In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

When I was a little boy I was enthralled by the space program and every aspect of it.  I can’t say that I wanted to be an astronaut, but I did want to be part of those who discovered the unknown.  In the 1960s there was a feeling that we could do anything, and that feeling was ignited in me by the Sci-Fi movies that I watched on late-night TV, and it was amplified by Mr. Wizard, a kid’s science show that I viewed with religious abandon.

I wanted to be the person who understood the science, the one who ran the experiments, and the individual who made the discoveries.  It seemed so impossible, yet so possible.  An early dichotomy in my life to become one of many.

I projected myself into a science vocation, but then took a wide turn into medicine, and then sidestepped into a psychiatric career.  I have no regrets about these detours.  I realize that a child’s fantasies are different than an adult’s reality.

I thought science would give me all of the answers.  A consistent and cohesive set of rules would allow me to find the right path in life. At best, that assumption was only partially true.  Yes, I did want order to calm my chaotic childhood.  I did feel that knowledge would allow me to gain control of my life.  But order is a superficial construct, in reality, there is no true order instead there is a never-ending move to entropy and the resultant disorder. I realized this early, yet I continued to pursue a line of study.  I understood that my excitement came from the process of planning, testing, observing, and learning.  I came to understand that the smallest discovery was as important as the grandest. All knowledge is important.  Every idea has merit. Each new thought is significant.

I think that is why I have found retirement so engaging.  I can now absorb myself in the most trivial study, and when I get tired of a topic there is no obligation to complete it, be tested on it, or even become proficient in it.  The things that I study would sound odd to most, but that no longer matters. One month I did an in-depth analysis of blood pressure cuffs.  Then I explored numerous ways to cook the same thing.  Currently, I’m completing a project where I’m comparing 58 different double-edge razor blades, not only on their physical properties but also on their country of manufacture.  Most of what I do holds significance only for me and would have little interest to a wider audience.  However, that is what makes such projects so intriguing. It is knowledge gained for the sake of knowledge.

Violet, the camper van is one of my ongoing research projects.  What would I need to create a totally self-sufficient travel vehicle? What necessities are required for her basic functioning?  What additional items are needed to enhance the overall camping experience? You may be asking why I have personified my home-on-wheels. As I invest in something it tends to gain a personality of its own and it seems fitting that said personality should be attached to a name.

There is more to Violet than nuts, bolts, and solar panels.  Violet is also a social experiment for me as she forces me to do things that are beyond my comfort zone. What is it like to be completely alone?  How can I find my own space when traveling with others? How resourceful can I be when I’m not an expert at something?  How brave can I be when I’m afraid? Questions and answers present themselves on every trip that I take. 

Then there is “Fort Violet” who feeds my inner child.  A place of no rules, only ideas.  A location where I can hide in plain sight. A zone that holds secrets that I only know. 

Violet follows the rules of science.  Her solar-powered systems are testimony to that. But she also embodies whimsy.  She feeds my need to feel secure through planning and problem-solving.  She pushes me beyond my limits.

As a family, we Kunas are watching a series on the space race. In so many ways Violet is my space capsule that I’m now readying for her next great journey, a trip to Arizona.  Checklists have been created.  Scenarios have been evaluated.  Maintenance has been done.  Today I have started the process of loading grocery cargo into her “shuttle bay.”  Next, I’ll pack my gear, then load her water tanks… and so it goes.  In a few days, I’ll anxiously plug into her navigation system the coordinates of my destination, press her accelerator, and start my next journey of discovery. 

Everything in life has importance…Everything has merit.

Mike