Huge Bag o' Candy

The weather has suddenly turned much cooler here and Halloween is just around the corner. I don't know what made me think of it, maybe my 7-year-old son's excitement over his new Iron Man costume, but today I remembered a long-ago Halloween night.
I must have been about 8. It was rainy and miserable that night, but we soldiered through and went Trick-or-Treating through the neighborhood anyway. I had a huge bag of candy, weighted down by an extraordinary bounty of sugary glop. And I knew most of it was the good stuff too. As we trudged up the hill to our house it started to rain harder and by the time we got home we were all soaking wet. A rag-tag group of little monsters. As we fell to the living room floor to inspect our treasures, I realized that my goody bag had a big hole in the bottom of it. It had gotten wet and maybe I had dragged it on the street. Anyway, most of my candy was gone. Very little remained aside from the bogus stuff like that hard peanut-buttery goo in the nondescript orange and black wrappers; the stuff that we were convinced people put rat hair and razor blades in. The creepy candy. I was crushed. That was probably the same Halloween when I choked on a set of those cheap plastic vampire teeth. Remember those. They always made you gag.

There were better times ahead. Here's a picture from the family Halloween party, circa 1978, when my buddy Bert and I dressed up as "Dads" complete with Bermuda shorts and dark socks. That's my Mom, The Tree, beside me. And Uncle Jimmy was The Unknown Ventriloquist. Makes me laugh just to see it again. Good times. Really good.

There is something I've always loved about Halloween. Could be the season, could be the memories. I don't know, it's just a feeling I get. I can't wait to take the boy Trick-or-Treating. Sure hope it doesn't rain.

Getting to know Hardware

As any craftsman worth his salt can tell you, any project is made easier by choosing the right tools for the job. The Hardware logo includes the mark "Est. 1964." As I considered the origins of this business, it occurred to me that it really began the day I was born. One of the more interesting aspects of middle-age (though my wife claims that 44 is the new 34) is the privilege of seeing how the pieces have come together in the puzzle of your life. I firmly believe that every experience in my life has led me to this very moment. Looking back on it, I've been blessed with a rich existence. A loving family, generous and caring friends, and the pleasure of making a living doing the things I love most. Posted at the top of the blog, Hardware's "10 Things" statement should give you a pretty fair idea my humble philosophy regarding work and life. And at the bottom of the blog you'll find the standard resume describing my experience and qualifications. Thanks for visiting. Let me hear from you.

First-timer

Okay, I'm a latecomer to the blogosphere, but after resisting the siren call of technology for years I'm finally resigned to the fact that this is the way it must be. Seems I'm an old dog learning lots of new tricks lately. Two years ago I left a relatively comfortable and, at the time, secure career in the newspaper industry. A career that began in 1986 in Atlanta, Georgia and led me to West Palm Beach, Florida and eventually Columbia, South Carolina. In 2006 I left that cushy gig to realize a lifelong dream by co-founding an advertising agency. Today I am proudly launching a new venture named Hardware Graphic Design + Illustration. Lately I've taken a good hard look at my life's work and decided that it's time to get back to my roots. For as long as I can remember all I've really wanted to do is create pictures and find thoughtful, creative solutions to visual challenges. I don't mind hard work, in fact I like it. I'd rather be busy than have to pretend I am!

If you have a project or idea and need an effective, attractive and engaging graphic solution, I invite you to contact me today. Let's talk about putting Hardware to work for you. The new Web site is just days away from its debut at www.hardwaregraphics.com. I'm hard at work in the shop and I can't wait to share Hardware with the world.