Dear Friends,
Malcolm and I have been sitting in the sun porch this Sunday evening reliving the weekend. Thank you all who came to be with us at the Richmond Convention.
We are exhausted both physically and mentally. So much happened in that short space of time. It was a weekend of joyful sharing and now my voice is weak because I never stopped talking.
Pat and Malcolm led off the dancing on Saturday night.
My mind is bouncing from one memory to another, friends reunited, new friends made. As I go back over conversations, images of your faces come clear in my mind. I feel a part of the whole, no longer the lonely artist painting in the seclusion of her island studio. I wanted to say this thank you before going to bed. In the morning I will feel refreshed and tell you more about the convention.
Ruthie and her partner McGoo emceed the Saturday dinner dance.
Kassie (in white dress), aged 12, was among the many stars of the
line dancing at Saturday's dinner dance.
Monday morning:
I have decided not to describe each event of the weekend. I can give you
a better impression by showing you photos.
I do however want to thank those who bought tickets for the raffle and
those of you who bid on the framed prints. The total raised for the P.
Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education came to $7,246.00. An
excellent result that will help us as we continue to make a difference
in children's lives.
On Saturday morning, Pat was introduced to the audience by Elizabeth
Clemons. Elizabeth's account of how Pat's encouragement enabled her to
overcome dyslexia and make it to the Dean's list at Marshall University
was the subject of an article in Women's World. On graduation
from Marshall, Elizabeth will become a special ed teacher.
We held the convention in downtown Richmond. Like many cities of similar size, Richmond's center has suffered over the past thirty years. There were those who had asked us to choose a location in the suburbs. I am glad we chose to be in the heart of the city, a city about to experience a renaissance.
Within a radius of four blocks of the convention hotel lies much of Richmond's history. Our Sunday morning convention walk was led by Nancy Hughes, whose office is next door to the home of Robert E. Lee. Nancy took us past Lee's home to the Capitol, the Governor's Mansion and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where Lee worshipped.
On our Sunday morning walk, we passed the statue of Bojangles.
Nancy also filled us in on more recent times, pointing out the statue of Bill Bojangles Robinson, the tap dancer of Shirley Temple movie fame. She told us of the successes of Richmond's African Americans, who, in addition to Bojangles and his breakthrough in the film world, include the late Arthur Ashe, the first African American to win a Wimbledon title and Governor Douglas Wilder, the first to be elected governor of a state.
Marie Lucas won the remarqued etching raffled to benefit the Children's
Foundation for Education.
On Broad Street we passed vacant buildings that had housed Miller and
Rhoads and Thalhimers, elegant stores, once Meccas for the FFV's, the
First Families of Virginia. It reminded me of the days when a friend,
Hazel Dunlap, would persuade me to accompany her to Miller and Rhoads.
She insisted that I wear gloves and a hat. Not something I was normally
accustomed to.
The renaissance plans will bring the wrecker's ball to Thalhimers and
in its place will rise a performing arts center. The Miller and Rhoads
building will be converted into a hotel and specialty shops. The downtown
will become a place that all Richmonders can take pride in. As I said
before, I am glad we chose to be downtown.
An hour before the convention opened, Pat gave the girls and boys
of The United Methodist Family Services Charterhouse School a private
tour of the exhibit. Floyd Boothe, a long time member of the Society,
accompanied the visitors.
Robert Rowland, Pat's Mathews neighbor, danced the night away with
wife Janice and the girls of the Moss Portfolio. Robert and Janice's fifty
years of marriage left them clear winner of the "Longest Marriage"
elimination dance.
Next Convention:
On the weekend of October 3-5, we will be celebrating with another convention.
This will be our third appearance at the Dayton, Ohio, Convention Center.
Once again we will be downtown.
I am working up an idea for a convention print that will be generic to the State of Ohio. If you have suggestions as to what might be included, please give Tricia, my personal assistant, a call at 1-800-430-1320.
Even the bartenders joined the spirit of the party.
You will be hearing more about the Dayton convention in the coming weeks but meanwhile please note the date on your calendars.
This Week:
After spending the first part of this week split between my studio, the
garden and a talk to fellow members of our Mathews Art Group, Malcolm
and I will be heading to Myrtle Beach, SC, to join the families of daughters
Mary and Ginny. They will have been there for a week and their tanned
bodies will contrast with the lilly-white of ours. In Panama, we never
uncover because the sun is almost directly overhead. There, it is only
the tourists who stretch out their bodies to grill beneath it's rays.
Ants:
Most mornings when in Mathews, Malcolm visits with Gilbert Hall, a waterman
ten years his senior, who is still hanging (making) gill nets and who
has taught him to scull a traditional skiff with a single paddle.
Gilbert makes a good cup of tea and has many words of wisdom and tales of local lore. Last week Gilbert told Malcolm if you have a problem with miniature ants invading your kitchen, you need to peel back a cucumber and rub the juice in their path and they will soon be gone.
I don't have any ants at the moment to try it on. If you do, please let me know if this works on your ants. It may only be applicable to Mathews ants.
If it works on all small ants, the cucumber treatment will be a Godsend in my kitchen in Panama when Malcolm fails to clean up properly after taking a snack and the little creatures appear within ten minutes. I do not like using poison when there is an alternative.
Love,
Pat
Maryann Warren of Graphics, Etc., won first place in the framing competition.
Carl Byrd of Framecraft won the popular choice award.
These are the galleries and frame shops that donated to the raffle and auction:
Canada Goose Gallery, Waynesville, Ohio
Countryside Gallery and Frame Shoppe, Danville, Virginia
The Frame Up, Occoquan, Virginia
Framecraft, Warrenton, Virginia
Framing Art, Inc., Chester, Virginia
Graphics, Etc., Roanoke, Virginia
Lodan Fine Art & Framing, Midlothian, Virginia
Picture Perfect, Lynchburg, Virginia
The P. Buckley Moss Museum, Waynesboro, Virginia
Al Sandstrom, long time friend and collector known to many of you, donated
a framed print of the Mason Jar.
The Moss
Portfolio
HC 69 Box 17118 Poplar Grove Lane
Mathews, VA 23109
(800) 430-1320
©P. Buckley Moss 2003
Contact
us
for more information
about Pat and her art.
For
questions or
comments about this
site, click here.