Send this e-mail letter to a friend:
Dear Friends:
It’s good to be back in “ole Virginie!” Everything is blooming and beautiful. I’m sneezing from all the pollen; but, that’s what allergy medicine is for, right? My daughter Patty came down to St. Petersburg, Florida, so she could help me with the drive back up. She drove all but four hours, because I didn’t sleep the previous two nights. We arrived in Waynesboro, Virginia, in time for Easter dinner with about half my family. Present were my youngest daughter Ginny, her husband Corrado Gabellieri, and their children Picco and Chiara; my oldest daughter Mary’s children Sarah and Sean; my daughter Patty, her friend Mary Morgan, and their two dogs Nellie and Jackie; and my children’s father Jack Moss, his wife Malone, and Malone’s daughter Catherine and her husband and three children. We all watched Becoming Jane after dinner, which is a really good movie.
I'm so blessed to have a wonderful family to spend holidays with.
I was sorry that I missed the P. Buckley Moss Museum’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, but I’ve been told it was a big hit. This year a magician, Brian Bence, came and mesmerized young and old alike with his amazing tricks. A record number of people came to the Museum to hunt for Easter eggs, see the Easter Bunny, and be entertained by Brian.
Magician Brian Bence really wowed the Easter egg hunters and the Museum staff.
The Museum’s very special guests Saturday were Magician Brian Bence and the Easter Bunny.
This little girl named Alexis was all smiles as she had her picture taken with the Easter Bunny.
My last day in St. Petersburg coincided with the opening of the new Hazel Hough Wing at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. I couldn’t bear to leave without seeing the new exhibit, and museum director Dr. John E. Schloder was kind enough to give me a private tour.
Dr. John E. Schloder, Director of the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, was kind enough to give me a private tour of the new Hazel Hough Wing. My favorite piece was this horse.
Patty and I also walked along The Pier at St. Petersburg Harbor, and I couldn’t resist having my picture taken with the replica pirate ship that’s docked there.
The Pier hosts a pirate ship adventure with interactive activities for the whole family. It’s a big hit with children…and me!
This Thursday afternoon, I’ll head over to The Library of Virginia in Richmond as one of The Library’s eight honorees for its 2008 Virginia Women in History program. March has been designated by Congress as National Women’s History Month; and, in conjunction The Library of Virginia annually honors eight women, past and present, who have made important contributions to Virginia and America. This year, in addition to me, The Library is honoring:
1) Frances Culpeper Stephens Berkeley Ludwell (bap. 1634-ca. 1695) of James City County—As a leader of the Green Spring faction, she influenced the politics of seventeenth-century Virginia.
2) Edith Turner (Wané Roonseraw) (ca. 1754-1838) of Southampton County, Nottoway (Cheroenhaka) chief—As chief of the Nottoway Indians, she successfully navigated nineteenth-century Nottoway and Anglo-American societies while she strove to keep the tribe’s children on the reservation.
3) Lucy Goode Brooks (1818-1900) of Richmond—As a civic leader and having experienced as a slave the devastation of separated families, she founded the Friends’ Asylum for Colored Orphans.
4) Providencia Velazques Gonzalez (1917- ) of Dale City—As a community activist striving to improve the lives of those around her, she serves as an example to her community.
5) Isabel Wood Rogers (1924-2007) of Richmond—A Presbyterian educator and author, she advocated that Christians take an active and responsible interest in the secular world.
6) Elizabeth Bermingham Lacy (1945- ) of Richmond—A judge and the first woman to serve on the State Corporation Commission and on the Supreme Court of Virginia, she opened doors for Virginia women in the legal profession.
7) Sharyn McCrumb (1948- ) of Roanoke County—The award-winning novels of Sharyn Elaine Arwood McCrumb celebrate the richness and variety of Appalachian culture.
This is a profound honor. Please know that I am accepting it on behalf of the P. Buckley Moss Society, the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education, and all who help make the lives of others better, particularly children.
I have been so excited for months about participating in the 21st Annual Quilters’ Heritage Celebration, and now the time has finally come. After the award ceremony at The Library of Virginia, I’ll drive up to the Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The quilt convention is scheduled to run March 27-30, and I’ll be there March 28-30. I’ll be the guest speaker at the luncheon on Saturday, March 29, and I’ll talk about my quilting prints and the meaning of quilts in my art. The Moss Portfolio will have a booth at the convention, and my newest quilt prints will be for sale. I’ll be at the booth Friday through Sunday, except when I’m giving my talk during Saturday’s luncheon, to sign prints and meet collectors.
Blanket of Faith, top, and Morning Star, below, will be released during the 21st Annual Quilters’ Heritage Celebration, which will be held at the Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, March 27-30, 2008. I will be there March 28-30.
The following weekend, April 4-5, I’ll be at the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort in Riverside, Iowa, for my Collectors’ Convention. I can hardly wait!
I must end on a bittersweet note by announcing the retirement of my dear friend Ginger Cloonan. Ginger has been an authorized Moss dealer since 1982 and has served on the Society’s Board of Directors since 1990. Last year, Ginger announced plans to close her gallery The Country Framer in Libertyville, Illinois, and retire. This is the gallery’s last week. I am so very grateful and relieved to know that she is staying on as a member of the Society’s Board. Ginger’s experience, wisdom, and love of people and life are invaluable to the work of the Society. She has also been an inspiration to me and everyone who knows her through her determination, courage, and strength. Ginger suffered crippling polio as a teenager and went on to become a mother, a businesswoman, a grandmother, and a true friend to all. She has traveled to and participated in virtually all Moss events and Board meetings, in spite of physical pain and numerous surgeries, and she is always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. Ginger is a blessing to everyone in her life, and I am so thankful to have her in mine.
The Libertyville area will now be served by John Timony at Curtis Frame & Gallery, 543 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville, IL, 60048; PH: 847-362-2848. Welcome to the Moss family, John!
’Til next week…
Love,
Pat
The Moss
Portfolio
74 Poplar Grove Lane
Mathews, VA 23109
(800) 430-1320
©P. Buckley Moss 2005