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Dear Friends:
Everyone who came to my Barn Show and Museum Open House this past weekend loved the huge Christmas tree at the Barn. Everyone was in a festive mood, and we all had a lot of fun. A huge thank you to all who came to see me and to the volunteers who staffed the Barn and wore my red cat T-shirts.
I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends who volunteer to keep things running smoothly during my Barn Shows.I was sorry to learn that this was the last Barn Show for David and Terry Mawyer for a while. David and Terry have been organizing the parking and the volunteers at the Barn for several years now, and they have done an excellent job. They are taking a leave of absence to care for elderly parents, and I will miss them very much. They've promised to come back whenever they can, though.
David and Terry Mawyer have been my right arm and right hand at the Barn for several years, keeping everything running smoothly.My Barn Show weekend started with a delightful visit by Valerie Sobanko's class from North Fork Middle School in Shenandoah County, Virginia. They met me at the Museum Thursday morning for a tour and a talk. Valerie's students are learning different like me, so I told them about my experience growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia and how learning different children are often blessed with other talents like being naturally artistic, musical, mechanical, or athletic. We talked about how important it is to help children find and develop their natural gifts.
After our visit at the Museum, I climbed aboard the kids' school bus and we rode over to the Barn. I put on my Andrew Lloyd Weber tape, and the kids were dancing and having a fantastic time. Then, I told them to sit down and listen quietly to the next song, because I didn't think they would have heard it before and may never hear it again. It was Andrew Lloyd Weber's second wife Sarah Brightman singing The Kyrie. I've never seen such lively children be so still and enraptured. Some of their parents were even in tears, it was so beautiful.
I had a wonderful visit with Valerie Sobanko of North Fork Middle School and her students and their parents. They loved my tree, too!
I was so happy to see some of the people who came on the trip to Italy with me in October. We had a mini reunion.Sunday morning before the Barn Show started, we had our annual Christmas breakfast with the Moss on the James, Moss at Monticello, and Moss in the Forrest Chapters of the P. Buckley Moss Society. Bob Almond, Executive Director of the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education, was there and said grace while we all held hands.
Good food and good friends. What a great way to start the day!Monday morning my daughter Patty and I were up bright and early to set off for Kingsport, Tennessee, and my show Tuesday, December 4, with Up Against the Wall Gallery. Along the way, we stopped by several galleries in the Valley to sign their special signature requests. After stopping by Apple Barn Gallery in Buchanan, Virginia, Patty and I went to one of my favorite restaurants for breakfast, the North Star. They have the most sinfully delicious country breakfast!
North Star Restaurant owner Debbie Painter and I posing with Santa.Then it was off to Graphics, Etc., in Roanoke and Countryside Gallery in Salem. While we were in Salem, we also visited my dear friend Ida Clemons, who is a charter member of the P. Buckley Moss Society and a founding member of the Moss in the Valley Chapter.
I enjoyed reminiscing with Ida Monday. She has been a great supporter of learning different children.Our final stop before Kingsport was Collector's Showcase in Dublin, Virginia.
Here I am signing away at Collector's Showcase in Dublin. L. to R.: Edy Stephens, Mildred Wall, me, and Jeanette Stephens.Patty and I had the most fun with Up Against the Wall's owners Mike and Lisa Anne Milhorn, their staff, and collectors.
L. to R.: Mike & Lisa Anne Milhorn, owners of Up Against the Wall; staff member Melissa Campbell; me; volunteer Liza Harmon; staff member Chris Herring; and volunteer James Bond.
Just a few of the staff of Kingsport's Cardiac Cath Lab who came to see me at Up Against the Wall. They came after work, and more of their coworkers came later when their shift was over.I'll be at The Art Loft in Collinsville, Illinois, this Friday and Saturday with my old friends Paul and Carolyn Welch. I'm looking forward to being with them again and releasing my new print Apples to the Levee-Eads Bridge. The Eads Bridge in St. Louis, Missouri, is a National Historic Landmark and was built in 1874. At that time it was the largest bridge ever constructed, and it was the first bridge in the world to be constructed of alloy steel, which marked the end of the iron age. The bridge was designed so that on its upper deck people could walk across while horses and carriages drove across, and railroad trains could travel on its lower deck.
Apples to the Levee-Eads Bridge will be released at my show with The Art Loft in Collinsville, IL, December 7-8. For more information, please contact the gallery at 618-344-1212.'Til next week...
Love,
Pat
The Moss
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74 Poplar Grove Lane
Mathews, VA 23109
(800) 430-1320
©P. Buckley Moss 2005