P. Buckley Moss e-newsletter

Dear Friends:

I had a very full weekend, but it was loads of fun.

The Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School Visual Arts Department’s annual exhibit is being held for the second year at the P. Buckley Moss Museum in Waynesboro, Virginia. This year’s exhibit is titled “180 Days of Art”, and it was my pleasure to jury the event at the opening reception that was held at the Museum this past Thursday evening. The kids have such imagination and courage, and it was so exciting and fun for me to talk to them and see their work and give out the awards. The Museum staff enjoyed having the show there, too. Museum curator and administrator Bonnie Stump and my daughter Ginny Moss (Gabellieri) hung the show and followed me around as I was judging it. They were so excited to see if I chose their favorites.

At the Museum with the students from the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School Visual Arts Department.

First prize went to Heather Burgoyne of Wilson Memorial High School for her mixed media titled Falling Open. Second prize went to Bang Vo of Waynesboro High School for his watercolor of Washington, DC, as viewed from a bus window titled Bus View. Third prize went to Taylor Oversmith of Fort Defiance High School for an acrylic titled Magical World. Honorable mentions included a mixed media by JoJo Houff of Fort Defiance High School titled VII and a clay and acrylic ceramic piece titled Old and New by Alycia East of Waynesboro High School.

Standing with me, left to right, are third place winner Taylor Oversmith, honorable mention Alycia East, first place winner Heather Burgoyne, and honorable mention JoJo Houff. Not pictured is second place winner Bang Vo. Pictured with us is Heather’s winning mixed media work titled Falling Open.

The Barn and the Museum couldn’t have looked more beautiful for the weekend. The gardens are blooming, and I love for things to bloom in each season. I dug up some baby lilacs to transplant in Mathews. It’s easy to buy things and just plant them, but I think it’s more fun to take a transplant of something and watch it grow. I also brought back what I hope are baby red buds and red maples to transplant in Mathews. Every spring is so exciting (as long as you have an allergy pill).

The azaleas at the Museum were glorious!

Our view of the backyard at The Barn.

I was up half the night Thursday night/Friday morning watching the royal wedding, so I was pretty tired Friday; but, I went to bed early and was in good shape for Saturday. My friend Dot Hiter, who is a member of Pat’s Blue Goose Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society and a Barn Show volunteer, makes the most beautiful cakes. She brought me an early birthday cake Friday, and it was wonderful! All of us celebrated by eating cake the whole weekend. It was a very special treat that we all appreciated.

Dot Hiter, in the apron, made me this beautiful early birthday cake. It was almost too pretty to eat, and it tasted just as good as it looked!

The Adults Wild on Life Group from Orange Presbyterian Church came to The Barn Saturday morning. What a fun and interesting bunch! I thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Chris and Allie Gillenwater and their daughters are the new owners of my Humpback Bridge original. I’m so happy to know it will have a good home where it will be enjoyed for years to come.

Sunday morning we had a special tree planting ceremony at the Museum to celebrate the life of Ida Clemons, who passed away on February 21 of this year. Ida was a founding member of the Society’s Moss in the Valley Chapter and was so devoted to her family, friends, and “the world of Moss.” She was especially devoted to her grandchildren and their education and was thus an advocate for the work of the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education. It was a beautiful day as we gathered on the Museum grounds to remember Ida, and we all knew that she was there with us smiling and that she knew all her friends cared.

Members of the Moss in the Valley Chapter and Ida’s family and friends gathered at the Museum Sunday morning for a special tree planting ceremony in her memory. Linda Markham, Moss in the Valley Chapter President, gave the eulogy, and everyone added a favorite memory of Ida.

This Saturday, May 7, I’ll be joining the Moss on the James Chapter in Richmond, Virginia, for the Chapter’s annual fundraising tea party and silent auction. The proceeds from the event will benefit Riverside School’s Moss on the James Scholarship. Riverside School provides a multisensory, structured, and rational education for dyslexic children and children with specific language-based learning differences in grades 1-8.

I’m donating an Artist’s Proof of my newest painting of St. John’s Church in Richmond, VA, for the silent auction. St. John’s Revisited features the church where Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech on March 23, 1775.

I’m looking forward to seeing so many friends, old and new, and bidding on some of the wonderful prizes that will be included in the auction. Mrs. Pat DeOrio, founder of Riverside School and a nationally recognized educator for dyslexia, is a charter member of Moss on the James. Likewise, the Society and I have been supporters of Riverside School since its inception. I have so much respect for what the school is doing for children and their parents, and it’s a joy to be with people who have the same interests and who care.

For more information on the tea party and to reserve tickets, please contact Barbara Dyke, President of the Moss on the James Chapter, at 804-798-6719 or ahmain98@yahoo.com.

I’ll have an exciting week next week. After the tea with Moss on the James, I’m heading to Radford, Virginia, to drive down with my daughter Mary Donnelly to Athens, Georgia, for my granddaughter Kate’s graduation from the University of Georgia. What fun that will be! Mary is such fun to drive with, and I’m looking forward to it. The babies of my babies are growing up!

God bless our armed forces for all they’ve been through for us! We should all be proud of their bravery and their courage.

Love,
Pat

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