Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog

What he remembered was sitting in the car with his master and enjoying the ride over to the park.  His head hanging out the open window the sights and sounds went rushing by.  He wondered why they didn’t do this more often because it was fun and helped build up their sometimes frazzled relationship.  Upon arrival, the leash was attached and the two of them, dog and owner, went for a walk.  After tugging the master the whole way, they reached a point where they both stopped.  The man took the leash and the collar off and the dog bolted down the beach excitedly.

After chasing a few squirrels and finally having the freedom to follow his nose…the dog realized that his master was nowhere to be found.  The dog did his best to retrace his many footsteps, but it was no use.  The man was gone without so much as a whistle or a “See you later boy”!  Fear began to set in because the dog didn’t recognize where he was or what to do about it.  For a while, he followed a path in the woods and did come across other people, but they were unfriendly and chased him away  In fact, the whole woods was starting to seem mysterious and scary.

The trees were tall and the woods held shadowy places.  Even some of the birds gave him a start.  There was one odd bird with a very large and sharp-looking beak that made the loudest noises and was unwelcoming.

It flew back and forth in the treetops and seemed to be scolding him until he left the area.  There were other unusual and questionable critters out here too.  He was hounded by bugs he had never seen before like this one.

These evil-looking flies chased and bit him.  The dog thought about how in his former life he didn’t have to worry about much.  Yes, there was the occasional flea, but the food bowl was usually full.  In the ways of his kind, he was generally accepting of most everything.

After several days, the dog began to get really hungry.  Once he found some scraps near a picnic table and garbage can and he ate greedily.  Later the dog began to feel some odd stirrings within him and he began to visualize the chase.  What if he could run down and catch other animals…perhaps he could even eat them?  He decided to give it a try with the next animal he came across in the park and before long…he had his chance.  Among some fallen trees he came across an unfamiliar animal. 

The new animal had no legs and looked like a wiggly stick.  Still, it moved quickly over the ground and every time the dog tried to grab it with his mouth, the strange animal tried to bite him back.  After a while, the dog tired of this and the stick-animal escaped into some driftwood.

The dog decided to check out the river.  Perhaps something like a dead fish had washed ashore and although this wasn’t his favorite food…his wasn’t in a position to be picky.  The air was still and it seemed sound was carrying well across the water.  Before long he could hear and then smell a human approaching in his direction and the dog quickly found a place to hide.  From behind a large stump this is what he saw.

Whistling to himself the figure we have come to know as the Adventurer was strolling down the path.  The Ohio River was on his right and the sun was shining warmly above.  The season was about to change and the cottonwood trees’ leaves were turning yellow.  The Adventurer had been marooned in the park himself now for several weeks.  The raft that bore him here was still stuck high and dry and he couldn’t continue his journey down river until it rained again.  As the days became weeks, the Adventurer started to yearn for his more familiar surroundings and the company of his friends.  This park was nice, but it wasn’t his home.  He was growing a little wistful himself when he heard something in the bushes off of the path ahead of him.

Parting some branches near a large stump the Adventurer saw one of the most bedraggled dogs he had ever seen.  Talking reassuringly, the Adventurer carefully offered the dog his hand to sniff and was rewarded with a few tentative wags of its tail.  The dog came out of his hiding place and allowed the odd figure to check him out.  Although the fur was matted and full of cockleburs, there wasn’t any sign of injury.  Reaching into his pocket, the Adventurer produced some food which the dog quickly ate.

There was something in the moment that these two very different animals recognized in each other and they bonded.  From now on, wherever the Adventurer would go,  the dog would follow him.  They became inseparable and shared in many stories together at the Falls of the Ohio.

AFTERWARD

The Adventurer figure we have seen before.  He is made from found insulating foam, Styrofoam, plastic and wood collected at the Falls of the Ohio and assembled there.  The plastic dog toy I came across on one of my walks and this is how he first appeared to me.

Imagine my surprise to see an old childhood friend mixed among the other river debris!  I recognized the character as being “Huckleberry Hound”.  A little research revealed that this dog who spoke in the cartoons with a southern drawl was originally named after Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” which seemed appropriate in my context.  The cartoon first appeared in the late 1950’s and I caught up with it during the next decade.  Huck’s other friends include Yogi Bear and BooBoo, Magilla Gorilla, and others who were cartoon staples of after school television shows.  It’s been awhile since I heard of any references to this character.  Examining the plastic toy, I could find no date or country of origin, but much of the original paint is gone.  I’m sure this is some retro toy since it seems in too good of shape to be older.  My two sons have never heard of Huckleberry Hound and think I made it up!  Okay, to end this post…I’m going to show you another picture of that fearsome snake which I was able to catch with my bare hands!!!  Enjoy.