Dear Friends,

 

Gettysburg, PA is a wonderful town and I always look forward to visiting King James Galleries. Debra Starry, gallery manager, and I welcomed collectors from all over.  I was delighted that longtime friend May Johnson and her daughter Judy had made the trip. We celebrated the release of my new print of the Baltimore orioles titled Pride of Maryland.  My daughter Mary took some time to visit some of the Gettysburg monuments.

 

As always, I love meeting with collectors. Here are Peter and Danielle Wendt proudly displaying their beautifully framed Pride of Maryland.

 

Deep in discussion with collector Wayne Burridge in the foreground, with Greg Myers (Santa Claus) in the background.

 

Even with the busy schedule, I had time to do a doodle on some foam core. It will be an ongoing project.

 

 

As an added bonus this week, I was travelling with two of my daughters, Mary and Becky.  What a surprise was in store for me as we left Gettysburg. We made our way further north and east to the small town of Millrift, PA. As many of you may know, my mother lived in Millrift for a number of years. This beautiful, unincorporated town is situated along the west bank of the Delaware River.  For many years, my children went there for the summer. Listening to their stories about this time, I believe their experiences were better than any summer camp. Their days were filled with tubing, hiking and exploration. They made lifelong friends. I did too.

 

While in Millrift we were able to catch up with so many people that we knew from years ago. As good fortune would have it, the Loughnanes, longtime family friends, were also visiting Millrift. My daughters went down the river rapids with Bobbie and Jimmie, while their mother Evelyn and I reminisced about summers past.  This is still such a comfortable place for my family to gather as multiple generations have known and enjoyed it. The beautiful river and slow pace allows me to relax.

 

When you catch up with old friends, pictures are shared. This picture shows the groundbreaking for the Church of Millrift. Vincent Buckley (my father) is on the far left.

 

We took a few minutes to visit my parent’s grave.

 

 

View of the Delaware River from the Hawk’s Nest. Years ago there used to be a diner here that we would go to with my mother, Gran Liz.

 

The Hawk’s Nest is across the river from Millrift.

Imagine our delight when we saw that our favorite ice cream store, in nearby Matamoras, was still in business!

 

This coming week I will be showing closer to home. Our Blacksburg Gallery Open House is this weekend and I’d like to invite you to attend. I am releasing a new print, On Crooked River, which highlights the Lodge at Crooked River. This lodge is located on the north fork of the Holston River, between Hiltons and Mendota, Virginia. I had never been there but had received an invitation from one of my son John’s friends to come for a visit. I was so happy to see him and I fell in love with the place. On the spacious estate there is a circa 1823 Ohio grist mill and a renovated tobacco barn that dates back to 1899.

 

For the attendees of the show, I will have a sneak preview of a painting to be printed and released early next year. The painting is tentatively named Winter at Crooked River and will feature the lodge again.  A third painting in the set, The Lodge in Spring (tentative working title), is in the planning stage.

 

On Crooked River, will be released at the Blacksburg gallery August 26th.

 

Nothing but smiles for our visit to the Lodge at Crooked River. Pictured with me are my daughter Rebecca Ghezzi and our friend Carl Scott.

 

 

Until next week …

 

Love,