Before we were friends, my longtime blogging partner Josh and I were co-workers at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Boulder, Colorado, just two young gallants with a common passion for shelving books and making the kind of bank we could expect to earn with liberal arts degrees from some of America's finest institutions.
As we became better acquainted, we learned we shared many passions not unheard of among gentlemen of our station—gazing over the hills of our rolling estates, admiring the statuary, scoffing at the laments of our disgruntled tenantries... Naturally it didn't take long for us to become simpatico, and soon we were prowling the local dens of leisure, where a new game called "snooker" was all the sensation among the landed gentry. We came to be confidants over many a game, and no topic was taboo, though Josh was prone to asking indiscreet questions after one brandy too many.
I also learned Josh was a full-time cartoonist, and B&N was just a tony side hustle to keep him in ink and whatever cocktail of substances he was using to furiously hammer out his daily comic strip, The Family Monster, deep into the witching hour.
By the time his cartooning career was ready to evolve from TFM, we had both moved on from Boulder, but not before we bade each other "good luck, old man" and vowed to keep in touch. Adventure awaited—I and my sometimes-popular wife were bound for Le Mans, France, and Josh and his then-fiancée Isis set a course for Portland, Oregon. It was there Josh conceived of his new creative project, Welcome to Falling Rock National Park. The eponymous companion blog was launched shortly thereafter in 2007.
My idiot brother and I started our own blog that very year, and Josh and I quickly forged a partnership, strong and true. When the time came to fashion a new and unique look, it seemed only natural to ask Josh to apply his artistic talents to our banner. McBoners of yore will remember the images of Stabbone and McGraw juxtaposed against the Cleveland skyline, McBone muse Chanzilla looming over the city, all 200 feet of her ready to unleash her rampaging brand of country, folk, and blues-infused indie rock on the unsuspecting citizenry:
It was the perfect banner, one we proudly displayed for the entire run of our original Blogger iteration and ill-conceived Wordpress reboot, which was quickly infected with malware, driven out to the country, and given the blogging equivalent of a double-barrelled sendoff.
I always suspected my blogging career wasn't dead but merely adrift, possibly circling the Earth in low orbit and soaking up inspiration from the ether, and when the idea for BillBow Baggins struck me upside the head like a sock full of marbles, there was no question where I would turn for my banner needs. The fact that Josh had moved away from daily cartooning and had reached new artistic heights as an illustrator only cemented my convictions. My instructions were spare—a green kingfisher, my grandpa, and the title were all I requested—but he took them and ran. The results, I believe, speak for themselves:
Josh captured perfectly Bill Bowler's quiet confidence, the intellectual curiosity hiding behind an impish grin. Perched on his shoulder is the green kingfisher that, while already in the throes of Alzheimer's disease, he added to his life list at the age of 78. The bird symbolizes the studious and meticulous approach he took to birdwatching, one he applied to all of his pursuits, be it winemaking, rock hounding, or jazz fandom. The Tolkien-esque font was a delightful surprise and a stroke of creative brilliance. More of a Conrad guy, I don't know if Grandpa ever read a word of Tolkien in his life or what he would have made of hobbits, wizards, and elves. I suspect he might have found it a lot of fanciful nonsense, but Tolkien is my favorite writer, goddammit, and I just couldn't resist a little punning with the title.
I'm proud to unveil Josh's work today, and I present it with a wish that our partnership be lifelong. Though distance separates us, we are forever united by the fraternal bond only bloggers can know. Should his travels one day bring him to the chill climes of Michigan, the hearths of the East Wing await him!
See the new look on Twitter and Instagram, and give me a follow too!
While you're at it, catch Josh on those platforms as well!
nwb
