This sketch is a classic example of a picture worth a thousand words. In 1974 a UN base was established in the Golan Heights, a dynamic part of the Middle East. When working on a life story recently I heard that in order to get a beer at the canteen you had to check your guns at the door before being allowed in.
It’s hard to imagine this mingling of soldiers happening now with current political tensions. In those early days of the mission in 1974 there was a short time when UN and Israeli soldiers would share a drink and stories at the canteen.
We are pretty good at finding images to help us tell our visual stories but there are times when putting pen to paper is the est way. When this story was described, I knew we needed a sketch. Our favourite sketch wizard is Briony Penn who has so many talents as a writer and artist that we are lucky to have her as part of the Visual Life Stories team.
You probably wouldn’t think that this ordinary looking house in small town Ontario had a bunker under the front lawn that was chocked full of weapons and ammunition. That was yet another story we were told by Bob who was a key part of the military bomb squad. The job was too big for the provincial police force so they called in the military, the big guns as it were. Of course their job was to dismantle and dispose of the majority of the arsenal – some pieces were kept and given back to the owner especially guns that were infamous.
We use google street view to help find images of homes and that is what inspired this sketch. Sometimes we can find a great photo of a home or in Heathers case, homes, but if a good photo isn’t available, a sketch can be created.
Do you have a picture in your mind that you want help to visualize? Send me a note and let’s set up a time to talk. If you need some inspiration for story ideas, check out our magic questions.
