Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
It's a sweet little.... baby skunk. An exotic pet store near us has them once a year, only in June. I met a lady with a couple of them riding in her cart at Petsmart a few months ago. As a pet, they're kind of a mix between a cat and a ferret. You can litter train them and they're very fun, inquisitive and active. And also gamey. Despite being de-scented, they definitely have a strong body odor. (Mom noticed the burning candle hidden on a nearby shelf). Nevertheless, the skunks really are very cute.
Emmalee gets up close and personal with an alligator. One of the things this pet store does is rescue alligators that have been dumped and place them in an animal refuge. (They just placed a 6 foot American Alligator in a refuge earlier this week. He'd been in their store 5 years while they raised funds for it.) The three they currently have were given up by their owners after they got too big. But the store owner told us the DNR pulls about 15 alligators out of the nearby river every year. Yeeks.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Today was a big day for Emmalee. It was her first time to go down The Blue Slide at the water park/pool by our house. It's a very tall flume-like slide that's VERY fast. She's been waiting for at least two years to be big enough to go down that slide. This winter, she hit the coveted "48 inch" line - the height requirement not only for riding The Beast at King's Island, but the big slides at our aquatic centers too. So today was a big deal - the fulfillment of a dream. She's been talking about it since we measured her on her birthday last November and found she would be tall enough come summer to ride that slide! Emmalee is the small figure on the left waiting her turn at the top of the slide.
Just for Daddy
The picture goes into a "create-a-mug" which is a plastic mug that holds paper or other decorations to make a custom mug.
She pulled the kitchen stool out to the garage, and studied her mom's Magna. Mine was not available for modeling since I had ridden it to work. She carefully copied the myriad of tubes and wires that comprise the engine.
You can see the detail on the tank including the Honda Flying Wing logo.
She embellished the "A" in "HONDA" to give it wings as well.
And the wheels are stylized with an idea of her own ... holes instead of spokes.
The only trouble with this whole arrangement was that after she had created this masterpiece she could hardly contain herself. She could barely hold back giving it to me right away, and it was only Tuesday.
Her conversations drifted toward hints about my gift. She casually engaged me in conversation about my Harley mug at work. She knew that folks see the mug and ask me about my Harley, only to discover that I don't have (nor want, at present) a Harley.
This line of questioning and conversation let me know what she had done for me, but we waited until Sunday for the unveiling. She was so happy to present it to me.
I haven't taken it to work, wanting to post this blog entry about it first. She sees it on my desk at home and asks, "When are you going to take it to work? Are you still drinking from your Harley mug?"
Monday, June 23, 2008
Illustrations
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Happy Father's Day
Another John illustration ... for Father's Day. The motorcycle is wonderfully detailed ... and yes, it is launching vertically. It hit the ramp and is now flying straight up.
I love the rider, tongue out, helmet flying off.
This picture has what seems to be a signature of John's illustrations, the bird flying overhead, surveying the scene, wondering what is going on.
And there's a wonderful expression on this dude's face. The thought balloon requires some explanation.
The story goes, I bought an after-market seat for my motorcycle, because the stock seat hurt my back. I was looking for something with low back support.
When I bought the new seat, Carolyn asked, "Does it give you the low back support that you were looking for?"
I said, "It does. Well, really, it's more 'upper butt support' than 'low back support'..."
The kids, hearing this conversation, laughed aloud. Whenever we talk about motorcycles, motorcycle seats, riding motorcycles with a passenger, riding motorcycles with luggage, riding motorcycles long distances .. whenever that stuff comes up ... we invariably get a laugh about "Upper Butt Support".
John worked that into his illustration.
He was drawing the motorcycle, and Carolyn noticed he was drawing a Harley-Davidson logo on the tank. She gently suggested, "You know, Daddy actually probably prefers Hondas to Harleys..."
John gave it some serious thought, and said, "No, I want to draw what I want to draw."
Carolyn said, "Okay."
Gotta love that independent spirit. I wouldn't want it any other way.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Space: 1888
I'm no cartoonist although I really enjoy the single-panel cartoon format of cartoons like "Far Side", "Speed Bump", "Bizarro", etc.
I've been enjoying watching that 70's era science fiction TV servies "Space: 1999" with the kids. Reliving my own childhood.
I dreamt up a goofy spinoff concept -- combining space and time travel. "Space: 1888".
I drew a space-faring donkey pulling a conestoga wagon.
I showed it to John. It won't win any awards, but watching John's face when I presented it to him was priceless.
I deadpanned it. A completely serious, expressionless look on my face as I showed it to him. His eyes fell on the picture, then went back to my face -- hoping my expression would give him a clue. He studied the picture some more, then back to my face again. 3 times.
He wasn't sure what to make of it.
Finally his face broke into a broad grin. He laughed uproariously.
"I like it!" he said.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Liberty County Courthouse
Father's Day Car Show
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hueston Woods