Starting when we lived in Nevada, I remember dad bringing things home that he had found in the desert. He was famous for dragging home old bottles, old stoves, old enamel pots, pans, coffee pots, and clocks.
Spending thousands of days out in the desert where no one in their right minds would go and hadn't been for many, many years, yielded old dump sites and old abandoned buildings that no one had seen since the 1800s .
Dad used some of these items in his artwork as well. The first grade reader book in the same titled drawing, belonged to dad. There's a print he did of a cowboy kneeling by an old cast iron stove that my brother Steve now has. The print below shows an Indian holding a bottle (whiskey, I believe), which either Linda or I have now.
But the clocks were the best. He found several and traded things for others. Each of us kids have been given one of these clocks that will someday be passed on to one of our kids.
Dad knew how much I loved his old junk and just a few months before he died, he told me about an old dump site that he had discovered while out in the Owyhees patrolling with Gary Loveland. He told me that no one had found it and it was just full of great stuff. After he died, I asked Gary about it but obviously he hadn't been impressed with the wonderful stuff the site contained because he didn't remember where it was.
Dad, if you can reach out from beyond, I'd sure appreciate a map!
Well, he did love to draw maps, so that may not be out of the question. Gary, what the heck ! That was very important.
ReplyDeletemom... I love all of these posts. I really look forward to reading them everyday!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying them Jack! It's fun to remember all the little things about dad that unfortunately, didn't seem all that important until he was gone.
ReplyDeleteWanted to say I like the firefighter background for your blog that you are using now. My husband fought fire when we first met & my dad did for years & years.
ReplyDeleteI love how your dad saw treasure in old discards. :)
"Do...not...seek...the...treasure!"
ReplyDeleteOne of Anna and my favorite Oh Brother quotes.
hahahahaha! I love that too! But I WANT to find the treasure!!!!
ReplyDelete