Warm fuzzies and cold noses

Carol and I are pushovers for cold noses and friendly waggers.

We have 8 pup dogs of varying sizes and unknown ancestery. They
are all wonderful members of our family and each has a distinct personality. I'm still gathering photos to post of the ones not shown here.

Lilly: Lilly with the enormous ears is our bat-girl. Partly Manchester Terrier, she is a real lady, a lightweight at around 12 lbs. She is a couch-percher and one of her favorite places is on the back of the couch right behind Carol's head when she isn't snuggling against her feet. We get sweaters for them when the weather gets nippy.

Betsy, our smallest little lady, a Chihuahua
Max gives Carol tech support with her laptop

---

Gracie:
This little lady is Gracie. The picture was taken just after we got her... she has grown a little, but she is still a tiny pup. She is mostly Whippet sweet and feisty too. Our neighbor brought his 150-lb. rotweiller over one day and Gracie proceeded to bite her on the ankle. Scared the poor rottie. At times she is timid and if somebody is rattling bags or other things, she runs and jumps in my lap for protection. A real sweetheart... too cute!

---

Ginger:
We call her Ginger-Snap too. We think she is a rat-terrier mix. She has gotten a bit chubby since we got her - they are all spoiled rotten. This sweetie is a two tone lady and does a little go-round dance when somebody opens the doggy-treats.
I caught her here when she was trying to get her beauty nap - so sorry little lady... excuuuse me!

---

At left, Lilly relaxes in one of her favorite places, next to Carol and under a blanket. Years ago we had a kitty named Salty who liked riding on the dashboard in the car, and perching on your back.

We have had a menagerie of fuzzy family members over the years, and every one of them will always hold a special place in our hearts.

We have been blessed with their companionship and count it grace that the Lord has shared them with us.

Trippin' down memory lane...

The dude in Oregon (circa 1977) and the 'Camaro Z28
fresh off the showroom floor

After burning out as an art director in Miami in 1973 I visited my aunt in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I had never been to the northwest and figured that it would be about as far as I could get from Miami and still be in the US (short of going to Alaska).

Oregon was a jolt to my system... the air was cleaner, no Miami heat and humidity, and I finally understood the John Denver song "Rocky Mountain High" even though I was seeing the Cascades instead of the rockies. In a word, I was hooked.

I moved to Eugene in the fall of 1974, and discovered that Eugene was a magnet for creative folks, authors, photographers and artists. I never met so many nationally known creative people. National publishers were coming to the area as well, and within a year or so I was doing paperback covers and posters that were selling all over the country.

So... what else could happen?

One day this sweet lady (I learned later that she attended the same church I was going to) came in to the company where I was the art director asking for a job. We were married about a year later.

Carol Bouler, originally of Alabama, was and still is my sweetheart and loving wife. (She's a darn great cook and loves puppy dogs too.... another story for another time).

OREGON!!!

Oregon - Magnificient - Beautiful - Wonderful

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork
Check out my Oregon photo album

I lived in Eugene during the late 70s and early 80s.

My favorite place on planet Earth has to be Sisters. About an hour and a half drive up the McKenzie overpass (that drive is breath-taking) from Eugene. The Sisters are 3 mountains near the little community of Sisters as you are on the way to Bend. The photo above was taken from the highway that goes from Redmond to Sisters.

As you drive up the McKenzie you pass white water rapids and waterfalls. Be sure to stop at Sahallie Falls (photo below)... an unforgettable experience.


The pictures here were taken on my most recent trip in the spring of 2006.

My cousin who lives in Boise, Idaho (just across the state line from Oregon) bought a heavy duty diesel pickup to pull his racing airplane. (He does air races in the west). He found the truck he wanted at a dealer in Augusta, Georgia - not far from my home, and asked if I would drive it out - he'd foot the bill. Of course I jumped at the opportunity, delivered his truck and spent a week crusing around in Oregon before flying home.


I'm convinced that it would take several life-times to drink in all the wonders of Oregon.

Pardon me for gushing, but it's how I feel about the place. Several times when entering the state after being gone for a while, I have actually stopped after crossing the state line and kissed the ground. This last trip I crossed over the rough and rowdy white-water of the Snake (River)... had to pass up on that tradition this time.

Figurines and the China connection....

Going to China and working with sculptors to design figurines was quite an experience. Visit this page for details and photos"The China Connection"

In April of 2007 I traveled to Shenzhen, China on behalf of a company that contacted me wanting to make figurines based on some of my characters appearing on greeting cards and gift products. I'm also designing new items for product lines that they currently produce.

I worked with the sculptors - an extremely talented crew who created clay models based on sketches I did and my direction. These were cast and painted and will hopefully be appearing in retail chains before long. A couple of buyers from major chains placed orders during a small show in Shenzhen while I was there.

What made this even more interesting is the sculptors spoke no English and I don't speak Mandarin. With the help of an interperter who was there sometimes and my handy sketch pad we did pretty well.

New items and ideas are in development and we continue to work via emails - I send sketches and descriptions and they send photos of their progress.

It was my first trip to China. The food was great, and the people warm and friendly. An adventure that I will look forward to again when the opportunity arises.

At right is (as said in the photo) me and Helen. She was indispensible and made the whole thing come together the right way. Thanks, Helen.