»» eBay yay!    October 5th, 2005:
  A package that I've been excitedly awaiting for arrived in the mail today from the UK. It's a album of 198 different public transportation ticket stubs that I won on eBay recently. Most of the tickets are from Northern Europe, but there are a few from as far east as the former Soviet Union and as far north as New Jersey. The ages range from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s.
  Now, I know that some of you might be scratching your heads right about now, wondering why I would get something like this. I must admit that it seems pretty strange, but I'm a collector of ephemera, or historical documents like maps, books, or, like this collection, tickets. I plan on scanning each ticket and adding them to my growing database. Who knows... when I become rich and famous (well, maybe just well-paid & recognizable to a few) as a graphic designer, you'll see one of these tickets in my artwork and you'll remember this moment. *wink*

Here's some pics. Go ahead and click on 'em!

Page example #1

Page example #2

Here's a random ticket... for using the streetcars
of Stettiner, Germany

Since it's written in the cyrillic, I can only guess that
this one is from the former Soviet Union.

Unfortunately, the tickets were placed in one of those terrible 'magnetic' photo albums where the adhesive might have permanently bonded the tickets to the pages. If you know of a way to remove them without damaging the tickets, please email me.

Link of the Day: The Voynich Manuscript ~ In 1912, the antiquarian book dealer Wilfrid M. Voynich bought a number of mediaeval manuscripts from an undisclosed location in Europe. Among these was an illustrated manuscript codex of 234 pages, written in an unknown script. Voynich took it to the United States and started a campaign to have it deciphered. Now, almost 100 years later, the Voynich manuscript still stands as probably the most elusive puzzle in the world of cryptography. Not a single word of this 'Most Mysterious Manuscript', written probably in the second half of the 15th Century, can be understood. Check out the website for everything about this puzzling piece.