Dear Friends:
What fun I had with my friends at Berlin Creek Gallery in Berlin, Ohio,
this past weekend! The fun started almost as soon as gallery owner
Nancy Tarzan picked me up from the airport Thursday afternoon.
We had to stop to let a wagon train reenactment pass at an intersection,
which made Nancy a little nervous because she had big plans for me later
in the evening and was worried about being held up too long. It
was really interesting, though.
My very first encounter with a wagon train!
Nancy’s big plans for the evening were delightful.
She arranged for her collectors and us to have a traditional Amish Wedding
Feast at Noah and Mary Yoder’s Amish home. They surprised
me by asking me to wear an Amish wedding dress for the occasion—how
could I say no?
The traditional Amish Wedding Feast at the home of Noah and Mary
Yoder was a real treat for everyone. The whole Yoder family pitched
in to prepare the meal and serve it. They even sang several hymns
for us!
Of course, the children stole the show! Noah and Mary’s
daughters sang a cute song about a rainbow. They were beautiful
and asked to have their picture taken with “the bride.”
I think it was their mother’s dress.
Nancy is known far and wide for her framing, and she
has a great, cheerful staff that is so much fun to be with. I
didn’t hear a cross word the whole time I was there.
The Rockettes don’t have anything on these girls! The
staff at Berlin Creek Gallery, L. to R.: Alysha Evans, Tracy Shutt,
Margaret Fragasse, Nancy Tarzan, me, Jenn Benevich, Rochelle Yoder,
and Sandy Fragasse. (Not pictured is Sarah Lengyel.) They
are so much fun and have so much energy and enthusiasm. Look at
the spectacular framed pieces hanging above us.
I was very happy to stay with my friends Lee Ann and
Daryl Miller again. The last time I visited, their bed and breakfast
was called the Miller Haus B&B; but, they’ve changed the name
to Grandma’s Homestead Bed and Breakfast. Lee Ann and Daryl,
together with Lee Ann’s mother Ann DeHass, also own Grandma’s
Alpine Homestead, which is a wonderful place to eat. I was introduced
to it during my last visit, and I just had to go back this time.
They have a beautiful buffet and two excellent chefs, with all the things
you should and should not eat! The restaurant boasts the world’s
largest cuckoo clock, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World’s
Records, and the most fascinating animated dioramas (three-dimensional
murals) of the Swiss Alps throughout the dining and banquet rooms.
The murals were created by local artist Tom Miller.
All the rooms at Grandma’s Homestead B&B, formerly the
Miller Haus B&B, have doors that open onto a porch. It was
so lovely to sit on the porch with my coffee and look at the countryside
with the pond and the little cabin below.
Next weekend I’ll be in Waynesboro, Virginia, for
the P. Buckley Moss Society’s
annual Chapter Training Weekend. Chapter training is an informal
and informative opportunity for Society chapters across the country
to meet and exchange ideas, hear speakers and presenters, and have fun.
Society chapter members are special people, who truly care about others.
They have helped raise over $1 million to help those in need, benefitting
children’s health, education, and welfare; the American Cancer
Society; and many others. They have also helped raise money for
the work of the P. Buckley
Moss Foundation for Children’s Education and the scholarships
sponsored by the Society and the Foundation. Chapter members also
volunteer to help galleries with their shows and my staff with Collectors’
Conventions, and their support is invaluable.
’Til next week…
Love,
Pat
Staunton, VA, artist Peg Sheridan is teaching a week-long “Summer
Arts Camp” sponsored by the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s
Education. Mrs. Sheridan is teaching art skills to 11 children,
ages 8-11, for the week of July 28-August 1. The children are
doing a variety of art projects, including clay molding, tempera painting,
drawing, watercolors, linoleum block printing, and collage, among others.
“I am so excited about what the children have done so far,”
Mrs. Sheridan said on Tuesday. “They are turning out amazing
art work and having a blast doing it.”