Dear Heidi,
Lou Ann showed me your letter and since I am really interested in this kind of stuff thought I would try to visit with you on this . . . One customer that comes to mind was a rancher, farmer, horse breeder whose brother was also a famous race horse trainer. When Jimmie [I've changed the names] died and his family came in, they were quite intense that it be noted on the monument for his love of horses and training of them, but [they had] quite different ideas on how to say this.

One particular horse kept coming up in their talk, and I suggested if they had a picture of Jimmie on this horse, we could try drawing that and see how that worked. Well, to make a long story shorter . . . they were very pleased and decided that the picture described it all and needed no explanation. This has been twenty years ago and every time I see one the family they still comment on the appropriateness of the picture.

A note from Lou Ann: [The image on this monument was] taken from a photo of him, and you can tell that it is Ray and his little bay mare" (11/12/2000). The pine cones were added because Mrs. Brockel likes pine trees.

Another family in Roundsport had a death of a young man with a background in horse and ranching who had always wanted to live and ranch in the mountains. We drew a picture of the mountains with a horse and rider in the foreground with 3 tiny little horses way up on the face; the family liked that it showed his dream that he had not the time to realize without downplaying his life up to that point.

What I am trying to say is that many of our customers did not know how to say in writing what they desired to put across, but a specific drawing would satisfy their desire, and it really did not matter if it was specific or not for the general public. Most of us are not a Longfellow or a Hemingway and space is limited on stone.

--Lew (11/10/2000)