When I first started making stockings for various neices and nephews (and uncles and aunts) I usually tried to tie the iconography in with older stockings already in the family. But in this case, I got to start fresh; so I was able to design the entire series all of a piece. This one is for the youngest family member. His mother collects campbell's soup cans, so I stuck one in, as well as the plastic beach toys that my own kids had, and that I dimly remembered from many days spent at Stoney Creek.

Sandcastle stocking. Roughly 12/2005—2007 (when tassels, jingle bells and other finishing touches were added.)

My mother would load up towels, kids, and simple sandwich makings—peanut butter and grape jelly, and I recall the latter especially because a wasp flew into the jar and sank to the equivalent of insect ankles; detour to the Victor bakery to get fresh french bread, and off we'd go. Sometimes we got there so early that the beach would be still be in fresh waves from the machines they used to clear the wrack and prior day's litter.

Happy times.

file started 27dec08, completed 29dec08.

Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.