Stories Behind The Art

Originally published December 2009 and updated May 2018

On long car rides that were boring to children, my sons would get tired of their toys, games, and music. Back in the day, before iPods, CD players, and other gadgets, we would still talk to each other, front seat passengers and back.

When sons Jason and Kyle were just little whipper snappers, Dad was still a hero who had a wealth of stories from his childhood on the ranch in western Colorado. At the Meeker homestead stories would be told at the table after a filling meal.  We laughed together over the vast repertoire of family tales.

Some of these involved disasters with the farm equipment that were only funny later because family members and the tractors, trucks, and combines more or less survived these ordeals. Sometimes I read stories or poems, my most favorite being "The Ballad of the Ice Worm Cocktail" by Robert Service a humorous story from the old days in the Yukon.

Then there were all the dog stories that were part of my childhood. Our ranch dogs could be very endearing as well as extremely irritating. They always wanted to be in the thick of every farm activity.  

One, named Socks would ride in the back of the pickup, barking the entire trip and drive my Dad nuts. Once Dad's frustration was so great, he grabbed some bailing wire and wrapped it round the dog's mouth. Wouldn't you know it, that darn dog just kept trying to bark anyway. "Bawoof! Bawoof!"

Even though my sons know most of these family stories from frequent retelling, they brought a smile to the old man's face when they asked, "Tell us a dog story, Dad."

Above is one of my early drawings of "Jason and Buddy" of my son and a family ranch dog. We still look at this drawing nearly every day and cherish our children along with the dog stories.