First Ink

Janet wanted a tattoo for a long time. Me, not so much. I have no issues with tattoos but I never really thought about having one myself. Shortly after designing the logo for our upcoming tour, Janet uttered the phrase that often catches my breath …”I’ve got another idea!”

The design is her own, it represents our love of bike touring and our approaching world tour and it’s very colorful. This would be a terrific first tattoo, she thought. A quick call to a friend with a bit of ink, Sherri, resulted in a recommendation to visit with Jason, a local artist.

The scene of the crime

Laptop in hand, the three of us met Jason at Bad Kitties in downtown Newberg and spent 45 minutes discussing the artwork, possible locations and Jason’s recommendations. At some point in the conversation, the words “sure, I’ll do it too” came out of my mouth. I don’t remember saying it but we all heard it nonetheless.

Shocked at what came out of my mouth? Of course I was. After a bit of reflection, the idea quickly grew on me. Janet and Sherri were surprised and probably more excited about everything than I was. A couple of days later, it was time and everyone returned to the scene.

Pre-ink nerves

I went first with an anxious gallery watching above me. Did it hurt? Well, my leg was quite twitchy at times, but not anywhere near what I was expecting. Janet followed and barely even flinched the entire time.

Will there be more tattoos in the future? Who knows…but I never expected to even have one.