ThINK: Books & Tattoos - Maxine

My tattoo is of a bird holding a banner which reads Hello, you old sweetheart." My grandfather (Percy Atherton Mack), who had a huge part in raising me and was a very good friend of mine, would say this to me as a greeting--on the phone, in the morning when I spent the night at my grandparent's, in letters, in general. Grandpa helped me love Johnny Cash, life in Vermont, history, the simple pleasure of driving a Ford truck, and most importantly, nature and animals. Grandpa was a dairy farmer and horseman who was a lot more practical about animals than I was and am (I get too emotionally attached.) More than anything I inherited a love of horses, but a very close second is birds. Grandpa had bird feeders for many years and could spot and name birds quickly. I was always envious and impressed by his vast knowledge of animals, and was/am always deeply thankful for the love he gave me. This is my first tattoo of many planned, but I wanted to commemorate an awesome dude like Percy Mack first. Trust me, he wouldn't be so thrilled that this is how I chose to do it, but this tattoo means a lot to me, at least. Bird guides and other nature guides were common in my grandparent's home, and that is what goes with my tattoo. I was inked by the lovely Melissa Shanholtzer at Mermonkey Tattoo in Fair Haven, Vermont--highly recommend her.. she drew this out, too.

Done