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Dear Friends:
My daughter Patty and I got to stay in Mary Guynn’s darling cabin again while we were in Galax, Virginia, for my show with The Framer’s Daughter. We felt so at home, and I even found my necklace that has been missing for a year. There it was, hanging over the back of a chair, right where I’d left it the last time I was there!
Darrell and Kay Weddle, owners of The Framer’s Daughter, hosted a kick-off event this past weekend for the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th Anniversary, which is next year. Mary Guynn is on the Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary Committee, and she suggested that the Committee ask me to provide a special painting, print edition, and poster to commemorate this milestone birthday, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Parkway. What an honor for me! The grand finale event will be held at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax on September 10, 2010, and I’ve been invited to attend that, too.
Pictured on either side of me are Darrell and Kay Weddle, owners of The Framer’s Daughter.
Look at that crowd! It was a joy to see so many people come out in support of the Parkway. People in the area really do love it and want to see it preserved.
L. to R.: Dan Brown, past Superintendant of the Blue Ridge Parkway and President of the 75th Anniversary Committee; Mary Guynn, owner of “Mary’s Cabin” and member of the 75th Anniversary Committee; Phil Francis, current Superintendant of the Parkway; and me.
This wonderful couple love not only the Parkway but also Thomas Jefferson! Look at the beautiful framing job on their Thomas Jefferson print!
The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Valley have played an important role in the lives of my family and me. We frequently visited the Parkway and its historic, scenic sites, whether during family outings or school field trips—I remember driving van loads of kids! These are the places we remember climbing rocks and swimming in the pools and streams and the places where my children now take my grandchildren to visit. The collectors who came to the show this past weekend felt the same way and had the same wonderful memories of the Parkway and respect for it. I’m so happy to know that the sites I included in the painting are among their favorites.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of The Good Road—Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary print and poster will benefit the Parkway. Included in the image, top to bottom and left to right, are: Peaks of Otter, the Farmstead at Humpback Rocks, Explore Park, Mabry Mill, the Blue Ridge Music Center, the Cone Manor House, the Linn Cove Viaduct, Linville Falls, and Looking Glass Rock. Also included are a stone bridge and the rhododendrons that one sees so prevalently along the Parkway.
Standing with me are Sandy & Mark Link of Myrtle Beach, SC. Mark and Sandy grew up near the Parkway, and its beauty and attractions are precious to them. They drove all the way from Myrtle Beach for the show and to buy the print.
Construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which follows the crest of the southern Appalachian Mountains through Virginia and North Carolina, began in 1935. The Parkway wasn’t officially dedicated until September 11, 1987, fifty-two years after the groundbreaking; although, various sections had been in use for decades. Initial construction was started by Civilian Conservation Corps workers as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal efforts to provide jobs during the Great Depression.
Standing to the right are Barbara and Donald Miles of Sparta, NC. Barbara is the great-niece of Congressman Robert Lee “Bob” Doughton of North Carolina, who was instrumental in the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
This weekend I’m going to be with my friends at The Frame Haven in Springfield, Ohio, and we’ll release my newest print of the area. “The Inn at the End of the Road” features the historic Pennsylvania House, which is now owned and operated as a museum by the Lagonda Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In its early days, the Pennsylvania House was an important stopover along the National Road for livestock drovers and pioneers during the country’s westward expansion in the nineteenth century. I’ve symbolized this link with the National Road with the inclusion of a stagecoach in the painting.
The Inn at the End of the Road will be released during my show with The Frame Haven in Springfield, Ohio, September 18-19. For more information, please contact the gallery at 937-323-9088.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing all my Springfield friends again!
’Til next week…
Love,
Pat
The Moss
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©P. Buckley Moss 2009