I went home to celebrate my dad's 89th birthday. While at lunch he suggested I make some beef jerky by placing it between two pieces of wire cloth and hang it from a tree just like the Lewis' used to do when I was about four years old. The Lewis' were ranchers in the Guadalupe Mountains outside of Dell City (where I lived on a cotton farm). I often would find a brown paper bag in the seat of my Dad's pickup truck full of the most amazing beef jerky given to him from the Lewis family. I loved it. He went on to say he thought it would be good for my work. I politely agreed and said I would take his suggestion. Afterwards my sister and I had a good giggle wondering what kind of work does he thinks I do? That said maybe he is on to something - the Homemade beef or vinison jerky making process could be a cool performance/installation work of art. Ina moment of giddiness my sister and I fantasized about my Dad's suggestion: I could build a faux bois tree in front of Lawndale to hang the wire contraption that protects the lightly seasoned meat. When it is ready the viewers can sit in a 1950's/60's pickup truck and eat the piece (the jerky) from a brown paper bag and listen to some 60's tunes or news reports.
I just reread this post and we were a l i t tle exhausted from preparing for his birthday celebration.
My Dad wearing his 89th birthday party crown.
My sister and I throw him a birthday celebration every year. This year he wanted everyone to come to his place since it is too tiring for him to go anywhere. We brought breakfast tacos and silly holiday headbands to make it seam festive. My sister Janet Fortune and I also wrote a 12 days of Bob-pa's 89th Christmas adapting each verse to something we remember in his life. We made my non singing family sing it to him. I repeat we do not sing. Our singing is so bad that we have used kazoos at birthday celebrations to sing happy birthday.
Below are the words to the verses we wrote.
The verses to our 12 days of Christmas.
Party headbands
My dad Bob Travis and my sister Janet Fortune after the serenade.
He liked the song/birthday party and I got a great tip for a performance/installation art piece and some quality sister time.
Happy holidays to all.
"comb here" charcoal 2015
My Dad and son Griffin about 20 years ago.