Head-dibs

Thor Heyerdahl born this day in 1916.

Thinking back over all the books I've read (and I'm confident I've forgotten most of them), this one book stands out as perhaps my all-time favorite because it contains just about everything that makes an epic. "Undaunted Courage," by Stephen Ambrose. It was the title that grabbed me. "Undaunted" -- not intimidated or discouraged by difficulty, danger, or disappointment. "Courage" -- ability to "do" in the face of danger; strength in the face of pain or grief. Ambrose is my favorite historian, for he writes like a novelist (I've already shared one of his books in a previous blog ). My understanding is that when he was still teaching, Ambrose took one of his college classes along portions of the Lewis and Clarke trail, so he knows what he is talking about. Perhaps you've not read Ambrose, but most are familiar with his work as he served as consultant for the movie, "Saving Private Ryan." Another factor tha...

We've not heard much about explorers in our day because it seems as if everything worth exploring has already been, well, explored. Have you ever wondered what it must be like, to be an explorer? I'm not talking about the months or years on board ships or crossing vast open plains or crossing mountains. I mean, have you ever wondered what it must have been like to be the first person to see, for the very first time, something that nobody else has ever seen? Been somewhere never visited by another human being? A few weeks back while watching the latest Tarzan movie with my family, I remembered my frequent visits to my grandparents in East Texas. I spent months of hours playing on the small acreages of my grandparent's house. My aunts could probably attest that there was never a danger of me getting lost somewhere in the Big Thicket (though I heard many-a warning from my grandmother) because of that Tarzan yell. I ran around the yard and woods in my pith helmet and with m...

I was a small when I first learned about Kon-Tiki and read the book of the experiment/adventure a couple of times. This movie came out two years ago, limited release in America. When I saw it on Netflix Instant View, it was instantly added to my queue. This film hits the high points of the experiment/adventure with one graphic scene (I don't remember in the book, most likely added for the film) involving angry fishermen and one shark. Beautifully photographed, not burdensome in story but (as always) the book is always better.