P. Buckley Moss e-newsletter

Dear Friends:

On Sunday I was the guest speaker at The Reynolds Homestead in Critz, Virginia, which is in Patrick County. The Reynolds Homestead is a campus of Virginia Tech and serves as a Continuing Education Center and a Forest Resources Research Center. The Homestead provides a venue for concerts, plays, discussions, lectures, and celebrations and also offers classes in a variety of arts and crafts that are scheduled during both day and evening hours throughout the year.

The Reynolds Homestead features the fully-restored Rock Spring Plantation House, which is the birthplace and boyhood home of tobacco manufacturer R.J. Reynolds. Built in 1843, the two-story brick home has been restored to its nineteenth century state and includes many of the original family furnishings. The grounds include the original brick kitchen, a brick milk house, a log icehouse, and a log granary. My daughter Mary and I were given a special tour by John Reynolds, who is an alumnus of Virginia Tech and taught history there. He is also a distant descendant of the Reynolds family.

What a treat it was to have a tour of The Reynolds Homestead given by John Reynolds, a Virginia Tech history professor and a descendant of the Reynolds family.

That part of Virginia is so beautiful, with lots of rugged, steep hills. It was such fun to meet everyone, and we had a lovely time there. We even got to see Ron Hennis, who is a former teacher, coach, and principal at Waynesboro High School. Now retired from teaching, he is the pastor of Old Well Christian Church in Spencer, Virginia. It’s a small world!

L. to R.: Ron Hennis, me, and my daughter Mary. Ron Hennis is a former teacher, coach, and principal at Waynesboro High School. What fun to see him at The Reynolds Homestead!

I’m back in Radford now and continuing to work in my studio. This coming Saturday, my daughters Mary and Becky and I are going to host a potluck lunch at my lake house for the Moss in the Valley and Moss in the Country Chapters of the P. Buckley Moss Society. Moss in the Valley is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and Moss in the Country is celebrating its 20th. We are going to have such fun!

On a more somber note, I’d like to say a fond farewell to my dear friend Margaret Moser, who passed away on May 30 at the age of 89. Margaret was the owner of Moser Gallery in Fairfax, Virginia, and was in business for 35 years, representing my work for most of that time. She and her son Michael came to be like family to me, staying in touch even after the gallery closed in the fall of 2007 when Margaret retired. Margaret was a gentle-woman, and heaven has gained another angel.

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful fathers out there!

Love,
Pat

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