Apron Chronicles Exhibit

On Tuesday, my neighbor Janet and I went to see, the APRON CHRONICLES: A Patchwork of American Recollections exhibit at the Mrytle Beach Museum of art. It is a traveling exhibit comprised of four rooms of photographs, text in story form, and 200 vintage aprons. The exhibit was prompted by project writer and apron curator EllynAnne Geisel, (shown below). The stories on the wall each recall a woman who'd worn an apron and what she represented to a family. Ms Giesel led a lively discussion of what it is like to try to develop, write, and get a book published. Many of the people who came to the well attended docent led tour wore aprons of their own.

Inspired by the tour, Janet and I stopped on the way home to to purchase some fabric for making some aprons of our own.

Moochers

This morning, we headed off to purchase some fresh shrimp at the Georgetownl seafood-dock. When we came out, we were promptly accosted by the local moochers begging for a handout.



First we were met by Handsome ( above) ... and when he didn't get a handout, he called in

Beauty ( below)



And when she failed,
she called in Cutie ( below)



who never fails to get them a handout.

Neighborly get together

The winter months brings on the return of a huge flock of our snow-bird neighbors. From January through April, our street is one long succession of neighborly get-togethers, as we all get reacquainted and catch up on each others lives.

The most recent was a supper party hosted by our friends David and Janet Erwin, where we were joined by Harry and Nancy Susla.

The Book of Eli: Movie Review --- Don't bother.

What's better than an action flick on a cold rainy day?

In the case of "The Book of Eli", staying home!
The acting was good, and the gray-toned cinematography interesting... but not interesting enough to overcome the rehashed "Mad Max with a bible" plot.

In my opinion this movie is a dud! Don't waste your time or money.

Currently 21°F

The bad news is that cold is still gripping the entire eastern seaboard all the way to Miami.... just look at all the ice buildup along our Pawley's Island roads... and it hasn't even snowed . It is 21°F outside right now at 9 am.



The good news is that it is supposed to start warming up into the 50°F somethings next week. Can't wait. It's effecting my temperament ....it's far less cheerful. Even my two most recent paintings have a cooler color range.

Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral By: Garden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays.

Knowing that I am interested in Southern culture, a friend from my book club recommended I read this book .

"Being Dead Is No Excuse" is a funny, true, and chock full of recipes for must-be-served dishes at after funeral receptions.

Tomato aspic with homemade mayonnaise tops the list that includes Aunt Hebe's Coconut Cake and Virginia's Butterbeans. Those who doubt the import of a table groaning under countless casseroles will learn that "Nobody eats better than the bereaved Southerner. We celebrate weddings, christenings, birthdays, and just about every milestone in life with food. But every southerner knows that death cooking is our very best."

This book was fun to read in that it did a realistic comparison between the habits of bringing food to funerals in the south. Many of us who are living in the south have actually eaten many of the foods described in the book. It is really part cookbook and part fun read.

While much of the book is taken up with the recipes, it also goes into the finer points of southern etiquette. For example, it goes into the fine art of writing a thank you ….” A note from a Southern girl never has a fill in the blank feel. There is nothing generic about it. A Southern Girl has to stop herself from hushing more than Old Faithful. If she is writing a Thank you not for a toaster, she doesn’t just say thank you. She tells you every little ole thing she’s ever toasted in it or likely to toast in it. …” So many of these anecdotes ring true with my personal experience with Southern bred women that after reading it myself, I passed it on to another friend who is from the South, and who enjoys both reading about the southern culture and cooking.

Fell free to enjoy it for a light read and a few laughs but know that the calorie laden recipes it contains are “liketa die for”.

My Father’s Secret War: Book Review

My Father’s Secret War, by Lucinda Franks was our selection of the month by our Book Club.

The book is a memoir of the author, Lucinda Frank’s search to learn of her fathers past. Like all memoirs she makes not claims that the story she is telling is truth… only that it is how she remembers and perceived the events and conversations.

And what she remembers is growing up in a highly dysfunctional family…. What makes this book so very compelling is the honesty and poetic telling of naked truths in a truly real family drama. Everything is here: searing hatred and long-awaited forgiveness ,love's disappointments, parents failings, alcoholism, psychological torture, adultery, rebellion, revelation and resolution.

Her bi polar mother is one minute the perfect mom… the next, a jealous harpy trying to spitefully smother her husband and children with rage.

She remembers adoring her father early in life when she saw him as intelligent, courtly; and she remembers learning to hate him as he distanced himself both physically and emotionally. She blames his unavailability on his alcoholism, his adultery, his shrewish wife. Then, when he was old, ill, showing signs of dementia , she stumbles across a Nazi hat amongst his WWII memorabilia. She begins digging for answers, and ultimately concludes that her father was a secret operative for the military.

How does war, and the especially savage nature of concentration camps and assassinations, affect the life of a young man? How does keeping all of that pain bottled inside for decades alter every relationship he will ever have? How did it destroy the love he had for her mother, who waited for him while he was fighting?

Throughout, Franks does not pull her punches. The memoir is packed with honesty, from the deep-rooted spite and contempt to the ultimate understanding and love, and a return of the hero she had long lost. After hunting for the man who was her father, she sees him "through eyes that have no memory" and exposes a great and difficult story with an ending that is not so much happy as it is bittersweet.

This as a engrossing but emotionally difficult book to read. Like so many, I have a difficult time getting my parent’s generation to open up and tell us of their experiences during that time. It is difficult to love and respect someone you cannot really know. Ultimately, the story Ms Franks spells out, should instill an even higher respect for those of “The Greatest Generation”.

What is did not instill a respect for was the Author. Without exception, the members of our book club felt she was heartless and cold to the point of being cruel towards her father.

Georgetown County Watercolorist brave the cold

It was 23 degrees in Georgetown this morning, with snow predicted for this weekend, but that didn't stop of members of the Georgetown County Watercolor Association from showing up in force for the first meeting of the year.



The first item on the agenda was a boring but important business meeting to elect our new board.



This was followed by a highly informative watercolor demonstration by artist Nancy Bourne.

Sea Coast Artist Guild - January Meeting

Roads are empty. Stores and restaurants are closed for the season, Golf courses have no one on them. It's been so cold that no one wants to leave the comfort of their warm houses to do any anything. Even Kat doesn't want to go outside. But cold weather doesn't stop the Sea Coast Artists from getting together . The Guild's first meeting of the year, brought out artists from all over the low country. The January 3rd meeting was a standing room only event. Now that's commitment!

And the cold continues... Brrrrrrr

It's been in the 20s at night for nearly a week. Everywhere you look , the shallow retaining ponds and creeks are frozen over, and many of the fountains in the area are solid ice. ( See photos above and below). It seems strange to see palm trees with real icicles on them.