Calvert Christmas Homes Tour

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1. Church of the Epipheny- One of the lovely old churches in Calvert. This one is the Episcopal Church. The stained glass windows are particulary attractive at night.

2. Houston artist, Eve Miles, doing a caricature of a young visitor to Calvert during the Victorian Tea and Gala and Street Fair. This was taken beside Zamykal Kolache Shop. The young model is Claudia Idelisse Garcia, age 10, daughter of Lee Garcia of "Tea in Texas" magazine. Claudia strolled Main Street during the event, dressed in her Victorian attire, and carrying a basket of fans to sell to visitors. Her mom said that Claudia made enough to pay for her sitting, "a luxury for any Victorian Miss."

Claudia was really striking in the bright Texas sun, dressed in her red and gold gown.

Another young miss, Savanna, is shown watching the artist at work. Savanna's mom was helping out in the kolache shop. I showed a sketch of Savanna and her mom in an earlier post. As we picked out a place to sketch, Savanna had been holding one of Claudia's fans, and hiding an impish grin, as she stood by her mother at one of the sidewalk tables. Her eyes just twinkled over the fan, much as I imagined that girls of the past did in the olden days.

Those fans still come in handy, at times.

It's always nice to spend time on the sidewalks along Main Street, no matter where you are from.

3. Gunfighter from "Cow Town"- This was one of the gunfight reenactors from Ft. Worth who were in town for the Victorian Tea,Gala, and Street Fair. I put his picture in an earlier post, but the face was in too much shadow. I figured out how to lighten photos a bit so that faces show better. Of course, that washes out the background some! I don't have Photoshop, but this is working, somewhat.

4. The Barton House- This was the sight of the Tea party for the Victorian Tea and Gala. The lawn party was in the back yard. This is just one of the many lovely old homes in Calvert, and is one street over from where I grew up. They had the most intriguing play house in the back yard, when I was growing up, but they didn't have children living there at that time, so we didn't ever get invited to play in it. Of course, we all wanted one of those in our own yard!

Now, the home belongs to someone else, the old iron pipe fence that matched the one around the park and two of the Gibson homes, has been replaced with a black decorative iron fence. And they have added several outbuildings behind the home. But, basically, the house looks much like it always has from the outside.

5. Lunch at the Wooden Spoon- This is an interior shot of the new Wooden Spoon restaurant on Main Street, where we had lunch. The food is good and people are friendly. And there certainly is an interesting atmosphere. I had some battered french fries that were very different-and good. My sister said they have really good hamburgers, and others in our group enjoyed various items.

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These are some of the photos that I have been trying to put on as a slide show, but I haven't been able to make it work. For some reason, the code changes when I push Publish Post, and all I get is an error message that my code won't work. I also have pictures from the Plein Aire Painting Workshop, made into 3 slide shows, but, again, they won't work. I may have to just publish those as separate photos, too. I've had help from their tech support, but they haven't figured it out, either. I apologize for taking so long, but I have been trying.

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I hope that you spent today at the Christmas Tour of Homes in Calvert. If not, maybe, if you are in the area, you can go tomorrow. It's always so nice to see everything all decorated and lit up for Christmas. Some places look like a Christmas card. If we just had some snow. But, that has never happened, of course.

You can click on the picture of the bandstand in the snow at the top of my sidebar and that will take you to more information about the homes tour.

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Look in my sidebar for some great photos of Calvert by Big Grey Mare on Flickr. Click on the name under Interesting Sites in my sidebar. I spent hours looking at her pictures and still didn't see everything. Her landscapes, buildings, and her photos of flowers are particularly nice. I don't think I have ever seen a close up picture of a Cotton Flower before. And her Morning Glory closeups are just gorgeous.

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If you are in Bryan tomorrow, you might enjoy the big Christmas parade. It starts at A&M and will end about at the old Manor East Mall. (I think it isn't a mall anymore and is called something like the Tejas Center. You can tell that I don't shop much anymore! ) One site says it will end about Sulphur Springs Road, but the map shows the back of the old mall, probably about where Carter's Burgers is located. Go early, find a good spot. Some streets will be blocked off early. Parade starts at 2 p.m. If you can't get out, KAMU tv will be broadcasting the parade, and they will rerun it later times.

Sadly, the Aggie Band won't be there. They are getting ready for finals. The Ross Volunteers will be leading the parade, though, and they are always exciting to watch. I guess Parsons Mounted won't be there, either. But, they did say that this is going to be one of the biggest ever. Lots of entries this year.

Also, here, be sure to go out to Central Park in College Station to enjoy the lights and decorations, some hot chocolate, cookies, Santa, hay ride, and entertainment, on some nights. That one is free. But you might want to check on the schedule. We didn't and missed the opening night this week.

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It got cold here! Two nights in the 20s, out here in the country- just below freezing in town.

I felt horrible, when the front came through, with sneezing, bad sinus headache, and that led to an upset stomach. I finally took some benadryl, which just knocks me out, and leaves me feeling horrible. Lots of things like pneumonia, bronchitis, colds, sinus trouble, and such going around already this year.

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If you like to play around with interactive things on the computer, you might enjoy the new site that I added today under Art Helpers in my sidebar. It's called Scribbler and Myrna Wacknov shared it on her blog. Just click on the link in the sidebar and play! Myrna says it is addictive. But she has a better computer than mine! I never can make my lines go exactly where I want them to when I try to draw with the computer, but I did have fun making an abstract couple and a cat, then seeing what Scribbler would do to them. Try it! It is fun!

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Hope you get to go to the Christmas Homes Tour in Calvert tomorrow.

Happy Haunting!

Giving Treats Instead of Tricks on Halloween

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I hope that you are preparing for a fun and safe Halloween. Dressing up, getting together, and swapping stories is so much fun.

We used to have a lot of fun on Halloween at school, when I was teaching. Almost everyone would dress up. In my art classes, we would pull out the acrylic paint and brushes, and do a little face painting with a pumpkin, ghost, bat, or something simple on the cheek for anyone who wanted a decoration. For some, we would paint it on their hand. Some kids really went all out. Everyone was excited about the costume contests.

Several years, we did what I called "reverse trick or treating". We painted little plaster knick knacks and took those over to the local nursing home and hospital. I took a group of kids after school and we passed out the knick knacks and had a short visit with many of the patients. Most were so pleased, just for the company. But, I backed out of the gifts when one resident hoped for a cookie and tried to eat the little object we handed him! (The kids stopped him before the plaster went into his mouth.) We still went to see them, but we took a picture or greeting card that didn't look like something good to eat!

I don't remember that we did anything for Halloween at school when I was a student. It was just another day of school work. But there was excitement in the air as we plotted and planned parties and trick or treating for the night. We had some pretty good times, prowling around all the spooky houses, the cemetery, and the park, and even the big, looming school. Often, we went as a group, without adults. But, if things got to be a little more than what I thought they should be, I left and went home. Like the time when everyone wanted to take the window screens off an old lady's house, and soap them, and put toilet paper around houses. As the boys started taking screens off the dark, scarey house, I left the group and walked home. I told Daddy that I didn't want to get into trouble, as usual.

Sometimes, Walter and his friends would giggle, for days in advance, as they warned me at school that they were going to hang my cats from the flagpole. Daddy didn't like for the cats to be in the house and I wanted to make sure that they were all indoors and locked safely away. That made for a lot of stress for me. All I could think of was how I could protect my pets. The boys found better things to do than to try to round up my cats, I guess, because it never happened.

Here is something that is sort of funny that happened last night in regard to Halloween and ghosts.

My daughter is really interested in ghost hunting and stories, and tv programs about ghosts. Several days ago, I read a little blurb in a news release from the George Bush Library, saying that Robert Schlesinger was going to be here for a talk and book signing for his book, "White House Ghosts". Just in time for Halloween! I sent the information to my daughter and she was exicted about it.

She had refused to take us to see the astronauts, and other interesting people who have come here. But she got excited about a book on ghosts in the White House! She made reservations for the event, and, last night, we had supper early, dressed up, and went to the presentation in the Museum. Friends Crystal, Ronnie, and Becky met us there.

So there we were, stretched out across the third row, Crystal, Joni, Ashton, Becky, Ronnie, and I, and everyone else came in and sat behind us. A computer blip flashed on the movie screen and we thought we would see some projected images. But, I guess they were just turning off the picture they were showing of the horses and section of the Berlin Wall that decorate a part of the courtyard between buildings at the complex.

I remembered hearing about a Schlesinger at the White House, years ago. Arthur L. Schlesinger. So I was surprised when a young man took his place at the podium. This was Arthur L.'s son, Robert, the author.

As he opened his talk, Schlesinger said, "If any of you are expecting to hear any stories of hauntings or of things that go bump in the night, you might want to leave now."

We laughed, along with everyone else. I expected the others in our group to get up and leave, but, to their credit, they sat through the talk and were attentive. Ashton only got squirmey for a few seconds, when he started pulling on a rubber band bracelet they had been given at school for Red Ribbon Week. I felt squirmey, myself. With my Restless Leg Syndrome, I felt like I just had to get up and walk, despite the fact that I was interested in the stories the author was sharing. I just wiggled my toes in my shoes, and managed to sit and listen.

A couple of interesting things were his stories about FDR and his cocktail mixing before he would work on his speeches. And the story about Harry Truman. His speech writers couldn't figure out how to let the real man show through at first. It turned out that he had poor vision and he couldn't read the speeches, unless he got really close to the podium. Then he would look up and try to look out at the audience, and lose his place. Finally, they just wrote him an outline or talking points, and let him just talk and be himself. He did so much better when they quit writing speeches for him.

Schlesinger also talked about the current presidential candidates and their speechwriters. Obama has a staff of speech writers, all extremely young. McCain has one speechwriter who has been friends with McCain for a long while. Schlesinger said that he is surprised that they haven't found a good way to let the real McCain shine through, as they did with Truman in the past. It makes all the difference.

It was interesting to hear that some speechwriters are the ones who really set policy with their speeches, and not the candidate or person for whom they are writing. Some presidents have been very involved in the speech writng process, while others just read what someone else has written. Some have just written their own speeches or made so many changes in editing that the speech is nothing like what was originally written.

He talked of how JFK, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush had edited their speeches, with each having their own style of editing. There was the case of Clinton editing while riding to a place where he was to speak, and having the writer to hold his hot coffee for him. The writer didn't spill the coffee, as he feared, but, on another occasion, Clinton was holding his own coffee cup in his teeth, while editing, and the coffee spilled on his shirt. They had to radio up and down the caravan of cars to find a Secret Service man, the same size as Clinton, so they could exchange shirts. The Secret Service didn't want to let Clinton go into a store to buy a new shirt.

He told of JFK and the famous speech in Berlin, and of FDR's famous speech following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and how they both edited until they arrived at the words that have become so well known. George H.W. Bush would add little notes that indicated things like "Too Ego". He didn't want to sound like he was bragging about himself.

Following the talk, the author signed books at one table, and refreshments were served from another table in the marble rotunda. A crystal punch bowl and cups were at one end of the serving table, while coffee was served from a large silver coffee urn at the opposite end. Cookies were in the center of the table, along with paper napkins stamped with the TAM letters.

We took our refreshments to small tables in front of a display of a map, photos, a signed guitar, and momentos from Iraq, and a huge portrait of former president Bush, along with some of his cabinet members.

One of the workers invited Ashton to come to the Halloween Party at the Library tonight, Halloween. She said they have a lot of candy and treats for the kids, and there will be lots to do. I hope that his mother will take him. It should be a great place for a Halloween party. Things at the Library are always really nice!

After the talk, I answered the question, "What did that have to do with ghosts?" and explained that they meant "Ghost Writers" and memories of the White House of the past-not spooky ghosts and hauntings. I guess that, if we had been smart, we would have done a google search and found out more about the book ahead of time.

Ashton commented that he was afraid that the author would read that whole thick book. I told him that he couldn't read too much of it or people would not need to buy the book. We agreed that some pictures would have brought the stories more to life.

My daughter had wanted to buy a book, until she learned that it wasn't about actual ghosts. However, I think that it might be an interesting book to read. I would like to read more of his stories, especially now that I have read more about his background and the fact that he was present when some of the speechwriters got together. His inside views would make this a really unique perspective. I liked the idea that he realized that those stories should be preserved. And his insider information, as well as his reasearch at many of the presidential libraries, would make this a very important historical book.

I have to laugh when thinking about the "trick" that turned into an educational "treat".

The others in the party said that they would like to go to more things like that. They do have interesting events and impressive speakers at the Library.

I felt like we should have at least made an effort to meet the author. And felt bad that we didn't. But I knew that we weren't going to buy a book. I'm still trying to finish the Robert E. Lee biography, a very thick book, that I started over 10 years ago! It's interesting, but I cannot stay awake to read much of it at a time. Instead, I have opted for shorter books and art magazines. (One of these days, I am going to finish that book!)

I firmly believe in exposing youngsters to all these many opportunites to meet famous people, and see all the presentations that are possible today. I remember those opportunities so much more than all the ordinary classroom things that we did as students. We didn't have very many of those opportunities. I'm still amazed at the history that we heard of through the radio, movies, newsreels, and a few visits from people like Jinx Falkenburg and Tex McCrary, and LBJ.

Here are some links. I will put those in my sidebar so you can find them any time.

Robert Schlesinger, "White House Ghosts"

http://www.whitehouseghostsbook.com/

George Bush Library

http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/

For anyone interested in ghosts, ghost hunting, etc., there is going to be an event at the Wooden Spoon on Main Street in Calvert November 1. Lots of ghost stories and experiences there.

This year, we are hearing warnings about some candy possibly being contaminated with Melamine. We are told to read our labels and beware of candy with ingrediants from or that are manufactured in China. I read my labels, but you cannot tell where things are manufactured. Just where they are distributed from. I haven't heard anything this year, as we have in the past, about taking your treats to a hospital to be x-rayed, to make sure there are no razor blades, glass, or needles in them. Maybe it is best to make your own treats, with your own ingrediants.

I want to see clear USA labels on everything!

Happy "Spooking" or "Haunting" tonight!

Be Safe!

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I aplogize for not getting a post on sooner. I've made a slide show of some of the things that we have done, art wise, lately, but I haven't been able to get them to add to my blog. I've written back and forth to their tech support, and, hopefully, their latest suggestion will work. They changed their site, after I figured out how to do this their old way! So, I'm having to figure it out all over again. Sometimes that takes me a while.

Hopefully, unless the computer starts acting up again, I will get some of those pictures on, tomorrow. I just had to share a bit of Halloween with you today!

Learning Face Painting

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