Robert Marker

ST. Cyril Day

Another little known holiday. I think that I may have participated befor.

BULLSHII

I hadn't made an entry in a long time over a year. I don't know why it has taken me so long. Procrastination I suppose. Here is another piece of political humor from the Marker archives. Only a few years old but still befor we had gone to war with Iraq. Enjoy.

Ariel and Robert

View image

In this picture you can really see how much my father, Robert Marker, loved his grand-daughter, my niece, Ariel. He would glow with love that was almost palpable.

This picture was taken about six and a half years ago. It was taken on my cousin, Kim's deck next to her swimming pool in her back yard in Wilton in Northern California. This picture is a day or two either before or after my other cousin's wedding, (Kim's brother, Hunt). My Dad rented a car and my sister, Holly, my neice, Ariel, and myself drove up to Wilton for Hunt's wedding. It was a really nice trip.

I was just there about two weeks ago. It was the first time since the wedding that I had been back there. It was nice and sad at the same time, but almost everything that is nice or enjoyable, is in some way, kind of sad now.

For the wedding we downloaded a map off of mapquest.com which was toatally wrong and the four of us ended up missing the actual ceremony, making it just in time for the reception.

On the drive home we stopped at my Uncle Gary and Aunt Deb's house and spent the day and night. That was the trip on which I was officially given my car; a 1973 Volkswagon Thing. The Thing had belonged to my uncle Gary but had not been driven for about ten years. He gave it to me.

In the early morning my dad woke us up and we left before anyone else was awake. I remember My dad drawing a little goodbye card to my aunt, uncle, and two little cousins. It was a car driving away and the three of us waving out the window saying "Goodbye". He was such a sweet and thoughtful man. He was always drawing cards for people.

suddendeath

View image

I am having trouble with this site right now which is why I have not updated it much lately. I can't get it to make thumbnails for my pictures so bear with me.

This is a picture of Robert Markers first hearse. He often imagined different ways of decorating it. Some of those ideas he would draw and others he might draw on a picture, this is one that he drew on a photograph of his car.

If I remember correctly that hearse was a 1968 oldsmobile that had originally been used as an ambulance. The license plate was NOT YETT. The hearse was white, and had blue interior. Robert drove that car across this country several times, from Los Angeles California, to Key West Floridia. I never did that drive in that car with him, allthough he did take me and my sister Holly from San Bernardino CA. to Miami Beach FL. in a 1956 Cadillac which was restored and used as a limo for the park washington hotel in Miami South Beach FL..

Hope you enjoy sudden death, let me know what you think by leaving you comments. you can do this by clicking where it says comments and leaving a comment. Thanks Jack Marker

Aeronaves

View image

For this entry I get to go really easy on the writing. This was sent to me by my Aunt Deb, who is my uncle Gary's wife. Enjoy.

The attached is one of my very favorite Robert cartoons. Here's the story:

Several years ago Gary and I were going to Florida for a week...I was going for business and we actually thought we could sneak in a rare vacation (sans kids) for the two of us that would include two of your Dad's favorite places: Miami and Key West. We had the tickets on American and American was threatening to strike. We weren't sure if we would be able to go. I think Clinton stepped in at the 11th hour and negotiated a temporary settlement, and we were on our way (with a first class upgrade, since everyone else had probably already changed to another airline,) Your Dad created this for us while we were still in the "uh-oh....who knows what we'll end up on" stage. I laughed for days. Still am. Bless his nutty little heart.

Hi its me again Jack that is;

Let me know what you think of this. I enjoyed it, and I had forgotten all about it. If you have a peice of Robert Marker memorabilia that I might not have feel free to send me a copy I would love to post more stories from other peoples points of view. You can either leave a comment here for me or e-mail me at [email protected] . Thanks.

gingerbread castle

The many talents of Robert Marker could not be measured. He was as creative a man as ever lived. He could Paint, Write, draw with pen or pencil, he could sculpt and mold (I don't mean that he grew mold) he could airbrush and silkscreen, he invented and created. If he had lived one hundred years ago we all would have learned his name in school and seen his face and what great arts he had created. We would all know what he invented. Maybe in a hundred years people will know his name and face and be familiar with his works of art, He certainly deserves it.
One of less illustrious talents was that he made a killer gingerbread house. In this pic he actually made a gingerbread castle. Robert entered this castle into a contest for gingerbread houses that Brachs candy held. It was enormous(The castle).
Please feel free to leave your comments and let me know if there is anything that you would like to see more of. Thanks

Pool Dragon

When I was a young lad my father painted the bottom of a swimming pool. He painted it to look like a dragon was on the bottom of the pool. It was enormous, and when he was done and the water was back in the pool my sister and I were afraid to get in the water. We would float around on a raft but wouldn't swim. I have always thought that this was a wonderful idea and that my dad did a great job. Let me know what you think, by leaving a comment.

stand up 1

It took me a little while to find this cartoon. Then it took me little while to figure out how to change the size. None the less here it is the first of two stand up cartoons that Robert Marker made, the second is already on this web log.
As I have stated befor Robert Marker had a dark sense of humor and put himself in as the fall guy for many of his jokes. Some of them aren't quite as funny now as they were when he was alive. Of course we have to remember that they are his creation and, that this is what he found funny.
Enjoy.

antiwrap

I cropped the wrapping paper down so that it would fit on screen better. If you like this design I can e-mail you the full size file, just leave a comment here and I will get it. Or you can e-mail me your self at [email protected] . Anticlause was one of my dads characters, and quazi alter ego.

Al Marker Driving School

Robert Marker was a wonderful person to talk to. He was one of the easiest poeple to have conversation with that I have ever known. And he told stories, I don't mean that he made them up although, I am sure that he could have. One storie that I remember because I thought it was so funny, was the storie of my Grandfather trying to teach my Dad how to drive.
My grandfather was a kind and funny and wonderful man. Teaching was just not his strong point. I was going to try to write the story out for all of you but I think that it wouldn't transfer to the page correctly. So you will just have to use your imagination.

Gigantic

The other day I was online, and I went to the web site for a band named They Might Be Giants. While I was on the TMBG web site I saw an add for a documentary coming out called Gigantic (a tale of two johns), and I wanted to tell my father Robert Marker about it. Then I remembered That I will never get to sit and tell him any of the interesting things I have seen that reminded me of him. Almost every thing I like reminds me of him. TMBG was another band that my father enjoyed, in a way he introduced them to me. Then several years later I reintroduced Robert to them.
When I was younger, around 12 years old. I saw an episode of the cartoon TinyToon Adventures, It was a music video edition. The show did videos for two classical songs then one by Aretha Franklin(Respect). Then it had a video for a song called Partical Man, which I had never heard befor, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Then they did a second song by They Might Be Giants, which was a cover of a very old song named Istanbul (not Constantanople). I enjoyed this song even more than the first but, I had never heard of the band and thought that it was made up by the show.
When My Dad came home later that day I told him about the two songs from the show( Partical Man and Istanbul(Not Constantanople)), and he ((Being the man of amazing trivia and band Knowledge)) told me that They Might Be Giants was indeed a real band, not fiction for a TV cartoon.
Several years later I had four or five TMBG CDs and I made a mixed tape from them. This tape ended up riding around in my dads van for at least three months. Robert later bought those CDs. Several were still in the Cellophane wrapper that they come in. I Miss him alott.

Route 66

This is a picture that has been touched up by Robert Marker. He had a very morbid sense of humor. Also I am adding a link to a small web page that my dad(Robert Marker) had made.
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/6020/rmarker.html

Mandigo

This piece of art is from my aunts web site, she breeds labradors and golden retrievers. My aunt Laurell was friends with my father(Robert Marker) for several years befor he and my mother started dating. My mom is Laurell's younger sister. Anyway, if you like dogs or are just board and don't know where else to go. Why not check out the mandigo retrievers web site. Here is the address www.geocities.com/laurellshutta/index.html

Grim Robert

Robert Marker as a young man playing in the back yerd with his sickle. Oh Ma I'm just playing grim reaper a little.
Look out death there is a new reaper in town!

Dick

This cartoon is from about a year ago, it is from 2002. I hope that you can figure this one out on your own. Cheers J. Marker