Here's the last 3 panels of my cartoon - illustrating a real life experience. In case my illustrations need explanation, let me add some details:
From the debris of the fire we salvaged remnants of framing timber, baling twine, and 4 empty fifty-five gallon drums that had once held DDT. My neighborhood buddy, Dick, belonged to the scouts and recently learned lashing and knots. So we both set to work lashing together a framework (we called super-structure) which would sit on top of the barrels. We would hopefully, climb aboard to blissfully float down the creek. This contraption proved to be not responsive to the navigators, a little tippy at best, which upset our passengers, the dogs. We were all afloat, but not well controlled when my dog decided to jump off when we bumped into the bank. Without his weight for balance, one side popped up and one barrel floated out of position and away. Trying to reposition ourselves, Dick's dog saw the opportunity and jumped off causing the other side of the raft to pop up and the second barrel floated away from the framework. Without the tension of the barrels, the lashings loosened and framework started to twist apart under our feet. We both fell in laughing and swam to shore while "Super-Structure Raft" floated off, in pieces, without us. Great Fun! Hope you enjoy the story and my memory of the scenes. Tell me what you think.
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This story is supposed to tell itself with pictures, and only a few additional written comments if needed.
Here, after we built a raft out of debris from the fire, the next step was to take it for a test-drive (or "test-float"). Of course, our pet dogs were to go along on the adventure. They weren't quite so eager for the adventure as we were. ... a cartoon, of sorts. Let me explain.
I'm teaching a class at KSU OLLI, for old people like me, a continuing education course titled "Illustrating a Story." It's a new course where students are encouraged to imagine a series of scenes, then sketch it out, like in a series of cartoon panels. Reviews are mixed - not a raving success; an entertaining exercise without high expectations for creating a masterpiece but possibly to be shared with family and friends in casual conversation. 'Thought I'd share my "rough draft" story illustrating one memory of a childhood experience. As a "back story", a neighbor's barn burned down one summer night when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old. Debris from Becker's barn was hauled down to the far end of a field bordering the creek where it would be disposed of, probably buried. My illustrated story begins with me and a buddy and our 2 dogs rummaging through the trash to see if there was anything worth salvaging. Let's see now. Where do I begin today to make my annual list of resolutions, only to begin breaking them tomorrow?
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AuthorBill Needs Archives
April 2023
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