My Book

I got them back in the mail yesterday, ready to wrap for Christmas gifts for the granddaughters.

Here's the cover and a couple of pages. The pictures didn't turn out very good but you get an idea of how it looks. I wrote in cursive so the little people would have to be held while the big person reads to them. I call it a book with "cuddleability".

I admit, I'm not much at illustrating a children's book but I did enjoy doing it  (and struggling with the art) and loved writing it.

       The picture of the last page has a bad shaddow but I was tired and didn't want to take it and upload all over again. I did tea stain the paper I used so there are spots and splotches I do like that gives it a vintage look.

Day before Halloween

UPDATED 11/1/09  Glad you enjoyed this true story. I have another one if you'd like to hear it.

It was a beautiful day yesterday and we searched for certain peoples tombstones to take pictures of.  The first cemetery we went to  it was really windy. I was standing under some trees and some "inner voice" said "get away from the trees, it's windy and they may fall or a limb could hit you." It was such a strong feeling, I immediately got away from the trees. Nothing happened at that cemetery but when we were going down a little road to get to another cemetery, all of a sudden, there it was. A tree had fell across the road and there were power lines with it. It must have just happened.  I can remember the sherriff's number (because I've had to call them so many times) but that's the only number I knew by heart.  So I called and they said they'd get someone down there. A young man said that the school bus usually came from the other direction at 4 PM. We were worried because this was on a curve and thought the bus with the children might smack right into the tree. We waited (and prayed). Nobody came from that direction the whole time we worried. We were afraid to go under the tree with the live power lines so we waited. A car came and I flagged it down to keep it from hitting the tree. It was my good friend from Kentucky! Way out there in the boonies where I would think she would be the last person I'd ever see down there. She said her daughter lived down there. Later...about 45 minutes later, the power company truck showed up and cut the tree out of the road. The power lines just popped right back where they were suppose to be. As we drove past where the tree had fallen and around the curve, there was the school bus, just sitting there waiting. I guess that was the tree that I was whispered to about earlier.

We went wayyyy on out in the country and I fell in love with a place I hadn't been before. It was near where my granddaddy was raised...and where my cousins and I use to play when we were little girls. I would have loved to have stayed there and just sat on the porch. There was a big friendly black dog. He was disappointed when I left him. I really wanted to stay. You've seen those spots where the sun is shining just right, the breeze is blowing and the ground looks warm. It "feels" just right. That is what I was experiencing. Weird thing about this is....we were near my Granddaddy's childhood home and this morning I learned that his sister passed away today. Odd (sometimes bad) things happen to me at the end of October most every year.

Stearns Museum

  Then, after we ate at the Restaurant at Stearns, we went to the McCreary Museum, right across the street.

Of course there was art or I wouldn't have climbed all those steps.

 This met us at the top of the stairs.

  The plaque below the drawing by Stearns says: R.L. Stearns was trained to be an illustrator and artist. He was accepting commissions from Colliers and other magazines when he was instructed by his father to come to Stearns and take over as Head of Stearns Company holdings here.

 Anyway, we walked through the museum full of relics from way back....Mike toured very slowly because he had to look at every nut, bolt an screw in the mine equipment and and every lump of coal. (I've seen coal, up close...don't care that much about it).  

There were a few paintings on the walls:
 

Nadine Heth painted this (below) and, I thought, did a really good job. I think she was one of the ladies at the Festival I blogged about below.

 This is a view from the top floor of the museum.

(To be continued)

McCreary Fest

   Mike and I went to the festival in McCreary County Kentucky instead of the Pumpkin Festival this year. We had never been and I was having a prob with a knee. so we didn't have to walk as much here.

I've used thumbnails so it might not take so long to load. Just click the ones you want to see.

This guy was clearly not intested in art, parade, or having his face painted. He was not moving from his lawn chair.

 um, hard to see but it's a dog....I don't know which end.

This is the McCreary County, KY courthouse. It's really neat. I like to see it even when there is not festival.

Here are the paintings:

We voted on each category: Watercolor, portrait, animals, each one. They had already been judged and ribboned. I don't understand why the vote, but it was fun.

Theres this big mural I've always had to go look at every time I'm in Whitley City.

There was more....a parade, some singers...but my one track mind/interest lies in paintings (kind of like the dog and his lawn chair)

Oh, but food, I was interested in that! We went to Stearns and at at the corner restaurant. It use to be an old drugstore. We both had the open faced manhattan...my usual.