Part Two Preview (Patreon)

Since I didn't give you a new page this week, I decided to give you guys a little preview of what's coming in Part Two. I'm really excited about starting to delve into this section of my Grandpa's memoir. This is where his recollections of growing up become really detailed and vivid. Grandpa moved around a lot as a kid, escaping from his abusive father; they would go stay with his grandparents, or with friends. When they did live with his dad, it was in a trailer park in Rome, NY, near Griffiss Air Force Base, where both of his parents worked. Part Two skips ahead a few years, and the baby, Edie, is now 5 years old. The town that they've ended up in is very similar to Rome, NY. Edie was born in the same year as my Grandpa, 1938, and so it's now 1943, during WWII. Here are some sketches and photos. Edie is the girl on the left in the overalls. She is based on a girl in an amazing Dorothea Lange photo (also attached) that I stumbled upon. As soon as I saw that kid's face I was like, "that's her". As I draw her I am also realizing, she is basically another version of Freddy (the character in my book Freddy Stories). Basically everything I do has an iteration of that character I guess--a scrappy little independent tomboy. Next to her is her best friend, who I think I'm going to name Gloria, but I'm not sure. Something interesting I just learned about Griffiss Air Force Base is that it had an all African American unit: the 100th Aviation Squadron, and I wanted to include that in the story somehow. Gloria's mom is going to be a riveter at the base, and her dad a deployed pilot. Next to the trailer park that Grandpa lived in was an apartment house where they went to use the bathroom, and that'll be where Gloria and her mom live. The photos in the sketchbook are of my Grandpa, and his friends and siblings. You can make out the trailers pretty well, and the trailers in The Weight will look as much like those as possible. I also attached the photos I found that inspired Edie and Gloria. I can get a little obsessive about getting every detail right. The food they eat, the games the kids play, how Edie would get onto the base to visit her mom at the snack bar, I want these things to all be believable and accurate. Luckily I have my Grandpa's writing to guide me. Here's a little excerpt for you: "There was US Air Force Base near our trailer where I watched military survival movies like how to catch rabbits with a wire trap in the snow to and cook them for survival. I did have a father around at this time and he worked as some kind of munitions inspector. My mother worked in the Post Exchange (PX) snack and ice cream bar. Whenever I had the chance I would go to the PX and have an ice cream Sunday topped with whipped cream and a cherry. My mother threw in the works and didn’t charge me." "My mother threw in the works and didn't charge me". Oh, Grandpa. What a card. These are some details that I'll be weaving into the story. Grandpa's story skips around a lot, but I think Part Two of The Weight will take place in the trailer park for the most part. Thanks for reading, if you've made it this far! And Happy New Year. xo MM