Joey's Beginnings

My partner of 23 years and my youngest son, Tom (pictured with Zom and Joey) share the same birthday, albeit 21 years apart.  Both wanted a puppy.  We did our homework and found a responsible breeder in Eastern Washington with a litter of Boston pups ready for adoption.  We drove over the mountains on a clear winter day and chose two males, one a wirey brindle and white and his brother, a chunky black and white with a blockhead.  On the drive back to Seattle we made the decision to give Tom a choice between the two baby brothers and we would keep the other, tho secretly I had already fallen in love with the blockhead.  Tom chose "Zombie" and Joey the blockhead was ours to keep.  We brought him home.

Home is the the beautiful Island of Vashon in the Puget Sound reachable only by a twenty minute ferry boat ride.  It is the home of artists and artisans, farmers and musicians, wine-makers, educators, tradespeople, healers and professionals, all with a conscience and passion to support and maintain the health and integrity of our community.  As a population we recycle, free-cycle, donate and repurpose almost everything.  Waste is not a way of life on Vashon.

I have had the privilege of living my entire life surrounded by talented individuals.  Family - past and present, near and far - friends, friends of friends, teachers, co-workers, acquaintances, all gifted, all generous, all willing to share their time, energy and knowledge.  My dear friend, Kari, an Island photographer shot the original photo of Joey in his coat, my boy's father, a Professor of Art History spent hours advising me on the technical intricacies of website creation, my oldest son, Sam and his wife Sara, developers of an on-line fashion magazine styled the photo shoot with Mary and Joey that day in August, my dear friend, Tami, an Island business owner and artist, provided immeasurable support and encouragement as my sounding board.  There have been many other important contributors, it has been an organic process from conception to creation that still continues.

I know there will be many others involved with JoeysCoat.  Something that began as a conversation over a glass of wine in my living room on a dark winter's night has changed my life, and Joey's life and death is the catalyst.