"Last Year on the Farm" Paintings

I'm so glad they put this on YouTube so we all can watch her paint on her farm. Check it out. This is happening in so many places, farms are lost and houses, all in a row, crammed together, are put up.

And it's great to see her paint! We were so priviledged to have her come to Calvert a couple of times.

More Pics From the Plein Aire Workshop in Calvert

Plein Aire Painting Workshop

with

V....Vaughan

Calvert, Texas

Saturday Feb. 21, 2009

Barbara brought me some of her photos from the plein aire painting workshops in Calvert with Virginia Vaughan. These are from the last workshop on February 21.

Look for the next workshop in October. But, if you can't wait until next fall, check out V....'s website for more information on her workshops and appearances. http://www.v-vaughan.com

Top Photo: V.... gave some hints for using cameras as she painted.

Middle Photo: SuZan on the sidewalk beside Mud Creek Pottery in Calvert, while Kerrie chose to work in the street to paint the Masonic Lodge. Kerrie had on a cute hat with a critter on top. SuZan had to fight a bit of a breeze.

Bottom Photo: V.... explains her painting techniques while Cecelia, Sonny, and Toni watch the sunrise demonstration and take photos.

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I left my computer unplugged all day yesterday and got a little painting done. Finished 2- 6" x 8"s, did a little more to another, and finished a Bluebonnet painting, 8" x 10". Since they are oils, they are too wet to scan, yet.

Haven't yet started my 16" x 20"s that are ready to go. I bounced around a long while, trying to decide what to do. I'm thinking of a Blue Norther on one, a painting of the little dam at the local Municipal Golf Course, with the old clubhouse across the little lake at sunset. But, I can't remember exactly what the clubhouse looked like and I think the photos that I took of the dam are at the wrong angle.

That is one of the most interesting places here, I think. In years of drought, we would go for a Sunday ride from Calvert to Aggieland to "see the boys", get doughnuts at Shipley's, and go back home. As we rode past the little dam, we eagerly watched to see if water was flowing, for that would mean that the lake wasn't dry. It was an anxious time. The lake did get down pretty low, but eventually came back.

I'm not sure what they did to the dam or the lake, but, now, there has to be a really big rainfall for water to flow over the dam. It always seemed to be flowing as long as there was water in the lake, back in the older times when I was growing up.

I remember in the evenings, when the ladies and gentlemen, would walk up the wide steps, dressed in formal wear, for a dance or whatever the event was that evening.

In those times, I remember the formal wear when people went to dances and dinner at places like the Blue Room just north of Hearne.

I'll have to put some of those in my painting of that particular country club.

Another day.

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If you are in the area, be sure to go out to First Friday in downtown Bryan Friday evening. Sounds like a lot of fun. They are going to be running transportation from A&M to downtown Bryan to the event, so students can enjoy the evening. Sounds like fun. Wish they would run a bus out to my house! And bring me back home. Just kidding, of course, but not being able to drive due to my eyes, keeps me from doing a lot of things.

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I have a few more pictures from Barbara to share with you. After that, maybe my paintings will be dry enough to scan.

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Plein Aire Painters

Mud Creek Pottery

Calvert, Texas

February 21, 2009

This is the group of plein aire painters who met in Calvert, Texas, Saturday February 21, 2009. Shown in the photo, from left to right are, seated, Barbara Conitz of Port Lavaca, Toni Hardy of Madisonville, Kerrie Kerns of Tomball. Standing in back row, SuZan Alexander of College Station, Cecelia Conitz Heinrich of Bryan, Sonny Moss of Calvert, and Virginia Vaughan of Round Rock.

Vaughan, a Finalist for Texas State Artist for 2009-2010, was in Calvert to conduct the workshop. The day went from a demo by Vaughan of painting the sunrise to Vaughan painting the sunset, and ended with supper at the Dixie in Hearne.

The photo above was taken in Mud Creek Pottery where the group met for painting and instruction while a cold front blew in.

More photos to come!

You can see Vaughan's paintings from Calvert on her blog, http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com/ and Kerns also has some of her pictures on her blog at http://pleintexas.blogspot.com/ .

Look for a return visit by Vaughan for another plein aire painting workshop in October. See her website for other upcoming workshops in various places. http://www.v-vaughan.com/ .

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It's sad to hear on the news that broadcaster and actor, Paul Harvey, has died at age 90. I listened to his program every day as I drove to and from work. No one can tell a story just like Paul Harvey.

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If you are in the area, go over to the Art Center to see the Brazos Valley Art League Spring Judged Show. You can click on the event in my sidebar, or go to Organizations and find the web site for the Brazos Valley Art League for more information.

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It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, as Mr. Rogers would say. But, it's plenty cold inside. 35 degrees when I woke up and now has warmed up to 51, outside. But, my room is in the shadey side of the house, and at the far end from the central heat/a/c. So, it is always the last to get heat from the morning sun. I'm going to have to bundle up more and find something hot to sip on. Tomato soup, maybe? Or hot chocolate!

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Texas Country Reporter Trio

Texas Country Reporter Trio

Saturday February 21, 2009

Calvert, Texas

Pictured left to right, Texas State Artist Finalist, Virginia Vaughan of Round Rock; Jody Powers, owner of Zamykal Gourmet Kolaches in Calvert; and Sonny Moss, owner of Mud Creek Pottery in Calvert.

All three are alumni of the television program, "Texas Country Reporter". They are shown in Mud Creek Pottery on Main Street in Calvert last Saturday.

Moss was featured on the program in 1997. Vaughan was shown going back to paint, one last day, on her family farm after it had been sold, last spring. And Powers was shown in her shop on the weekend of February 21 and 22. The programs can be seen in reruns, and DVDs can be purchased through the "Texas Country Reporter" website.

Vaughan was in Calvert to conduct a Plein Aire Painting Workshop on Saturday.

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Take a look at Kerrie Kerns' blog, Plein Texas, http://pleintexas.blogspot.com/ to read more about the Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert last weekend. She has some pictures that I didn't get.

Glad you got to come, Kerrie! And thanks for sharing your pictures and experiences.

We're planning on doing another one in October.

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I'll add my pictures separately. Meanwhile, they can be seen at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrazosValley_Sketchers .

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I was shocked to hear that Wendy Richard died. She was the pretty girl with the Cockney accent on "Are You Being Served. She was also Pauline Fowler on "EastEnders" for over 21 years. In her younger photos, she looked like one of the Mod girls or the James Bond girls. I appreciated the more recent photos that showed her with her beloved Cairn Terriers. It was nice to see clips of tributes to her and one that showed her getting married before her death from cancer. I thought that we would miss her on "EastEnders" when she quit the program. And I hoped that she would go on to do some more interesting projects. I had not heard that she was ill. I guess I will watch "EastEnders", knowing that "Pauline" is really gone, although we haven't reached the part where she left the show through Houston PBS.

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Zamykal Kolaches on Texas Country Reporter Feb. 21 & 22

Photos From Zamykal Gourmet Kolaches

Calvert, Texas

Set your tv this weekend to watch "Texas Country Reporter". You will have a treat as you get to watch Jody Powers and her shop, Zamykal Gourmet Kolaches in Calvert, Texas. Look at your tv guide or the Texas Country Reporter website for your station and time. For us, it comes on both Saturday and Sunday.

The Main Street business was named for Powers' grandmother, who also passed down her recipe for the delicious traditional kolache.

Powers is a lively lady with many interests, including history and designing and making Victorian clothing. You might find her out on Main Street, waving to cars passing through on Highway 6, urging them to stop and try her wares. Or she might be waiting on new customers and giving them the background of her shop and merchandise, with her very best accent. She might be dressed as a Victorian lady tutoring people on the correct use of a fan or even giving a dance lesson. Her day starts very early in order to have fresh kolaches ready for customers each morning.

If you are in Calvert, stop by and see Jody and enjoy a kolache at one of the tables in the shop or out on the sidewalk.

In the photos above you can see Jody, with her "girls", dressed in some of the Victorian dresses that she designed and made. In photo number 2, Jody dances on Main Street, hoping to attract customers to stop and have a kolache or two. Photo number 3, shows Jody waiting on a customer, while giving her spiel about kolaches and her shop. Photo number 4 shows a lady with an apron, resting at one of the sidewalk tables in front of Zamykal Gourmet Kolaches. The fifth photograph shows an assortment of Zamykal kolaches. These are just a few of the sweet treats that you will find inside the kolache shop in Calvert. Look at her website for a complete list, with a picture of each.

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Speaking of Calvert and "Texas Country Reporter", Virginia Vaughan will be in Calvert over the weekend to paint and conduct a plein aire painting workshop. Sunrise to moon rise on Saturday Februay 21, and into Sunday February 22.

Vaughan was on "Texas Country Reporter" last spring as she returned to the old famiy farm to paint for one more day. She has become known for her series of 365 paintings of her family farm, wich she calls "Last Year On The Farm". The series and her field notes were included in her book called "Last Year On The Farm: A Time of Change". The collection of paintings have toured in various places around the country.

And, recently, as I have mentioned previously on this blog, Vaughan has been honored for being a Finalist for the upcoming 2009-2010 Texas State Artist.

Come paint with us, if you are in the area!

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Thanks to Esther and Flossie for sharing their memories about Conitz Dry Goods Store. And for the comments from several other readers. It's good to know that others are reading my blog and enjoying my pictures.

Also, I would like to remind everyone that, if you want to look at my information about vision loss and Macular Degeneration, look in the previous posts at titles that are prefaced with the word "Vision". You can find links to sites that have all sorts of information by looking under EYE SITES in my sidebar.

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

8.5" x 11"

colored pencil, ink

I hope that you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day with those you love!

I took out the earbobs (the kind that you screw on, not pierced) that a boy gave me many years ago, when we graduated from high school. I've worn them every Valentine's Day, that I went anywhere, since that time. I thought that they just look like Valentine's Day.

The earbobs are heart shaped with a pearlized background surrounded by gold. In the center, is a red rose. On each side of the heart, there are 3 blue stones, in what I call gold spokes extending from the side. There are two more little gold spokes at the top and one more larger one at the bottom.

I don't think that I had anymore dates with the boy after he gave me the earbobs. I went off to college and he went off to the service and we went on with our lives. I was very surprised that he gave me a graduation gift. That was very nice of him, and it is still appreciated. He was cute, I thought. When he died, not so long ago, I immediately remembered the earbobs in my jewelry case.

I'm not going out anywhere, but I took a picture of the earbobs and a piece of popcorn that my grandson brought me this morning. He found a kernel of corn that he thought looked like a flower. (Last year, he found a heart shaped potato chip that we took a picture of!) So our picture is called "Hearts and Flowers". I guess that was my valentine for this year.

I thought I might need to add the photo of the earbobs to our family pictures. And, I might draw them for my sketchbook.

Remembering all those handmade Valentines that I had my students make to give to veterans, people in the nursing home or hospital, and service men and women, I did the above little valentine with some old fashioned symbols, and an old fashioned saying.

Often, we just used copy machine paper, which was easy to get, and wasn't so heavy for mailing. In good years, when we had more money, we used construction paper, and things like ribbon and rick rack to decorate the cards.

The above card was done on copy paper with Prismacolors and pen. The saying on it became so trite that it was discouraged. And since it had not been used much for a long while, I thought I would add it. I think I started hearing that saying when I was about in second grade! My boyfriend printed it in his Big Chief tablet and passed the paper back to me. (The teacher had separated us, believing that we were too young to have boy friends and girl friends! I wasn't so interested in having a boy friend in my class, either, but we ended up together almost all through school. She didn't know that I had my first date at age 7! The grown ups weren't so in favor of it, though.)

I always thought that, on Valentine's Day, it would be so nice to be treated really well by someone special. That's the day to get jewelry, like diamond rings, candy, flowers, and be taken to some place really nice to eat, go out dancing in some romantic place, etc.

It usually is a disappointing day. Watching others get balloons and valentines, making them for other people, watching romance on tv. We did have one principal who gave each lady faculty member a rose on Valentine's Day. I sort of felt like it was for the ones he really liked, and the thorns were for the rest of us! But it was nice for my desk.

Ashton's class had a party at school yesterday. He only showed me one Valentine he got-a 3-D or hologram type of thing with a dog and a kitten on it. As you move the card, the animals change. He said they had ice cream sundae's at their party. He thought they should have had more. I think he was hungry. He didn't eat breakfast, and didn't like the lunch at school.

When we were in school, some students were allowed to decorate a box for all the valentines. Crepe paper and ribbon were the favorite materials used. The box sat on a table in front of the room, and valentines were added until time for our party.

I thought that the hat boxes at Grandpa's dry goods store would be ideal for a box to decorate. I begged and pleaded for a box for years! I just got a grouchy "No"! Pappy explained that they needed the box for business, but I thought that they could spare just one for our Valentine's Day party.

One year, he gave in and let me use a hat box. I was so proud and thought that was the most beautiful Valentine's box that we ever had. I still didn't get to be in the group that decorated it. But that was okay.

I don't think that we had to give a valentine to everyone, as they do today. It was war time and times were hard. We never thought about making cards, either. I think that we bought our little cards at Fink's Variety Store and, those with more money, or those who had saved to buy one for a special boy or girl, bought those at Taliaferro's drug store. Cards to our special friends were written and addressed with great care and dropped into the hole on the top of the hat box. It was nice when the sound indicated that there were a lot of cards in the box.

Parents brought cookies and punch to school for our party. Those were enjoyed quietly at our desks. We read our cards as we walked home, and, later, talked to our friends to compare notes about who had sent us a card.

The Baptists had a special Sweetheart Banquet for Valentine's Day. It wasn't for sweethearts, particularly,but for older teens. A chance to dress up and use our best manners. If anyone actually had a date for this, that was really special! Most of us just went on our own. I found a program recently from one banquet that I attended. As I recall, I only went to one, or maybe two. For one thing, we were Methodist, and, for another, I was shy and had a bit of an eating problem. I think my friends and my mother insisted I go, or I never would have gone. But, it was nice.

We should have taken more photographs of those things.

My "romantic" evening is going to be watching the British comedies on Houston PBS while eating supper, and having some of the yellow cake with lemon frosting that my daughter made for my mother's birthday. (She makes a cake for all the family members' birthdays, although they are no longer with us!)

Hope you have a great Valentine's evening, and, at least, have some great memories to enjoy!

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I thought that my "Rain Dance" picture wasn't going to work, but, there are clouds to the south moving toward us, and it sounds like thunder in the distance. Let's hope we get some nice gentle rain!

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If you like to draw or paint, I hope that you will be joining us Saturday for the Plein Aire Workshop in Calvert. Virginia Vaughan will be painting with us on Sunday, for a while, too.

I know it is going to be fun! And we are going to learn a lot!

Contact Cecelia at grannyc_54at yahoo.com for a supply list and information. It would help to know if you plan to come.

We've got a lot of material to work from in Calvert!

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Rain Dance

Rain Dance

5.5" x 8.5"

watercolor

I don't know any good rain dances, and my knees wouldn't let me do one, if I did know how! So, I did a small watercolor of a rain dance. I made up a native dancer, added in a few other possible characters who might go out and try to bring rain, and a few little symbols. The things of earth that need water, including grass, flowers, and food, symbolized by corn. I even created a rain mask for the dancer. Blue, for water and rain, diagonal lines for rain coming down, and a few scattered raindrops to make a pattern.

We do need a nice, slow, soaking rain-or several of them-as do a lot of other places. A line of storms that led to tornadoes in several places, came through the other night. We got a little lightning and wind, and a tiny bit of rain.

I unplugged my computer, as I always do when storms approach, and, when I plugged it in the next day, my scanner wouldn't work. (As usual!) It has taken the rest of the week of unplugging and plugging the thing back in to make it finally work.

Supposedly, there were a few showers around this morning, and the humidity is up today. We need so much more, but no floods, please!

We've had so much nice weather, lately. I won't be surprised to see leaves coming out and flowers ready to bloom soon!

Anyway, if you know of a good rain dance, and it's dry where you are, you might try a good rain dance for us all.

"Rain Dance" was done with Winsor Newton watercolors on Strathmore cold press watercolor paper.

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We hope for nice weather next Saturday, the 21st and 22nd, when Virginia Vaughan will be in Calvert for a Plein Aire Painting Workshop.

I'm practicing getting up early to be ready to watch her paint a gorgeous sunrise painting!

Let me know if you are planning to come. grannyc_54@yahoo.com

Hope that you will join us! It's going to be a really nice experience.

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Have a Great Friday the 13th!

For kids, today is school Valentine's Day parties.

We used to send Valentines to the area VA hospitals as part of the Ann Landers Valentines for Vets project. We also took them to the local nursing home, and the hospital, before it closed. It was a scramble to get the cards made, graded, and put into the mail.

When we had addresses, we also sent things to service men and women.

I still think that is a good project.

I guess it is too late to do anything for this year. I just realized, last night, that tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and today is Friday the 13th. The only reason I knew is because my grandson was finishing up his Valentines for their class party.

One of these days, I'm going to have to get a new calendar!

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Calvert Bank

Plein Aire Painting on Main Street in Calvert, Texas. Artists Virginia Vaughan and Barbara discuss painting while participants spread out to paint. This is from where I was sitting in a doorway behind me, out of the wind. You can see part of the bank across the street, with the green canopy. I lightened the photo some so the background colors seem to be a bit washed out.

Main Street, Calvert, Texas from Zamykal Kolache Shop. The bank is on the opposite corner from Larry's Place (Dr. Wade's old office). During the Plein Aire Painting Workshop, some people worked on the balcony upstairs, while others worked on the street corner or across the street. I chose to do the bank from the corner view, along with what was once Mack Rembardt's Furniture Store, with the curved metal overhang. This was just one of several banks that we once had in Calvert.

This was my start at painting the bank on location, or en plein aire. I was struggling with a borrowed French easel that I had not used before and couldn't really figure out what to do with my palette. And, of course, I had to stop and visit a while. As we packed up to go paint the sunset, my "helper", got the palette, with wet paint, jammed into the French easel while closing it incorrectly, we learned. So, I lost the colors that I was using at the time, not to mention causing a big problem in trying to get the palette loose.

The shadows were long across the street at that time of day.

I had been interested, for years, in painting the orange bricks of the bank, with the sunset reflecting in the windows. I'm getting closer! I thought that this study might help toward that end , eventually.

I liked my trees and the hints of windows on the bank. I wasn't too happy with the dark sky, though. I would have carried it out, if I had not lost that color when the palette was cleaned. Since I had to start over with color, I tried for a Cerulean Blue sky that we often see in Texas. I liked that much better to keep the painting light. The darker blue worked well for the shadow on the building and the highway.

This was the next phase of the painting that I did at home. I lightened the sky and added some soft clouds, tried to straighten the edges of the buildings , the sidewalk, and the steps. The uneven edges of the street beside the curb bothered me, but I liked what was happening with the bricks and the highway in front of me. I found some photos of the bank because I knew I was going to need to look at something to put in the overhang and all those windows. I think I made the door too wide, and, with my weird vision, I could have sworn that there was a small curve in between the top facade and the top line of building. When I examined the photos, that small curve is not there, so I had to take that out. and work on the white line around the tops of the buildings.

Amost finished. I'm down to using a toothpick to do the tiny details on the painting! I had to really gather my patience to do all those windows! (I don't think I have a lot of patience!)

This part was dry so I could scan it. Since then, I have added a distant oak tree on the right behind the building. And I added some darker green to indicate the letters on the sign and clock. Like the metal scrollwork under the metal awning, I used a toothpick to add the darker green on the sign and the final tree.

I still plan to use some white for letters on the sign-I think. The green needs to dry a bit before I do that.

I decided to leave off the green canopy over the bank entrance. I think that is a more recent addition. For some reason, when I go to Calvert to sketch or paint, I'm trying to capture the buildings as they were-as I remember them. It's really hard to make myself record the buildings as they are-or even look at them as they are today.
When the finished painting is dry, I will post that, too.

This painting is 7" x 9" and was done in oils.

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I hope that you will join us at the next Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert Saturday February 21 and Sunday February 22. Remember that V.... is a finalist for Texas State Artist, so we will be working with one of Texas' outstanding artists.

Let me know if you are interested.

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Congratulations!!!

Local author, Kathi Appelt, has been named as one of the Newberry Award winners for her book, "The Underneath". This is such an honor. You can click on Kathi's name in my sidebar under Artists and Authors, and that will take you to her website.

I'm so thrilled for Kathi!

Kathi was instrumental in getting the BVSCBWI chapter started here. (That's Brazos Valley Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators). The national chapter is SCBWI.

And she has come a long way in her own career as a published author, speaker, and workshop presenter.

She is a very special, fun, and nice lady, too! Continued success, Kathi!

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Happy Birthday, Robert E. Lee

Capt. James DeGraffenreid Miles

7th Texas Infantry, CSA

of Lowndes County, Alabama, Freestone and Navarro Counties, Texas
Ellen L. Day Miles
Russell County, Alabama -Freestone and Navarro counties, Texas
wife of James DeGraffenreid Miles

Unknown Miles
Possibly a brother of James DeGraffenreid Miles


Sister of James DeGraffenreid Miles
children of Aquilla and Sarah Perkins Davis Miles
Lowndes County, Alabama
Family Photos

I'll bet that a lot of people are not even aware that today is General Robert E. Lee's birthday. I had not heard a word about it, until my daughter told me. I looked it up and, sure enough, his birthday is January 19, 1807. It's a shame that his day is not being observed anymore.

Vin advised me that in Texas, it is also Confederate Heroes Day Janeane also told me that, in Alabama, it is , officially, King/Lee Day.

I've been reading a very thick biography of Lee for a few years now. Reading has been pushed in the background in favor of drawing and writing, lately. It is interesting, but I don't get very many pages read before I have to do something else, it seems.

I found it especially interesting to read that he had been in Texas, of course. His trips that involved going along the Gulf Coast and stopping in Port Lavaca was also of interest.

He was certainly a talented man with his work in engineering and other areas.

I don't have any personal photos of Lee, but I always heard that, somehow, we were related to Light Horse Harry Lee. I don't have any proof of that, of course, but it's what my mother told me. Since I wasn't all that interested in history back then, I didn't try to find out more. Maybe one of these days, I'll find answers to the many questions that I have now.

I thought that, since I don't have anything personal on Robert E. Lee, I would share some ambrotypes and tin types that I have from the Civil War era. While J.D. Miles, shown at the top, did not serve directly under Lee, he was with another group when Lee surrendered. Another dark day in history. Miles was a captain in the 7th Texas Infantry, out of Freestone county. He had quite a career and life, going from Alabama to Texas. The top photo is an ambrotype of J.D. Miles Sr. (His son, my grandfather was J.D. Miles Jr. ) I have cleaned up the photo some on the computer, but I wanted to show the little frame, typical of the small pictures that people had made during that time, that is around the picture. All of these pictures on glass are in a little frame that has a cover to it.

The second picture is of Ellen L. Day Miles. This is a rather large tin type. The oval that you see on it is where it was once in a frame. I do have the frame, but I don't know if I should put those delicate tin types out in the open. They are in a box, in the dark, now. I did have some copies made that are what I put in frames.

I have wondered if this is a wedding picture of Ellen. There is a matching tin type of J.D. Miles, her husband, but it doesn't have as much color as this one. Ellen's mother, Lucretia Vann , married William Wiley Day, and they lived in Russell County, Alabama. Lucretia was part Cherokee, of the Vann family in Georgia. You can see the restored Vann Plantation online through Cherokee By Blood, and also on the website of the historical plantation.

Ellen and J.D. were a nice looking couple. He was said to be a wonderful man, too.

The third photo is a damaged ambrotype. I can't tell who this man is. But doesn't he have on a jazzy tie, compared to what you usually see!

Possibly, he was a brother to J.D. Miles. You can't see his face well enough to identify him. Something about him, though, makes me wonder if he could be someone from Ellen's family. I think it is the hair, or maybe I am totally wrong. His jaw area looks a lot like Aquilla, the father of the family. Probably it would stand to reason that these are all members of the Miles family. There is one more ambrotype that was in the same box and it is totally gone. Just a blank piece of glass. Another had just two eyes left on it.

J.D. had 3 brothers, all of whom served in the Confederate Army, as did the men who married the Miles girls. Of course, they were all from Alabama and Georgia. Wish I could find pictures of that whole family and their home in Lowndes county. I was told that it is still there.

The last picture is borrowed from Robbie Lee Gillis Ross(named for Robert E. Lee, of course!). Mrs. Ross died a few years ago and I really wish that I could get in touch with her daughter in North Carolina. Mrs. Ross wrote 3 wonderful family history books, "Your Inheritance", the second of which included our Miles family. Josephine Miles Gillis was Mrs. Ross' grandmother and I feel sure that there were photos and information not included in the book that would answer some questions and add to what I have on the family.

My mother corresponded with Mrs. Ross while she was writing her book and they shared information. One of the things they shared was the journal that Josephine kept just before, during, and shortly after the Civil War. Actually, this was the 6th journal that Josephine kept. The others were lost when she and her Methodist preacher husband were moving. Their wagon overturned in a creek and they lost a lot of things including the previous journals. The only one saved was the one she was working on, which happened to be in her purse. Wouldn't that have been something to have all those journals today!

Mrs. Ross donated the journal to the Alabama Department of Archives and History along with her author's notes and her book. I was so thrilled to be able to obtain a copy from the ADAH, with the notes. I've read it several times, although it is a bit hard to read due to the script.

Josephine was called "Joe", which reminded me of Jo in "Little Women". She liked to write, too.

I would recommend that journal as almost required reading. I could just picture the people, the places, and the events as I read it. After my mother read the journal, she insisted that I read the copy that Mrs. Ross let us borrow. She said that it sounded just like the way that I write!

It certainly gives a look at life in the south. Besides the copy of the journal, I have a copy of "Your Inheritance" Vol. II, which I use a lot. Very interesting and so much more than just dry names, dates, and facts.

Josephine was a beautiful lady from her picture. Tragically, she died, probably from the results of malnutrition after her second son was born, at the age of 29, shortly after the Civil War. She was able to write in her journal until a few days before her death.

Unfortunately, we have been told that the ADAH is cutting out its Saturday hours and some research services, and letting some employees go. I hate to hear that. I haven't used them much, but thought that I might at some time in the future. I was very pleased with finding Josephine's journal and their help in getting a copy. I'm sure that there is much more there.

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Today I'm thinking of Robert E. Lee, his namesake, Robbie Lee Gillis Ross, their places in history, and my own family from those times past.

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Congratulations to former Bryan resident, Raini Rodriguez, on her career as an actress. Be sure to go out and see her in her latest movie, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop". Teenage Raini plays the part of Kevin James' daughter in the movie. She was in Bryan for the opening of the movie. Look on the KBTX website to see a bit more about Raini. Her little brother, Rico, plays "Little Guillermo" on Jimmy Kimmel's tv program. It's great that Raini is giving Bryan some good publicity!

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And a big congratulations to Virginia Vaughan who is a finalist for Texas State Artist for 2009-2010. See her blog and website for all her news. That's a big thing to make it to finalist. Hope she wins!

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Goodbye '08

Top Drawing "Sky Juice"

9" x 12"

Ink & Pencil

Bottom Drawing "Ice Cream"

9" x 12"

Ink & Pencil

I've done several of the EDM (Everyday Matters) challenges, but I haven't posted anything on there, yet, or on my own blog, either, for that matter. (I got busy with Christmas things, then got sick with a sinus seige. All better now, but I couldn't do a thing for sneezing, runny eyes, and all that good stuff. Christmas cards are still in the box. I guess those will be ready for next year! Benadryl and sleep took care of that problem for a while!)

The above are two of the 204 challenges that they have had, so far. Each week, there is a new topic. It's very interesting to see how each person creates their subject. It seems that journaling along with art is a popular thing, so I threw in writing about some of the things I have done.

With the end of the year, a lot of people are also writing about their goals and resolutions for next year, and reflecting on their accomplishments and experiences during the past year. I think I have given up on those goals and resolutions. I just have to wait and see what happens and hope for the best. If I've made it through the day without a major tragedy, that's great! I don't want to put myself in the position of getting stressed out, worrying, being upset, etc. because I am not able to do something that I tried or would like to do. Murphy's Law always seems to be in effect. If I plan to have toast in the morning, it is sure to burn, or I won't hear the alarm clock and may sleep until lunch time! If it can go wrong, it probably will. But then, it seems that my plans have to go astray so that I will actually get to the point of where I am supposed to be. I can do without anymore kicks in the seat of the pants to make me move on, I think. I just hope to get through things, with a little fun and pleasantness, and no more bad occurances, do what I can, and enjoy all that is possible-stay a little occupied and busy, and relax.

I hope that, if you set goals and resolutions, they are things that you will be able to be successful doing, and that will help you be happy, prosperous, healthy, wealthy, and wise.

I know. I know. We are supposed to set goals. But, after so many years, and they never work, enough is enough.

I really dread saying goodbye to the old year. I thought it was always sad, but hoped that there would be a lot of good surprises in store. I'm really reluctant, this year. Not only does it mean an older age, and the prospect of going downhill even more, but, for our country and the world, it looks like we are going to see even worse times. I think I would like to do like one of Ashton's games, and, if things don't work out, you can go back in time. I don't know how our country, and other areas in the world, could be losing so much of what has been so good for so long.

Well, we're supposed to be partying and playing tonight. I'm not even watching the big parties on tv. That's not so much fun, if you aren't a part of the party. Would be nice to be out, all dressed up, dancing with someone really special, champagne, and all of that. We are having barbeque for supper (Sounds like Texas, doesn't it!-no fancy party dishes here.) , then watch some movies.

I need to draw something. My sketchbook is almost full-just a few more pages. Think maybe I can fill them up tonight? I'd like to start a new sketchbook tomorrow for the new year, but, I didn't think of buying a new sketchbook. I doubt that any art supply places will be open tomorrow. I do know that, next time, I am going to get a sketchbook that fits my scanner. I always seem to cut something off if I draw too close to the edge of the page.

Click on the drawings above to see them larger, and you will be able to read them better.

The top drawing was supposed to be a glass of juice. I immediatley thought of Daddy always saying he wanted a glass of "sky juice"! So that was the inspiration for this drawing. Of course, Aggies will know, especially those who were in the Corps, that Sky Juice is water. I can't remember all of them, now, but I think that many of those sayings are in some of the "Good Bull" books, and in that wonderful movie about the Aggies, "We've Never Been Licked". The glass is some of the crystal I got as wedding gifts so long ago. I still like to use my pretty china, crystal, and silver, when I get a chance. I still had this crystal out from Christmas dinner, so I just fixed myself a glass of water with ice tinkling in it, and used it for a model. Actually, the only way that water tastes okay to me is in a fancy glass, with clear ice in it. I got spoiled with the sweet artesian water that Calvert had, before they put chemicals in it. Sprite or 7-Up are my drinks of choice now, since Coca Cola did away with the good old Cokes.

I guess that I could have put some 7-Up in my glass and had a picture of champagne for New Year's Eve. Maybe you can imagine some bubbles in my drawing!

The bottom drawing was supposed to be of ice cream. I like to have a little ice cream, especially after I eat at night. The glass cup is actually one that has a snowman and other winter things on it, a cup that came from McDonalds, I think, when my grandson was small. I couldn't see the shapes, just shadows and highlights, with the vanilla ice cream in the clear glass. They might show up better if the contents had color. I thought I would add a little blue and yellow as I was sketching in pencil. But, I decided to use ink on it with a Pitt pen, as I did on the top drawing, and I liked the effect .

I seem to spend too long on some of these sketches that should be done rather quickly. There are more. I am going to post those on Flickr.

By the way, all the pictures in my blog are also on Picassa, I've learned. I tried doing a slideshow through them and it didn't work that way, either. I'm still getting a message that the code is wrong. It starts out okay, but changes when I try to publish my blog.

Those of you who would like to see the slideshow that I have promised since October, can go to

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9484521@N02/show/ and see some of the pictures. I hope that works for you.

Get ready for the next Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert with Virginia Vaughan Saturday Feb. 21 and into Feb. 22. Let me know if you plan to come, and bring a friend. Contact me if you need a supply list or more information. Also look on my sidebar for a link to Virginia's website and blog.

Of course, the 21st World Wide Sketch Crawl is right around the corner, Saturday Jan. 10. We'll be sketching in Bryan and Calvert, and all over the world. Come join us to draw, sketch, paint, doodle, journal, or whatever. You can even find a group where you are, or start your own.

January 17th, there is a Free, Design Camp for Creative People at the Astin Mansion in Bryan from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. This is for anyone who is into creativity-art, writing, design, etc. They do want you to RSVP. For more, see their website http://www.astinmansion.com .

Hope that you are having a great New Year's Eve and that New Year's Day will be a good one, filled with tradition and good memory making moments. And that 2009 will be wonderful for everyone!

Barbeque is ready, here. Can you believe that it is warm enough on the deck to go out and cook some barbeque? Even with a fresh norther that came in last night. The dog doesn't like the cool wind though. He runs to the door on the north side of the house, and runs back inside. Lately, he doesn't seem to want to go out if the wind is blowing. I think that maybe he needs a little coat since he has short hair and is sort of small. I know that some of you in the colder areas are wishing for some warm, barbeque and outdoor cooking weather. And, down here, we all wish we could see enough snow to play in.

Thank you so much for reading my blog and for all the comments and encouragement during the past year. I've become a terrible letter-writer, though. No more 20 + page letters to friends. Most of my writing is going into my blog and drawings, these days. As I said, I didn't even get my Christmas cards out this year, but I did get Thelma's cards in the mail.

So, friends, I hope you had a Merry Christmas, and will have a Happy New Year!

Did you ever look for a baby New Year to come flying down from the sky on New Year's Eve when you were young? Or did you look for an old man with a long white beard, dressed in a robe, with a banner with the year on it, propping himself up with a long stick, and headed up into the sky to greet the baby year? I remember doing that, sitting in my bed and looking out my bedroom window toward the park and Edie's house. I would think that maybe I missed them when I dozed off, or, possibly, they passed over downtown or over the part of the house where I couldn't see. I always thought that I should be different, feel different the next day, and the same thing was true for birthdays. I tried, but it didn't seem to happen. There were football games, parades, dinner in front of the tv, and people trying to make me eat some of those disgusting black eyed peas, on New Years Day, but I didn't feel any different, or any more grown up.

Please sign my guest book, add yourself as a Follower, subscribe to my blog, if you haven't already-and share with others who might be interested.

Christmas Eve in Calvert

Christmas in Calvert

Top: Gift Wrapping in Conitz Dry Goods Store

Middle: Conitz Dry Goods Store After It Was Rebuilt The Last Time

Bottom: Keeling Grocery At Christmas After Remodeling

I was going to design a nice Christmas card to go on my blog today. But, when I started drawing in my sketchbook, the top drawing is what resulted! (Look on Virginia Vaughan's blog today, http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com/ for a nice Christmas design. Her design was used on t-shirts for her school's choral group .)

Instead of a card, I remembered Christmas at the store. In both stores, the two that I remember, one before the last fire, and the rebuilt store, we were busy at Christmas and the arrangement was basically the same. The whole family and several clerks worked. The store stayed open until all the possible customers had left Main street. So Santa Claus came to see us after the store closed and the various families could make it to our house for cookies, sandwiches, chips, and soft drinks, and egg nog. They came bearing many packages. From the store, we always got gifts wrapped in the store boxes that had once held ladies hankies, panties, slips, or, sometimes a larger box that held several pairs of snuggies, if you were getting something like a blanket. Everyone received a small thread box with money-$1 to $5.

We grew up around the store. In my drawing, I have shown two little girls behind the counter, standing by Toot. Grandma is bent over, putting ribbon on a package while another person brings items to wrap to the counter. A customer's child watches from the other side of the counter. Grandpa is sorting through a stack of blue jeans, looking for the right size, while two customers wait. Under the counter, you can see layaway packages and a box full of ribbons used to decorate the packages. We saved all the bows from our Christmas and birthday gifts and added those to the box of bows at the store. There was a roll of string, a roll of brown butcher paper, a roll of white butcher paper, assorted paper sacks, scissors, a yard stick, tape measure, scotch tape, etc. under the counter opposite the cash register, for everyday wrapping of packages.

The daybook and journal are on the counter in the foreground along with some items that were typical purchases. Handerchiefs, Atom Bomb perfume, Royal Crown hair dressing, and towels.

On top of the cash register is the little Cupie type doll that advertised Lee overalls, with a little engineers cap. (The cash register is still being used in Mud Creek Pottery!) There was another little Cupie doll that had on western jeans.

We had some standard wrappings with some strips of ribbon, taped on the back. Sometimes a flat bow was added. Irvin had a little twist of ribbon that he usually did, that reminded me of a man's tie. And then there were the pre-made bows. And another bow that was made something like a figure 8. Grandma showed me how to curl certain types of ribbon by sliding the scissors along the underside. We had to do them kind of fast, if there were a lot of customers coming in to pick up packages or shopping at the last minute when they felt they could let go of their money.

I preferred gift wrapping and decorating to waiting on customers or using the cash register. I was always afraid I would make a mistake with money, so I sweated bullets every time I had to use the cash register. And I was shy, so it was hard to wait on people. Even after all those years and growing up helping around the store. But, if I had a pleasant customer that I knew, and they were patient, and I was successful in helping them find what they wanted, and visited with them, then that was okay. Barbara remembers starting out as a tiny little girl, watching for shoplifters. We all were watching for that, along with our other duties.

As business in town declined, hours at the store were shorter. But, they still tried to stay open later to accomodate potential shoppers. And they hired less help. Some of us could stay at home and get ready for Santa Claus to come on Christmas Eve.

I still remember one cold Christmas, probably the early 60s, before Grandma died. She was deaf, and had hardening of the arteries. She loved her sweet treats, which her daughter thought was bad for her, so she didn't get any. That Christmas Eve, Grandma seated herself at our house near the kitchen door and the gas heater. We opened presents, and Toot, being a bit mischievious, brought over some Mogen David wine. She and Honey had been socializing with a couple of their relatives who introduced them to Mogan David wine for special occasions. Pappy had a fit that wine was in the house! So, Toot asked different people if they wanted some. Thelma said that Grandma couldn't have any. But Irvin and I said "Yes", and had some in one of Toot's mother's wine glasses. We went by Grandma to drink our little glass of wine, to avoid a lecture. (Everyone else had the choice of some plain grape juice with their cookies.)

We took some to Grandma. She said she really liked that grape juice and wanted more. She drank 6 glasses of it! Grandma became very lucid and awake. She had been wanting to go home to make sure her babies were tucked in bed (they were all there, of course, and grown!), but, after the wine, she was up talking and visiting and enjoying herself! (Part of her problem, it turned out, was that she was not getting enough sugar or salt!)

Thelma never did know that we sneaked that wine to Grandma! She was busy talking around the corner and didn't see us. I'm glad that Grandma got to have that small pleasure. I finally told Thelma about it last week, and she laughed.

The middle photo shows the store shortly after it opened after the last fire. This was in the late 1950s. You can see the arrangement of the store, with the cash register in the center. Shown are Irvin, Ellen Carolyn, and Emil Conitz Jr. E.C. was helping out that day. Irvin and Emil were the owners. T. J. Smith is also there. He was originally partners with Emil, then, about Depression times, he opened a grocery store in the back. After the last fire, the dry goods store was rebuilt, but Smith decided not to rebuild the grocery store. He still kept his safe in the store, and stayed around there a lot of the time. He had an outdoor rocking chair in the office area where he rested and did some business. He and Emil married sisters so they were brothers-in-law, but, also, they were life long friends.

In the bottom photo, you can see Keeling Grocery, shortly after being remodeled, and decorated for Christmas. There is an unidentified man on the left. I don't have a name for him, but he replaced Benny Gouger as a clerk when Benny went off to the Army. Also in the back are Mrs. Cloud, Mr. Gouger, and Mr. Cloud, the superintendent of Calvert ISD. Mrs. Keeling ("Toot") is in the foreground, center, and to her right is Mrs. Gouger. On the right is Mrs. Terry. The Clouds and Mrs. Terry were shopping in the store when the photographer came. Mr. Keeling, ("Honey") is leaning on the produce bin in the background.

The photo at the end of this post shows the interior of Keeling Grocery, decorated for Christmas, but looking from the back to the front of the store. You can see some of the items on the shelves, that they sold back then.

I'm sure that some of you share similar memories.

The years have become so different. This year, we decided not to do gifts, except for the grandsons. We plan to get together tonight, those of us who are left, and have presents for the boys, and have sandwiches and cookies. Tomorrow we will go over to the nursing home for cookies with Thelma, and then, possibly, Barbara and I will take our drawing materials and draw for the residents who are there. They seemed to enjoy watching us when we were sketching.

The boys are going to see that new dog movie, with the oldest grandson going back to work for a few hours. He had stitches out this morning after his ankle surgery.

So much for big family Christmas dinners and doing things that make nice memories. I guess that we didn't really think that we were doing that much when we were growing up, either. At the time, I thought that it was pretty boring and wished my friends were around to liven things up. And, I thought that our Christmas was pretty lacking of the merriment and decorations that we saw in some homes and in the movies. We seemed to spend most of our time at the store, with maybe a couple of programs and a cantata at church, a program at school or band concert to participate in, maybe something at the City Hall. But, looking back, I guess it was more like a picture than we thought it was at the time.

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I had a time getting Christmas cards done this year. I couldn't drive to get to the store to buy them. Finally got my daughter to take me to pick out cards. I did work on mailing lists and labels, while I was waiting. I am doing Thelma's for her, too, so that makes a lot of cards. And, since I don't know a lot of the people she has corresponded with, I'm not sure what to say, or which ones might have moved or, possibly, may not be alive. I went to the internet to check addresses and look for some obits! And, wouldn't you know, the computer had problems. Couldn't get on the internet for but just a few minutes at a time, for days.

So, I decided to write a general letter on the computer and insert that in with her cards, then just add a note to people who I knew needed a letter. Printed out a few pictures to send to a couple of people. But, the computer had other ideas. First, I couldn't get it to print but one copy at a time, and had to reset with each letter. Then, I couldn't get into the documents. Then the photo thing quit working. Got all those computer things working again, sort of, and started printing. Ran out of ink!

I told my daughter to just go to town and pick up the cartriges and stamps. But, no. She insisted that I had to go, when I should have been putting cards into envelopes! We got stamps at Walgreens, then went to Walmart for a two pack of cartriges. Big mistake. It took 3 hours of fighting lines and trying to get someone to open the case, to get that one little item! (No one was in the jewelry section. If I were buying gifts, I would have chosen jewelry this year, just due to the lack of long lines of impatient people!)

Then the glue wasn't sticking on the envelopes, so I used a glue stick to seal my envelopes. It's been one thing after the other! I finally finished up the last of Thelma's cards at 3 a.m. and they went in the mail this morning. I haven't even started mine, except to gather everything and make mailing labels!

I usually don't get into the Christmas mood until Christmas Eve. I kind of like the hustle and bustle, and think it is nice to write Christmas messages on Christmas Eve-by a fireplace with hot chocolate. Of course, it is usually too warm here for a fire in the fireplace! Just imagining how things should be, I guess.

So, if you are supposed to receive a card from me, I guess it will turn out to be a New Years card! I've got my cards, my labels, and stamps, so I'm going to still try for a Christmas or Christmas Eve postmark. And, those of you who read my blog, can consider my blog as my Christmas greeting to you!

Merry Christmas

to you and yours!

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Happy Birthday, Ashton!

Titanic

by

Ashton

Legos

Today, we have another birthday. Happy birthday wishes go out to Ashton. With wishes for many more "to grow on"!

The photo above was taken by Ashton of one of his Lego creations, "The Titanic". Ashton loves his Legos! He has been building and studying things in Legos since he was very small.

In the picture above, he was studying not just the way the Titanic was built, how many smoke stacks, propellers, etc., but, above all, how it broke apart and landed. He even built it with the debris field on the floor. He would build his model, check it on the counter in the kitchen, then take it to my big garden tub, to see if it worked right.

More recently, he got a model of the Titanic and built it. That is now on the mantle over the fireplace.

Ashton has studied and built oil wells, street intersections, complete with utilitiy wires and lights, and even tornadoes out of Legos.

Unfortunately, Pluto, loves to chew up any Legos that happen to fall anywhere that he can reach them. So, Ashton is a little short on Legos.

Ashton has always observed something and becomes interested in that one thing. He draws it, he builds it in Legos, he researches all he can find on it. He sees things that most people don't even notice, then really studies that subject for a long time. Seems very scientific to me.

When he was small, I said that we should just skip kindegarten and go straight over to the Petroleum Engineering Department at A&M! He was interested in oil wells then.

When he was very small, he was sitting in his baby seat in the car, as we rode, and would explain things like perspective and color theory. I hadn't said a thing, but my high school students didn't know as much as he did.

He drew pictures of a horizon line, with the earth curved, when most little children would draw the sky stopping way up in the air, and no horizon. He told me that the earth was curved and explained the need for a horizon line in pictures. It always amazed me, and I tried my best to discuss, not lecture, when he brought things up.

He's a young man, now. I really enjoy watching tv programs with him, discussing things, going out drawing, walking, watching while he rides his bike, etc. He makes things a real joy, most of the time. He even smiles when I wake him up! But, he is shy, and a bit grouchy and grumpy when he gets tired.

I hope he always stays interested, curious, and creative, and happy, for many years to come!

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Another person who shares this birthday is Esther.

A big Happy Birthday wish goes out to her, too! Hope you are "kicking your heels up" and having a big day!

Esther and I were always the youngest in our class in school. So we have known each other for many years, and grew up together, as we all did in our small school, and our class, particularly. We both started first grade at age 5 and went off to college at age 16. And we are still friends.

Hope you have many more happy birthdays, Esther! And I hope that you find the right publisher this year, for a great birthday present!

You can click on her name in my sidebar and see some of her writing.

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I received a lovely Christmas surprise from Idaho artist, Diana Moses Botkin. I won her lovely book, "Gems From The Edge Of The Earth", in a drawing on her website, http://dianamosesbotkin.blogspot.com/ . Diana included a copy of her print showing mother and child. I was so thrilled to receive these. Check out her website to see more of her work and information about her book.

Thank you so much, Diana! I'm really enjoying your book, and your work!

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I went to a Christmas party at St. Joseph's Manor yesterday. It was about over when I got there, as I had the time wrong.

And, we had to pick up Ashton after his Christmas party at school, first. (For some reason, he complained about a tummy ache, later! I laughed and said, "I wonder why!" They had hamburgers for lunch, pizza, etc. at the party, chicken nuggets after school! I thought he might just be overloaded, but we have all been having tummy problems this week, so it could be a little virus or something.)

We still got to hear a lady playing Christmas Carols on the piano, and the activity director read "The Night Before Christmas". The residents had punch, and I think they had already had refreshments of cookies, etc. I couldn't see that well to tell what was on the serving table.

Since it was Thelma's birthday, I took her a treat, a slice of chocolate pie with meringue on top, and a Coke.

Had a nice conversation with Virginia, and a young lady volunteer from Bryan High, about dance lessons, ballet, modern dance, etc. I remembered how my principal and I laughed until we cried in her office, one time, remembering our experiences in Modern Dance class at Sam Houston. She was over 10 years after me, but she did have the same teacher who had been head of the PE department when I was there. But, that is a different story.

If you have some free time, go by a nursing home and just visit with someone, or read to them. If you like to draw, just sit with your sketchbook and let them watch you draw, or paint. If you sing, or play something, you could do that, too. Share some photos or even your genealogy discoveries. It will be sooooo appreciated! They may not even answer, but it will make someone's day.

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While I was out yesterday, I bought Christmas cards, finally. I had to laugh at the ones that sing when you open them! I'll have to make some hot chocolate or have some egg nog later and start my Christmas cards! I know. I should have made them. I always say that, and never get it done! One year, I did include a small watercolor in each card. I haven't really come up with what I think is a smashing idea for an original card, though. I want it to be truly special and different. Maybe if I start now, I'll have something ready in a year or so!

I found a really cute idea online when I searched for free e-cards. I went through the whole process of creating, and, at the end, it said you could send it for $9.95, or subscribe for $39.95! Nothing free about that, so I deleted it!

I really like to go Christmas shopping on New Year's Eve, late in the day, when people are rushing about and there is a good spirit for shopping all around, and think of writing my cards by a fire in the fireplace, with hot chocolate and cookies, by the Christmas tree.

We also finally put up a small Christmas tree in the den last night. The one we always use is in the storehouse and our "strong person" is not able to go back there to carry it in, since he had surgery. I have some smaller things to decorate with that we can put up tonight, maybe, while we have some birthday cake for Ashton.

Christmas cards will be on their way, soon!

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Are you thinking about the 21st World Wide Sketch Crawl Saturday January 10? That will be soon after kids return from their holidays, I realized. I'm not sure when the university goes back. Public school resumes here on the 5th.

There's time to plan to participate, so I hope that everyone will.

http://www.sketchcrawl.com/

This time, they offer a cute t-shirt on the website with the logo and the pencil. It isn't required, as the event is Free! But it would be cute to wear while you are out sketching.

Virginia Vaughan has a cute Artist t-shirt on her site, too. http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com/ . That would be cute to wear when you are out and about, especially doing arty things!

Anyway, plan to join us, or another group near you, or start your own sketch crawl in your own area.

You can click on the Sketch Crawl logo in my sidebar to go to their website any time.

If you need more information or help, let me know. Or, if you want to join us.

It's on the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, Brazos Valley Art League, "The Eagle", KAMU, and KBTX calendars, among other places.

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Are you making plans to attend the Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert with Virginia Vaughan Saturday February 21 and into Sunday Feb. 22? This would be a good time to ask Santa for things you may want to take to the workshop!

You might want to make plans to stay in Calvert overnight, especially considering how early the sun comes up, and if you are not local. I am thinking that it might be a good idea to stay over Friday and Saturday nights. I wouldn't want to have to be driving in the wee hours to get there, or have to drive home after a long day of painting, then get up so early the next morning and drive some more to get there in time for painting at sunrise again.

A couple of B&Bs in Calvert have told me that they have rooms available that weekend, if you want to reserve your room early. They are lovely places and I know you would enjoy staying at either place.

The Bird House http://www.cyncib.net/ and Pin Oak B&B http://www.pinoakbb.com/ have both said that they have rooms available.

There is also camper/rv parking available by special arrangement. Just let us know what your needs are.

There are other B&Bs in Calvert, but I don't know about room availability. The Calvert Hotel is online, but is no longer a hotel. It's a private family home, now. (Would have been a great hotel to have art workshops!)

For information and a supply list, contact me, Cecelia, at grannyc_54@yahoo.com .

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Happy Days / Sad Days

Top Photo

Happy Birthday, Thelma!

Bottom Painting

They're so Pretty in Calvert

16" x 20"

Acrylic

It's a sad time, and a happy time.

First, the happy time is because of birthdays. Happy Birthday to Thelma today. Her picture is above from back in the 1940s. I remember those jodphurs! Irvin's birthday would have been this week, too. Lots of birthdays and holidays close together in this family.

It's a sad time because several people have died.

Last weekend, we lost Kathy Staff, who played Nora Batty on "Last of the Summer Wine", one of my favorite programs. I loved watching Nora and the ladies having coffee, and even Nora's hats and wrinkled stockings. The program has some lovely scenery in England, soothing, cheerful music, and some fun characters. The characters remind me of Calvert. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7782250.stm .

Next, I learned of the death of one of our classmates, Walter. I have such great memories of the times when we were all growing up in Calvert. It is always so hard to lose our classmates, since we spent so much time together in our small class . I looked at my classmates, more like brothers and sisters, especially since I didn't have brothers.

I think that you could compare some of our lives to that in the movies, "The Little Rascals" and "Our Gang". I heard a historian say that he grew up like in those movies. I thought, "I did too!"

My deepest sympathies to Walter's family. I'm sure that this is a very sad time for them.

I also learned of the death of another CHS graduate, Keen. He was a little older than I am, but I remember him in a sailor suit, and a picture of him in his sailor suit that his mother had. My mother and his mother visited a lot. His mother was so proud of him. I remember his dad, too. I found the obituary in the Waco Tribune Herald online this morning.

I thought I might draw an angel for Walter, but it wasn't happening. Instead, I started a sketch of the time that Walter and Taylor were sitting on the front row in Mrs. Brannon's English class. I can't remember who else was sitting on that row. I am thinking that Alfred was on the end by the windows. I remember that both boys had watches that seemed really large on their wrists. Mrs. Brannon got really mad about our class giggling about something, or talking, or making noise, that day. I can't remember exactly what it was. I do recall that we did all kinds of things to not have to read what we thought were embarrassing passages, and, if anyone did consent to read those things, they were "giggled at", and either blushed or rushed through it so fast you could barely understand what they said. Some of those embarrassing literary works included "Macbeth" and "Romeo and Juliet". They were pretty risque in places. We were so naieve.

The class, especially the boys, since they were bolder and there were more of them, were having trouble being nice, quiet, serious students that day. Mrs. Brannon had enough and had warned us a few times. She may have even already sent someone to the office.

The silliness happened again. Mrs. Brannon walked over to the blackboard, gripped her yardstick in her hand, and pursed her lips. She swung that yardstick over the heads in the first three rows! Everyone ducked, and that just made the boys giggle that much more. Eventually, they stopped when they realized that Mrs. Brannon was really angry. Those of us further back, ducked, too! We didn't know what might happen! That yardstick could fly over and hit us too, we imagined. And we didn't know how long Mrs. Brannon's reach was.

Despite the yardstick overhead, those boys still just looked at each other and grinned. The teacher's obvious anger, didn't subdue them a lot.

Mrs. Brannon had used the yardstick to shake at us before, but she had never swung it over our silly heads before. I'm sure that some of us were not acting up to begin with. We always behaved ourselves, in fear, if nothing else. We sure didn't want a trip to the office, but some of the boys didn't seem too upset when they were sent. They probably quit giggling when the board hit their pants! It didnt' happen often, of course.

My little sketch has started out with Taylor and Walter, and their big watches, with Mrs. Brannon looming over them with a yardstick extended. I'm not happy with the drawing, though. I was having a lot of trouble connecting lines, etc. I think it is because I was working too small in a sketchbook. And I have Mrs. Brannon really huge compared to the boys and the desks! Doesn't look like her at all!

Now, you have to know that Mrs. Brannon was a sweet lady, not inclined to violence at all. And an excellent teacher. And we knew that we had to behave in all our classes, including English. I don't think that she ever paddled, but she would send any unruly student to the office. And they would take care of things, there. Supposedly, the offender got more of the same, or worse, at home.

Instead of an angel, I am sharing an acrylic painting I did of some robed figures. They are standing in the street beside what was Conitz Dry Goods Store on Main Street, at night, after most people had gone home for the day. They are looking up, excited by the beautiful lights in the sky. UFOs? Angels?

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Keep in mind the 21st World Wide Sketch Crawl Saturday January 10. Want to come draw, paint, journal, or even doodle with us? Let me know, or get with a group where you are. Or, you can even start your own group. See the website for more information. http://www.sketchcrawl.com/ Or you can just click on the logo in my sidebar, and that will take you to the site. Look under 21st sketch crawl, then under Forums to find a group near you. Or just groups that are in interesting places.

This time, you can order a t-shirt with the logo and a cute pencil on the sleeve. It isn't required, since the Sketch Crawl is free, but it is just something different to wear. Those are available through the website.

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Speaking of t-shirts, look on Virginia Vaughan's blog and see some of the neat t-shirts that she has designed. You can order those through her, too. http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com/

Also, look at the information about the workshop she is doing in Calvert February 21. She has more on her website at http://www.v-vaughan.com/ . You can contact me at grannyc_54@yahoo.com for a supply list and information.

Please share with others who might be interested.

This workshop will be on Saturday, and she will still be there, to paint with the group on Sunday morning. She won't be teaching on Sunday, but we will be painting for fun. So, if you aren't local, you might want to make plans to stay for at least one night.

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While you are thinking of sending out Christmas wishes, you might keep in mind our wrongly imprisoned border agents, Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. And their families.

If you are so inclined, you might call the White House (202)456-1111,and the Office of the Pardons Attorney (202)616-6070 and your senators, (For us, it is Hutchison and Cornyn) and do what you can to get those men released. Those in power should not be having such a fancy Christmas as long as these men are being held the way they are. If they can pardon a turkey, drug dealers and other criminals, then why not these men who never belonged in prison to begin with. We hope that these men and their families will be able to have a great Christmas together.

You can send cards and letters to Ramos and Compean, too. There is also an organization called Grassfire that is trying to free them.