Since the Nixon era, I’ve collected buttons, pins and tokens anywhere the spirit’s moved me. They’ve come from trade shows, piano recitals, choral competitions, sales meetings, ski trips, museums, jobs, parades, travel, toy shops, parties, fundraisers, clubs, memberships, college football, parents weekends, reunions and more. Some of the older ones weren’t too PC, but they were pretty funny at the time. The power of design, color and words is still in each of them, and together they form a beautiful graphic tapestry of memories. ✨
After spending 40 years in a plastic tub, the charm of a stuffed toy can dissipate ... especially if it wasn’t yours in the first place. ‘Saving them for the kids’ may have been a bit naive and indulgent on my part, so yesterday they emerged for this very Brady photo op. I unbagged, inspected and fluffed each one and positioned them with their best sides forward to the lights and camera. One by one, Patricia, Dynamite, Shamu, Pony, Lambie and the Teddys presented a nostalgic but rather glum feeling of age, isolation and abandonment. My intention to commemorate was front of mind, but I felt that I wasn’t giving these companions the honor they deserved. Once I’d collected 9 images, I stopped because the idea of honoring them as a “community” seemed the best and happiest way to preserve them for the millennia. So here they will photographically go into the future, in no particular order ... together as they once were on my bed, my shelves and for 80% of their lives in the dark of my basement. Free at last! ✨
I learned collecting at my father’s knee. I learned it from the cabinets and drawers in his workshop that overflowed with brackets, wire, knobs and electrical components. I learned it from his coin, train and wood collections. Dad had bottles, boxes and containers with moveable partitions that I loved studying and reorganizing, and in the final years before they sold their home, he spent nearly every day in his workshop categorizing all of it. When it finally came time to sell, keep or give away the contents of their home, it was the collections I cherished most and kept. One item I couldn’t part with was my Dad’s cherry pipe cabinet. He’d given up smoking 20 years prior, but this gorgeous example of his woodworking craftsmanship had adorned our family room walls for most of my life. It had custom racks, notches and clips for his pipes and tiny little drawers just the right size for his various tools. I’d intended to photograph it today, but then I (re)discovered the lighters! Military issue, plain, leather, embossed, and initialed ... each of them bringing me back to memories of my Dad pursuing the work and play of his everyday life. Priceless.
I’m a collector of my children’s treasures too, and some of them bring me right back into those wonderful early years of parenting. This pack of WPD baseball cards were gathered during the late 1990’s/early 2000’s and each officer was an iconic rock star to our family. Long before the Kardashians, these were the people we looked up to and admired, and we’d sit around the kitchen table staring at their friendly and confidence-inspiring faces and note their job titles, family members and hobbies. We loved looking for and identifying them as we drove through town and attended public events. Included on many of the cards were inspirational quotes or advice that revealed the character and values of these fine men and women, and up until last month 7 out of 12 of these officers were still on the force. They are the strong and quiet backbone of the town I love so much and having known so many of them during the past 32 years is a true privilege. Perhaps my favorite words of inspiration came from then Lieutenant (and now Chief) Jack Pilecki who said “Be a good person and have fun.” Amen Chief, that pretty much sums up what it takes to have a good life. Thank you WPD for all that you do to keep us safe and at ease in this world, and I look forward to seeing you all around town. 🚙 💨
