Happy Father's Day

My father is the one who gave me the name for this blog. When I was an infant, I would flop and flail about like a wet noodle. He made a comic strip based on events from my childhood and called it 'Nikki Noodles.' It ran in the local paper when I was a kid. My dad has always made me feel like a superstar.

I remember being a little girl at an amusement park with my father. We went on a ride that spun around really fast. My legs were dangling from the ride's cart as we flew in circles. I was wearing flip-flops and I was scared they'd fly right off my feet. The carney controlling the ride asked everybody, "DO YOU WANNA GO FASTER?" Everyone yelled, "YEAH!" Except me. I was terrified. I screeched, "NO! SLOW DOWN! IT'S TOO FAST!!! I'M GOING TO LOSE MY SHOES!!!" My dad reached down and grabbed the flip-flops off my feet just in the nick of time. He then held me close and said, "It's ok. It's fun! Just scream and laugh!" Despite all the stress, yuck and crazy carnival rides in my life, my dad can always make me feel better. When my dad smiles, all my worries melt away.

He's my favorite artist. His work is pure. He's never pretentious. He makes art that he enjoys. He's done everything from paintings to cartoons to paper mache.




His latest passion is welded junk art. He takes trash and turns it into objects of humor and beauty. It's spectacular.
(To view more pictures of Joe Charbonneau's art, click here to visit Flickr. )



And now, he's a grandfather!

I can't wait for Cooper to meet his Grampa Joe. I know the two of them will get along famously. My dad will sing to Cooper, teach him how to draw and take him to the beach. Maybe he'll even take him to his first amusement park where he'll ride his first scary ride and learn to scream and laugh.



I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day.

(For more new photos of Cooper K., click here to visit Flickr.)