It just seemed appropriate that I found this snapshot of my father and Mako on Father's Day. Dad and Mako were buddies. He loved dogs and Mako was a special favorite. Their interactions were a lot like two brothers - teasing and tormenting each other. Dad would steal Mako's toy and Mako stole the contents out of his pockets. Dad would steal Mako's toy again and Mako stole the pens out of his shirt pocket. He stole countless magazines, while Dad was reading them! I know because he brought all of his loot to me. Mako brought me an endless array of stolen goods, books, a calculator, paper clips, rubber bands, napkins, even the newspaper - a piece at a time. He even brought me a toothpick and a sewing needle. Needless to say, those last two items really scared me! I fussed at Dad for leaving carelessly them around. Of course, he denied any responsibility...

I tried to warn Dad that Mako had a criminal brain. He didn't heed the warning and Mako systematically, over time, unzipped his pants, unbuttoned his shirt and stole the pizza right off the plate! I kept telling him that Mako would strip him naked one day. It never happened but Mako had even tried to unbuckle his belt. Dad just didn't grasp the concept that adolescent Airedales couldn't be trusted. You don't let them near your belt buckle, or, worse yet, the zipper to your pants (Yikes!) - nothing good will ever come of it. He thought that it was funny. That's until Mako ripped a chunk out of Dad's Motor Trend magazine (he was trying to steal it) while Dad was reading it! What was different that time was that Mako tore a hole in the very article that he was trying to read. Then, and only then, did he realize that Mako's thievery was serious!

Like many an adolescent Airedale before him, Mako earned those devil horns!

"Art is magic. The creative process is always an adventure. There is that special moment when the divine spark appears. It's such a thrill! That is what I love Best about the process. After all this time, I STILL don't know how it happens..."