Memories

This is a photograph of my Father just a year or so before he passed away. I've been having a bit of sadness today as I prepare his photo as a demo for an upcoming class. I always try to do a demo portrait as I explain the different steps to my class.

Today I decided to search through my photos to find two photos of my Dad that I remember so well. They had not been digitized and I really had to do a closet search to find these two old photographs. I knew they were in a box but not where the box was located. Finally I found them.

I scanned them into my computer and am working on the steps to make them into a pattern for my "Fabricating Faces" class.

I love this photo. In the original my Mom is beside him. Daddy wore a light blue sweater and Mama a pink dress. I always thought my Dad was the most handsome man I had ever met.

Today as I work with the photo of Daddy as an older man I am struck by the kindness in his eyes. I see his gentleness in my son Gary, his love for all people in my daughter, Lisa, his love of God in my daughter, Lorin and his love for nature in my son, Michael.

My children remember how Daddy was able to make his ears wiggle and were amazed at him being able to take his tongue and move his teeth out and back into his mouth in one fail swoop. They remember how devastated he was when we came back to NC for a visit and the children found out their special Mimosa tree had been cute down. He hadn't realized how special that tree was for them and he was so sad that he had cut it down.

He had the most beautiful hands. I don't think hands are something that are noticed on a man. He was a laborer, a wonderful Father, a husband, a brother, a man of music. He was a wonderful man,.