GOOD HUMOR TRUCK - Ding-a-Ling-a-Ling

"Good Humor Toy Truck" oil on canvas (9" x 12") 2008

Everyone loved the Good Humor Ice Cream truck’s visits to their neighborhood during the summer. It had a set of bells that the driver manually rang announcing his slow cruise up and down the city and suburban streets. Most parents requested that the driver arrive after dinnertime and he happily complied so that he could sell more popsicles, fudgesicles or orange dreamsicles as dessert items for every member of the family. The odor of the smoky, dry ice, mixed with the gasoline fumes, was one of my favorite summertime smells. That aroma meant the “jingle man,” as we called the driver, was reaching into the back door of the truck getting out the more expensive treats like push-up rockets and of course “Good Humor” bars. Sometimes I diverted and got a Dixie cup that came with its own small, wooden spatula-shaped spoon. The slim wooden paddle and vanilla ice cream together made an excellent sensation in your mouth. The model here for my painting came from my vintage toy truck collection.

WILTON FARM DAIRY - Catonsville, MD

"Wilton Farm Dairy - Landscape" oil on canvas ( 12" x 16")

Wilton Farm Dairy cows lived on the Zaiser family farm in Catonsville, MD at the corner of Wilkens Avenue and Maiden Choice Lane for almost 100 years. It was always fun to see them from the Baltimore Beltway just grazing in the field behind their decorative fence. A photo of the dairy's fence is one of many which eludes me. It spelled out Wilton Farm Dairy in cursive letters. Additionally, whoever decided to emblazon the barn's roof with the name of the dairy was an advertising genius. That image of white block letters against the aqua roof has remained green in my memory.

"Wilton Farm Dairy Truck" oil on canvas ( 18" x 24")

A dear family friend named Carolyn was lucky enough to have a father who drove one of the farm’s delivery trucks which brought milk and all things dairy to many homes on the west side of town. She said her sister and brother would ride with her father sometimes when he drove his milk route. They loved it because their generous father said they could have anything that they wanted to eat on the truck. It was a day of dining on donuts, chocolate milk and juice for this lucky pair. My uncle Michael, who grew up in Irvington, remembers family trips to the dairy where the milk was so good that all seven brothers and sisters drank it on the spot. It was a sad night in February, 1979 when the farm was destroyed by fire. Following that tragedy the land was developed into houses which remain situated on the property. However whenever I ride past I still try to remember that fence with the cursive letters.




And bringing up the rear here is a photo from my toy truck collection... It is played with more often than some others. Moooo Moooo