Today’s photo prompt from Susannah Conway at April Love 2018 is: Smile.
Since I’m visiting my mom downstate in Lower Michigan, I had to truly ponder. What photo to take? My mom didn’t look like a willing victim (err, subject). No nieces, nephews, brothers or other stray smilers looked like they would stop by.
The perfect answer suddenly popped in this brain: The mountain man who lives in my mom’s basement!
Meet the mountain man that has lived in my mom’s basement for a long, long time. Dad dragged him home from the Ozarks back in the 60’s or 70’s, along with some other interesting-looking characters.
He met the carver back in Missouri and carried the wooden guy home in the back of our station wagon. Dad LOVED to collect all sorts of oddities!
Now I have something even more interesting to tell you.
Mom has TWO mountain men living in her basement!
She’s got her handful with these two wooden fellas.
If you don’t watch them carefully, they collect a LOT of dust!
That did make you smile, right? Yours is the smile I’m imagining right now. 🙂
Lake Superior Spirit 
Yes I’m smiling. Kudos to you.
Grinning back atcha. It was a fun photo shoot on a quiet windy snowy day!
Besides worth a smile I bet these fellas have some monetary value. Good Antiques Roadshow candidates!
Dad always hoped that would be the case, but it doesn’t seem like it. Sadly enough…
Yes, I definitely smiled. I have a granny and grampa sitting in rockers at the top of our stairs 🙂
How fun, Sherry! I will try to look at them next time at your house. 🙂
I have a big wooden cowboy standing on the landing to my loft. He has a long (wooden) mustache so I can’t really see his mouth, but his eyes are squinched, so I think he’s smiling. I know I am… When the Grands were little they were scared of him – he kinda guarded the loft.
Mom was reminding me how scared the grandkids were of these mountain men in the basement. They kinda guarded the area…you knew they would be watching. I am sure the spirit of your guy watches over your house and helps prevent any unnecessary mischief!
Sounds like you’re having a great time visiting your Mom.
It is a lovely visit, Lisa, and one that will end very soon. It’s so sweet to be with her…and the mountain men…
Yes, definitely made me smile! How big are these characters?
Cindy, a good blogger would go downstairs with a ruler and measure these guys. I would say the little one is 3-4 feet tall, and the big guy is maybe 5-6 feet? Not sure, but that’s my estimate and I’m sticking to it!
Oh, wow, they are good sized! I could tell they weren’t miniature – tabletop – in size, but that’s considerably larger than I thought. Thanks!
You know, Cindy, I should have mentioned their rather large size. Gosh…the things we forget to say when we’re blogging… 🙂
They were awfully interesting, no matter what size! You could have possibly tried to pass them off as salt and pepper shakers!
I probably should have told how big these guys are!
Enjoy your time with mom. Please tell her I said hello, may I ask why she returned from Florida before the snow stopped flying her in Michigan. What was she thinking?
Christie, my mom laughed when I read her your comment. She says hello back to you, and says she just wanted to be back at home. T & M go in three week intervals, but she just feels more comfortable back in her house and sun room. We’re thinking of going back to Florida next fall…guess we’ll play it by ear. P.S. I am still hoping to let you know when I’m coming sometime this summer and we can get together. Maybe you can even come and spend the night, if you would like.
These men are so very cute. A little dust adds more character. Tes, I smiled. I suppose you could call them totems or maybe not. The artist was very good. These might have some value at some point in time. Maybe you can research and learn about the artist.
Yvonne, they do kinda look like totem poles, don’t they? The antique dealer that looked at them was not that impressed, alas. The artist was good, but it’s hard to sell collectibles in this day and age. My dad probably had it all researched. Unfortunately, we’re a little in the dark. Glad you don’t mind dust!
Yes, it did make me smile. 😀
Robin, are you still going strong with the photo challenge? I am fading, as of today… 😦
Why the frowny face? Smile. 🙂 That’s how blogging (and photo challenges) are, easy to fade in and out of. And… there are no rules to this challenge. “You can get involved as much or as little as you want. Take photos every day or just dip in at weekends… Use the challenge as a way to give yourself ten minutes to notice your surroundings and take a breath. Keep it simple.”
I am going strong for now. I think that’s because my blog switch is currently “ON.” For most of this year I haven’t felt much like blogging at all and did it half-heartedly. I’m just going with it for as long as the muse is with me. I’m having fun sharing these mindful moments (although honestly, I am slow at writing up/putting together blog posts so it’s more than a moment or moments!). When it isn’t fun, I won’t do it.
Yesterday’s prompt was a difficult one to do in one image. Today’s is easy. Tomorrow brings a challenge again. I just looked ahead and sometime next week is “dinosaur.” I have NO idea what to do with that one. Where am I going to find a dinosaur? lol!
Robin, I tried to respond to your very favorable loving forgiving comment a couple of days ago but was interrupted. Here’s a second try. Glad to hear your blogging switch is ON. That is often an interesting time. Hoping the muse is still with you…hoping I get over to your blog to check! Maybe I should have checked the prompt today. If it was “weather” I could have still played!
Very good idea for a smile. That first mountain man looks like he’s grinning with a secret.
Smiling for you. 🙂
There is a secret that the mountain man is keeping, Lori. Guess that’s a post for another day. Ha ha, now you’ve made me laugh! Thank you for stopping by and reading and commenting!
Ah the Ozarks, my territory. Wood carving mountain men. You got me here with your creative title.
Hi, Deb, yes, I thought of you when writing this. My dad loved his vacations in the Ozarks during the 60’s and 70’s. He was so excited to have brought home these Mountain Men guys.
Needed a smile. Thanks Kathy. At least the only thing the men in the basement collect is dust, and that’s a good thing.
I am smiling now, Bonnie. Thank you for stopping by and giving a smile back!
I’m smiling, and thinking of the carver smiling while he made these two gentleman. I think they look adorable.
Pam, what an interesting thought. I hadn’t ever pondered how the carver felt before this very moment. Love it when our world expands!
Always expanding… I have no idea why I thought about the carver, but it was the first thing that burst into my mind. I love mind-bursts. 🙂 xo