This photo reminds me of my dad. When I was a kid, Dad flew helicopters in the Ohio National Guard. Every summer, he would go to summer camp up in Michigan for two weeks, and it was always exciting when he came back home. He had placed an order with an artist to have this totem pole made for him on one of those trips. He was always full of surprises. (I will preface this next tale by stating that at the time, we lived on sixteen acres of fields and woods on a rural stretch of Route 23. As our house was along the flight path from Columbus to points north, Dad's fellow pilots...and sometimes Dad himself...would fly in low and buzz over the house.) One time, the night before Dad was scheduled to come back, we were happily watching the Love Boat when we heard a chopper approaching. "Some of the guys must be coming back early," says Mom. We were expecting the chopper to fly over, rattle the windows, and continue on its way. But the sound kept getting closer and closer, louder and louder. My brother and I looked out the window to see a helicopter landing in the field beyondour backyard. We ran out the back door and across the yard, a blur of skinny legs and shorty pajamas. As we got to the field, we saw a duffel bag being thrown out onto the ground, then Dad jumped out. Once he had cleared the rotors, he gave us all big hugs, kissed my mom, grabbed his duffel, and we all walked back to the house as the other guys flew off into the sunset. Let it be said, my dad knows how to make an entrance.
We celebrated Dad's 70th birthday this week. (It's hard to believe he's 70, as he looks so much younger than that. Granted, this picture is a from a few years back, but he still looks like this, with a bit more silver in his hair. Photo courtesy of my Uncle Bob.) Happy birthday week, Dad!
I didn't get to post about the Craftin' Outlaws show. As usual, I didn't get any photos from the event. I'm notorious for taking my camera, then forgetting to take all of the photos that I wanted. Oh well. The show was great, and I really like the new location at BoMA. The atmosphere felt more energized, as everyone was together under one roof. I had never been in the space during the day, and the sunlight lit up the stained glass windows beautifully. Last year's show was my first real show, and I felt like a Virginia Slim ad, going from knowing no one to being friends with a bunch of the vendors. I had customers who visited my table, remembering me from last year. If you'd like to see some great photos of the day, Jill of Out of the Pink Sky Designs wrote a guest blog for Indie Fixx. (Thanks for the mention, Jill!) As a point of full disclosure, Jill and I will be sharing a booth at the Old Worthington Market Day on September 13. Come out and see us!
