Sunbelt Publications

Bringing you quality, award-winning books since 1984

San Diego, CA—A monumental new publication honoring artisans and their masterpiece baskets—California Indian Basketry: Ikons of the Florescence—will be released this December after five years in production. Authors Wayne A. Thompson and Eugene S. Meieran bring together the exquisite baskets and their creators in a reverent tribute to these master artisans. These are the same baskets that have drawn the attention of collectors and museums throughout the United States and are highly prized today. For the first time these baskets have been matched to the artisans and their stories are told in this richly illustrated, photographic overview that captures the beauty and artistry of the remarkable world-class Native American Indian baskets of California.

Collecting highly complex and artistic Native American baskets became a successful tourist business in the late 19^th and early 20^th century when tourism exploded as a result of the expansion of the railway system to hitherto relatively inaccessible locations. This new business benefitted both collectors of this art form and the weavers who created them. The focus of this book are the weavers and their baskets from this time period, circa 1895 to 1940, known as Florescence or Flowering.

Terry DeWald, Native American art dealer, calls the book, “A definitively well-researched and documented examination of the greatest baskets and weavers of Native America. The incredible photos which link these seminal classic baskets with their dexterous and talented weavers are invaluable.” He continues, “The biographies of the artists and the fascinating images of the historic basket competitions shine light on an era that we’ll never witness again.”

The book will be available in three formats, softcover, hardcover, and a deluxe collector’s edition. The deluxe edition will feature a beautiful and protective clamshell box and will be sold through museum gift shops, independent retailers, and directly from the publisher.

California Indian Basketry: Ikons of the Florescence
ISBN: 978-1-941384-52-7 (SC), 978-1-941384-51-0 (HC), 978-1-941384-58-9 (Deluxe Edition)
Retail price: $49.95 (SC), $99.95 (HC), $299.95 (Deluxe Edition)
Author: Wayne A. Thompson, Eugene S. Meieran
Editor: Alan P. Garfinkel
Publisher: Sunbelt Publications, Inc.
Publication date: December 2020

Now available to pre-order with 20% pre-publication discount!

Get a sneak peek at the book in the video below!

In this Sunbelt Spotlight lecture, Daniel Cartamil shares the origins of his book, Baja’s Wild Side with the audience. The journey begins with shark research in the region. As Daniel explored and photographed more and more of Baja California, a book filled with breathtaking images of remote landscapes, wildlife, and cultural treasures emerged. During this talk, it was announced that a Part Two is in the works! Check it all out in the video below.

Did you know California’s first Independence Day is actually in September? California was still under Spanish rule when Mexico won their independence. This long battle for independence began on September 16th, 1810 and ended September 27th, 1821.

In the video below, historian and author Iris Engstrand shares with us the ups and downs of the independence movement and how this impacted California in the following years. Hear stories of early San Diegans from the Mexican period and more!

On his Sunbelt Spotlight, Jeff Moore showed us around part of his retail nursery, Solana Succulents, and demonstrated how to create not just one, but two succulent dish gardens, all while sharing his wealth of knowledge about succulent plants and the hobby.

Solana Succulents is located at  355 N. Hwy 101, Solana Beach, CA. 92075. It is open Monday and Tuesday by appointment only, Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sunday from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Last week on our Sunbelt Spotlight, we talked to Diana Lindsay and Jim Varnell about how the San Diego Natural History Museum Canyoneers have adjusted their programming due to the pandemic, who they are, and how you can get involved. The recording is available to view below.

This fall, the Canyoneer hike program has moved online. Each season, they will be posting 10 hikes that you can tackle at your leisure on their website. Each hike has been given its own page with the distance, a difficulty rating, map, a written description, and information about what you might see on the trail. They also provide links to the website of the organization that manages each trail so you can check to see if the trail is open to the public.

The Canyoneer Website

If you want access to additional trail options immediately, pick up a copy of Coast to Cactus: The Canyoneer Trail Guide to San Diego Outdoors. The guide has 250 hikes, each with its own map and photograph, hike description with mileage, elevation gain/loss, difficulty rating, directions to the trailhead with GPS, trail use, special features, and type of habitat(s) found on each hike. Each hike has a focus on a species or natural/cultural history feature associated with that hike.

Some of our best selling titles are bargain gems. If you don’t mind a cover scratch or nick, you can discover great deals browsing our shelves. Visit our warehouse to shop. We are still located in El Cajon at 1250 Fayette Street. You can also call or email if you have specific titles in mind. These shopworn copies are not available through our website. You may even find some discontinued or out of print titles!

We are open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and by appointment any other time. Call 619-258-4911 or email info@sunbeltpub.com to schedule.

When was the last time you experienced the great outdoors? How did it make you feel?

Since the discovery of agriculture approximately 10,000 years ago, the time humans spend outdoors has steadily declined to less than 7%! This lack of exposure has been linked to higher cortisol levels, more irritation, more distraction, and other physiological changes.

So let’s get back outside! Be conscious of what you are doing and why to really reap the benefits. Use all your senses to be aware of your surroundings, the sounds, the smells, the sights, and even touch. Connect with the environment you live in by knowing about what lives there, animals, plants, and even your neighbors. Engage with others and help them reconnect with nature.

If you would like to learn more about this any of the ideas presented here, watch our first Sunbelt Spotlight lecture with Richard Halsey, now available to view on YouTube!

These helpful links are from the California Chaparral Institute

How to make your home more fire safe

Protecting Your Home

Fire

Have you ever wanted to know about all 48 missions of the Californias? We invited mission scholar and author Max Kurillo to Sunbelt Publications for a SB Live Chat on this very subject as covered in his new book, Old Missions of the Californias. In this book, all 48 of the California missions are detailed in the order of their founding and not based on a border that didn’t exist when the missions were built. Maps and photos from past and present provide a look at the missions from yesterday and today. Also Included are chapters on the founding Catholic Orders, on the mission road, El Camino Real, and a complete reference list of additional mission history sources. This comprehensive yet compact work belongs in your glovebox, backpack, and home library to enrich your travel and mission history experiences.

Even if you weren’t able to catch the talk live, it is available to view at your leisure below. Our full selection of Max Kurillo’s books are also on special through July 31st, so order soon!

For our first Sunbelt Spotlight on July 22nd, author and naturalist Richard Halsey is going to share how during this time of isolation, we can reconnect with our original home, the outdoors. To get you started, we would like to share a hiking trail from Coast to Cactus: The Canyoneer Trail Guide to San Diego Outdoors. This trail is part of the beautiful Mission Trails Regional Park.

Take A Hike Tip: It is warming up in southern California, so don’t forget to pack extra water, a hat, sunscreen, and protective lip balm. Most importantly, let someone know where you are hiking and then let them know when you return, so that they can call emergency services if you don’t come back. This is especially important if hiking in remote areas.

VISITOR CENTER LOOP

Distance: 2 miles, loop, including short side trip
Difficulty: 2 out of 5 – a route of 1-3 miles with some up and down that can be completed in 1-2 hours with elevation gain/loss of up to 500 feet.
Elevation gain/loss:  Up to 600 feet
Hiking time:  1 hour
Agency: City of San Diego
Trail use: Bicycles, dogs
Trailhead GPS: N32.81956, W117.05592
Optional map: USGS 7.5-min La Mesa

Directions: From CA-52 go east on Mast Boulevard for 0.2 mile. Turn right on West Hills Parkway. Go 0.7 mile. Turn right on Mission Gorge Road. Go 2.4 miles. Turn right on Father Junipero Serra Trail at a large wooden sign for Mission Trails Regional Park. Continue a short distance following the signs to the visitor center parking lot.
From I-8 go north on Mission Gorge Road for 4.2 miles. Turn left on Father Junipero Serra Trail at a large wooden sign for Mission Trails Regional Park. Continue a short distance following the signs to the visitor center parking lot.

The Mission Trails Visitor Center Loop Trail is a great hike for those who want an introduction to San Diego outdoors. It has it all including a 14,575-square-foot, award-winning visitor and interpretive center with both audio and visual displays that help you understand the resources of this over 7000-acre park. Mission Trails Regional Park purports to be one of the nation’s largest urban natural parks. The loop trail is great for trail runners, mountain bikers, and dog owners. For those that do want a guide, park naturalists lead free interpretive walks on this loop on both Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m.

Before you begin your hike, take time to enjoy the many displays at the visitor center. Learn how water was first transported to San Diego and how the early days of this park was part of the military’s Camp Elliott from 1917-1961. The visitor center is open daily from 9-5 p.m.

One of the amazing things about this loop is how quickly one can leave the noise of a major street and crowds gathered in the parking area and step into a natural environment. While we enjoy the quiet and hear the wind as it moves through the plants, the call of a wrentit, or the buzz of an insect, think about how the quiet is much more fundamental for many of the animals calling the chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and riparian woodland ecosystems home. Noise pollution is of concern to these animals since their hearing is so sensitive, having evolved in areas without the roar of freeways or of a jet flying above. A mouse for instance, may be temporarily deafened with a loud noise, leaving it more susceptible to predation, whereas in a quiet location, the mouse may have picked up on subtle clues giving away the presence of a predator.

The hike begins at the parking entrance to the visitor center off Junipero Serra Trail. The trailhead is signed “Visitor Center Loop.” The loop trail ends on the other side of the drive entrance. Begin walking north, noting common chaparral plants encountered at the beginning of the loop that include laurel sumac, California buckwheat, and chaparral candle. The large peak straight ahead is South Fortuna Mountain.

As you approach the San Diego River, cottonwoods will come into view. At 0.3 mile there is a turnoff to the Grinding Rocks Trail which leads to the Riverside Grinding Site where bedrock morteros may be seen. It was here that early-day Kumeyaay would grind their collected seeds and acorns to prepare them for meals. Take this short jaunt if you want to see this grinding area and then return to the junction to continue the loop.

As the trail begins to follow the river, more riparian plants become visible including mule-fat, western sycamores, arroyo willows, and rushes (Juncus spp.) that were used by the Kumeyaay for making collection baskets. Watch out for western poison-oak near the trail. At about 0.9 mile, you approach the San Diego River Crossing from which you can go right to head to the Fortunas. Go left and head right up the hill passing a small stream to your right. Note the blocks of ancient granite that rise above the steam bed where cattails are visible. The green material floating in the pond eddies is a freshwater green alga known as pond scum or pond-moss (Spirogyra spp.), although it is not really a moss. The alga is photosynthetic—a chlorophyte that typically forms greenish mats on the water’s surface, especially during dryer months when water is stagnant.

The loop continues past the Jackson Staging Area. As the route parallels Mission Gorge, the quiet is interrupted with the sounds of street traffic and soon the parking area comes into view.

Who doesn’t love bacon?

Try out this staff favorite recipe from Bacon Lovers Cookbook for Caramelized Bacon! This book is a must have for anyone that is addicted to bacon.