It was really special to have grown up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Looking back I realize just how fortunate I was. The smell of pine trees in the morning and the distant hiss from the river behind the old paper mill was calming and almost surreal. Although my appreciation for the remote town of 1200 didn’t really come along until I was older.
As there wasn’t much technology I learned a lot about woodworking from my Grandfather, but during the times the weather wasn’t ideal I could be found drawing, watching Hanna-Barbera, Disney or laying under the windows listening to the rain dance across the panes of glass. However; during the nicer days it was likely I would be on my bike, skateboarding, down at the river fishing for rainbow trout, laying on the large rock in the middle of the river or sketching the fish swimming by. Winters were an entirely different story though as our yard became an amusement park! It was riddled with tunnels, snow forts, small drifts became places to slide and you could almost count on a snowball fight at least a couple times a week. As the days would wind down more often than not I would read Poe, Frost or draw some sort of architectural blueprint. However; it could be a night where we would sit and play with my Matchbox collection and build towns out of domino sets, play Chinese checkers or backgammon. Yes, things were simple back then.
Fast forwarding to present day; my interests have diverted a little but one thing remains a constant, my love and passion for my family and for being creative. I’ve relocated a number of times but as an aspiring animator I’m sure that the journey has only begun. As they say in Meet the Robinsons... “Keep moving forward!”
