Dear Friends:
Thanksgiving at The Barn in Waynesboro, Virginia, was total chaos, but
I loved every minute of it. Five of my six children and their families
(and their dogs!) made it to the Shenandoah Valley to spend the holiday
with me. My daughter Becky, who lives in Italy with her family, didn't
make it for Thanksgiving, but is due to arrive this week instead. As
it was, there were eight of my ten grandchildren and four dogs. All
the adults pitched in with the cooking and the cleaning up, so it wasn't
too hard on any one person.
The family gathered for Thanksgiving dinner at the Barn.
Family Love: Pat surrounded with her grandchildren.
Family Fun: Pat and her children affecting the pose that makes you
slimmer.
The day after Thanksgiving, I flew to Iowa for a delightful
show with The Village Shoppe in Kalona. The show was scheduled to start
at 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon; and, my flight to Cedar Rapids, which
should have arrived at 1:00 p.m., didn't get in until almost 3:00 p.m.!
Needless to say, I was a little late for the show, but everyone was
very wonderful and forgiving.
Doris Greiner, owner of The Village Shoppe, and her true
and faithful friends put together an excellent show, moving what must
have been the gallery's entire inventory to their church's fellowship
hall. It was a great idea! There was plenty of room and plenty of good
help.
After Saturday's show, the Moss Country Friends Chapter
of the P. Buckley Moss Society
held their annual Christmas dinner, and I was so happy to be able to
go to it. It was held in a "barn" owned by Dennis and Irma
Altenhofen that was built exclusively for family (and friends) get-togethers.
It was beautifully decorated, and the food was out of this world. The
barn even had some Moss prints hanging in it!
Pat took this picture from a high vantage point in Dennis and Irma
Altenhofen's barn at the annual dinner of the Moss Country Friends Chapter
of the P. Buckley Moss Society.
From the left: Irma and Dennis Altenhofen with Pat and Doris Greiner,
owner of The Village Shoppe, Kalona, IA
Pat met Dizzy the Clown, aka Desirae Payne, the real life subject
of the print she is holding, Clowning
Around.
Pat with members of the Moss Country Friends Chapter of the P. Buckley
Moss Society.
I enjoyed the tour of the barn and learning how it was
built and why. Its beams were beautiful and its structure, perfect;
opposite of my own Barn, which is totally old and rustic in construction!
This Wednesday I'll be picking up my "Italian" daughter Becky
from the airport. Daughters Patty and Ginny will be with me, too, so
we'll have lots of fun. Thursday I'll be appearing at Medlin Art's show
in Leesburg, Virginia. [For information, call (703) 771-8696. ] Friday
I'll be with the Fine Art & Framing Gallery in Chester, Virginia,
[For information, call (804) 748-6111] during the day and at the Sheraton
Park South Hotel in Richmond that evening for the P.
Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education's fundraising dinner
[For information, call (804) 271-1945]. Saturday I'll be appearing at
Lodan Fine Art & Framing in Midlothian, Virginia [For information,
call (804) 794-1317]. After that, it's off to Waynesboro, Virginia,
to prepare for my December
Open House and Barn Show).
I'm looking forward to seeing lots of you during the next couple weeks,
but I think I'll be ready for St. Petersburg soon after that! There,
I'll have the creative isolation of my studio with the sun shining every
day and walking every morning with my fellow "Streetwalkers."
(That's what my walking friends and I call ourselves.) The exercise
is so healthy for me!
Love,
Pat