Post #185689 by ZebraTiki on Fri, Sep 9, 2005 7:43 PM

Here are examples of two pieces from my collection that I really like, they are "First Day Cover" stamped envelopes in recognition of the National Parks Centennial:

The first time I was taken to Hawaii as a child, my mom arranged tours so that the first place we went was the City of Refuge. It was very foggy the day we went, and to see the ancient wooden figures loom up out of the swirling fog had a profound effect on me. All at once they were very old, yet a completely new image, scary, yet protective, angry or perhaps laughing. Every so often while the tour guide was telling us about the history of the City of Refuge, the tiki gods would disappear ever so slightly in the fog, as if they controlled how much they would allow themselves to be seen.

At the time these stamps came out, I remember that my mom bought loads of them to use for personal letters and cards, and conservative friends and family labeled her as a morally questionable eccentric due to the "risque" image of the tiki.

There is a third design out there for these First Day Issue stamps, I believe the color of the illustration is done in tan and brown tones.