There are many travel blogs out there . . .

A lot of them will tell you about what it’s like to walk off a plane into some remote culture. The bliss that comes with eating fresh coconut on a beautiful beach in the Caribbean. You will read these things, and you will feel jealous. Wanderlust, itchy-feet, maybe you will relish their experience because it brings you back. It reminds you of the time when you were on a beach, eating a coconut, in the Caribbean.

These accounts are enthralling, informative, and entertaining. And if nothing else they can be a great gauge of privilege. Something the travel industry is steeped in. At times a piece will be riddled with outright prejudice and even more so with unacknowledged biases. All too often it seems that we are doing little more as ‘travel writers’ than unconsciously assisting neoliberalism in it’s attempt…

These are sandals constructed from the narrow-leaf yucca.  These designs are based on specimens preserved in caves.  These might not be much to look at but they are remarkably impervious to the many sines, spikes, and other poky things found in the deserts of the west.  These are two and four warp designs and the yucca is only slightly processed.  The leaves should be dried prior to use and then re-wetted just before weaving.  This prevents the normal loosening associated with shrinkage during drying.

These are being diplayed at the Blackwater Draw atlatl and Primitive Technology day 2008.

I intend to continue to research these and will try to compare types through use.

This cartoon was created by Bill Watterson.