Phil: Browse The Strips

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Lynn's Comments: What they wanted most was warmth, shelter and food. Nothing else was important. They just wanted to survive. It surprised them all to think that days beforehand, they had been thinking about luxuries. This experience changed them all.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I don't remember the date. All I remember is that on the evening of the third day, the guys heard the sound of an aircraft. The first thing the Search and Rescue spotters saw were white parallel shapes under the surface of the water (not smoke). They had seen the pontoons of an overturned aircraft before. Technicians began to prepare for what they believed was the recovery of four drowned men, but something caught their attention on the shore. Overwhelmed and exhausted, the men had just enough energy to stand and wave as the Hercules circled overhead.

Monday, August 10, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Rod and his friends waved with all the energy they had left as the Hercules circled overhead. The big hatch on the belly of the plane was lowered and a streamer was thrown out. The men ran to the place where the streamer landed and retrieved a capsule with a message in it. They were to stay where they were and await the arrival of an aircraft that could land at the site. The huge plane then circled away from the men and dropped a parachute bearing a huge box. Three SARTECHs (Search and Rescue Technicians) then jumped after it. The men on the ground watched them land, pull in their parachutes, and begin quickly to open the box, erect a tent, and organize a living space inside.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Lynn's Comments: The real story did not include the wives as this illustration suggests. I waited with our family for the men to be flown in to the Lynn Lake float plane base, while the other women waited at home.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: The return of the four survivors was an exhilarating time for the families, but the end of an ordeal for the men. A Twin Otter on floats slowly pulled into the dock and four almost unrecognizable men were helped down from it. All were pale, thin, and covered in bug bites. They had been sheltered, warmed, and fed by the Search and Rescue techs, but the accident had left them weak and weary.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This was the truth. If they hadn't had an old Bic lighter, a bit of Avgas, and some brush, they would not have survived. If the canoeists had not been so knowledgeable, they would not have survived, and if Tom had not kept record of their exact location, they would not have survived. They were lucky. It was a misadventure, which changed and mellowed all of us.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One outstanding part of the story was the role played by the Search and Rescue team. What a wonderful, resourceful, brave and caring lot they are. For a long time, we kept in touch with the men who found and helped Rod and his friends to safety. How can you thank people who risk their lives for a living? We would be forever in their debt.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Comic strips and comic books take great advantage of the visual gag. There is no way this punch line could be translated into video!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My brother, an accomplished performer, still teaches music, even though he has been retired for several years. There are still those special talented students to whom passing on all he has learned is a joy and a privilege. He has met his share of students who don't practice and don't have the passion. The line about playing darts was a genuine comment made at a time when teaching was often a chore.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I think I've grumbled about this before. When a woman (or anyone for that matter) becomes the chief cook and bottle washer--charged with shopping for, planning out, making, and serving up to three meals a day, she or he deserves at least a grunt of pleasure from the bodies who are shovelling in the grub. Actual thanks is wonderful!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I loved it when a punch line like this came to mind. Funny lines would sometimes "write themselves." The trouble with this kind of pun-based comedy is that it is really hard to translate! Perhaps that's why my work was in so few outside markets and we see so few international comics here. Too often the gags are lost in translation.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Again, the use of colloquial expressions made For Better or for Worse hard to export. It needed to be read by people whose first language was English. On the other hand, cartoons are used all the time by people teaching English as a second language, precisely because colloquial speech is the language you hear on the street.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I had no idea how hard it was for smokers to quit. My brother tried time and again and finally succeeded. It was a real triumph.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This is an actual quote from my brother, Alan. I was fortunate in that my family always seemed to provide me with great material. Going back to the "what attracts you to certain men" subject, I was not forthcoming in giving you my list. The first requirement would be, "a good sense of humour."

Monday, January 25, 2016

Lynn's Comments: There were several Mrs. Bairds who thought this lady was named for her. One was a friend of my father's. Another was a neighbour we had in North Vancouver. When I needed a name, this one popped up, and I have no idea where it came from!

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Lynn's Comments: It's strange to be reading this again and writing notes on the subject because this: I have just sold my big lakefront house and have purchased a small townhouse. I get to move in this spring!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Every time my brother, Alan, sees these strips, he can't believe he was so addicted to cigarettes. He has been smoke-free for many years now--something for which we are all profoundly grateful.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Yeah--another satisfying pun. I couldn't wait for gags like this one to come out in the papers. Then I would wait for Sparky (Charles Schulz) to call and say, "That's terrible! You get away with far too much!"

Monday, March 21, 2016

Lynn's Comments: A number of my friends' grandchildren are now getting married. The best part, they tell me is, not having to take part in the preparations. Everyone is simply happy if "Grandma is well enough to attend!"

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Does anyone out there remember Melmac? I don't care how innovative it was supposed to be. I always thought it was horrible!