LA-San Fran or bust

Tape-ography and hitchhiking tips, Oui Magazine, 1975

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Belt buckles at the flea market, New Hampshire, 1978

Taken on a field trip to the flea market during summer camp.

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Ferragosto

August 15th- The day when all Italians take off for the coast for il Camping e Caravanning. 

Buon divertimento!

Images from Europa Camping + Caravanning guide, 1971

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Hurricane Lamps

Camping Gaz Instalux. 1970's Battery-powered Italian camping lights:

 One of the only things to look forward to when the power goes out.

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1882 Camille Poirier Duluth Pack Sack A1 backpack

The (supposed) Holy Grail! (of the backpack world.)  French-Canadian Camille Poirier arrived in Duluth, Minnesota in 1870, set up a leather working shop, and soon after designed this Poirier Pack Sack. Featuring new-fangled strap designs, leather-based supports, and a "tumpline" strap, which goes around your forehead in order to lessen the weight on your back. Poirier patented his design in 1882, and riveted a little brass plaque on each pack. Basically, the Poirier Pack Sack is the great-great-grandpappy of all modern backpacks.
In 1911 Poirier sold his company to the Duluth Tent & Awning Co., after which the bags were called Duluth Packs.
Incredibly rare and desirable (?), some may know the Poirier from its infamous $45,000 Ebay auction.

This particular pack above is from an estate in New Hampshire. Slightly different (totally better) compared with the ebay pack, the tumpline seems to be more in keeping with the pack's design, and it's stamped Poirier Duluth Pack Sack, A1.

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Meatballs Three Ways

I am ready for the summer.

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Fantastic Mr. Arctic Fox

Older Fjallraven (Swedish for Arctic Fox) jacket/parka from an estate sale, made in Finland. Fjallraven is a Swedish brand known for scoliosis-preventing backpacks, making things that last, and not exporting much to America, so this is a rare find and strangely poetic that it's in perfect condition. = From the Fjallraven website: "A product that is handed down through generations or sold second-hand has hardly any affect on the environment compared to buying a new product."

Words to live by.

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Penn

We drove down to New York and on the way detoured over to my parents' house in Connecticut to preview their yard sale. Among the things we bought (back) was this old copy of  Irving Penn's Moments Preserved, for $1. Penn is the master of composition and still life, and his portable studio with the canvas backdrop is eternally inspiring. If you're in Los Angeles this September, The Getty Museum is having a massive retrospective. 

also at the tag sale: 

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