California, Knives and Marx

My wife, our kids and I have been out to California several times to visit my wife’s sister Linda who lives in the Sierra Nevada's.

It’s always a pleasant trip and we love spending time with her and the stay over in her yurt.

Despite the troubling news that major cities in California are experiencing a homeless crisis and rising property and merchandise taxes and costs, California is still worth the trip if for nothing else than to see its amazingly diverse terrain.

California has it all with beaches, mountains, plains, deserts, rain-forests and so much more.

Schiffer Books and author and photographer David Skernick present the best of the best of wild California in a set of two books called Back Roads Of Northern California and Back Roads Of Southern California.

What better way to see California's flora, fauna and landscape close-up than with these two absolutely gorgeous pictorial guides!?

Between my family and I we’ve seen every part of California from its southern border to its northern tip.  We hope to go back again someday.

As much as I love guns and other civilian firearms and artillery there is something about knives that draws me to them.

Maybe it’s a primal urge to take on nature with only my wits, physical strength and the most primitive of weapons.

After all, man survived using knives long before firearms came around.

There is something beautiful about a well-crafted knife. From its handle to its single or double edge blade a knife is a perfectly balanced survival tool and weapon.

With a knife it is possible to survive almost anywhere.

In The Big Book Of Knives author Oliver Lang writes everything about mankind’s most important tool.

Every facet of knife-making is explained, how a blade is sharpened, how its blade is attacked to its handle, the different types of knives and their uses, their utilitarian use and how the modern knife has been transformed from a simple, sharp tool to a precision instrument.

Areas covered include sheaths, utility multi-tools, pocket knives, hunting knives, as weapons of war and protection, knives for the home and kitchen and there's even a section on the care and upkeep of a knife.

It comes as no surprise to me that most readers are not familiar with Marx Toys.

When I was young Marx Toys was one of the most popular and innovative toy manufacturers in the world.  Sadly the company is out of business.

In Marx Toys Robots, Space, Comic, Disney & TV Characters, by Maxine A. Pinsky, not only is a full color-photo catalog but includes values too.

Tin toys of every type are present be they small stagnant toys or wind-up toys that delighted kids years ago and collectors today.

I only wish I had the Marx Toys from when I was a kid.

What a delightful visual treat accompanied by in-depth text about each toy including the dates each was in production.

“Marx Toys ~ Have You All of Them?”