Back to work Tuesday

The Vineyard of Florence....Texas, that is....

Other than it rained, somehow, it didn't seem like Memorial Day Weekend...Usually, it is later...My birthday, and my husband's birthday are four days apart, and mostly fall on that weekend...so, everything seemed a bit "off". Still, it was heartwrenching, watching the news, and seeing so many of those mourning the loss of their loved ones.

We did take a lovely drive yesterday....Texas is so huge, and although we've been to most of the big cities, we are still exploring the vast country around us...alot of it is Hill Country. This time, we ventured to The Vineyard in Florence....Texas, that is....There will be an Art Show on the 13th of June, and I have been creating as many paintings, floorcloths, and painted glass, as I can squeeze in.

Unfortunately, it was closed for the holiday, but we took a few side roads, and loved the scenery, the wildflowers, the longhorns........ In fact, I got up at 6:15, threw on my clothes, grabbed my camera, Wellies, and a bottle of water, and raced the sunrise, but alas...the sun did come up, but the day was too dark and gray. After all, with photography, it's all about the light..hence the Greek definition "light writing"....I got a few shots in, but will try again....

I've lived in Boston, been to New York (Manhatten) many times, and have been to Europe, but Texas has grabbed my heart somehow. It's only been three years, and it may wear off in time, but I do love it right now.

Memorial Day Weekend

What does this have to do with Memorial Day Weekend? Well, not alot, but it will be explained below. I am still trying to figureout formatting, but these photos are some of the hand-colored black-and-white photography, that I learned to do while being a Civil War reinactor/photographer....read on.

In another life, a very long time ago, I was a Civil War Photographer....No, it wasn't 1863, but I was employed by the State of Virginia, to photograph various Civil War battlefields, and reinactments through out the Country. At the time, Disney wanted to build a themepark right next to the hollowed ground of Manassas, VA...also, know at Bull Run. I dressed in the grieving attire of a Civil War widow, "Widow's Weed's", and followed the various (there are 40,000 reinactors in the Country) reinactments, along with my dear husband, who set up our period Officer's tent, which weighed a ton, which I turned into a parlor, where the soldiers, families, etc., could visit, to see if they were in the photos. This was not a celebration of war, but rather, a living history, often showing how terrible that war was.

When I moved to Wisconsin from North Carolina, I opened a small gallery in an 1860's schoolhouse..."Widow Weeds" was not just the photography of war, but also, featured hand-tinted black& White photography, portriats of children, hand-painted glass, herbal vinegars, and much more. Those days are gone, but I still have some of the images, the hoop skirts, veils, etc...and memories of hot, Summer days, loping across a battlefield, (being the only woman allowed on), getting poisen ivy, and having a wonderful time....

Now, I live in Texas, and have continued my interior design career, but the "Etc" in my business name Jessica B. Schatz, Interiors, Etc. covers my latest efforts - I have copy righted these images, and am selling them, either as prints, or as greeting cards, and will be opening on Etsy very soon....under the name Jess Etc. - looking forward to it.

So, back to Memorial Day Weekend...let's all take a few minutes from our bbq's, boating, picnics, and remember and reflect as to what this holiday represents...the men and women, who have fought and fallen and continue to do so, so that we may be free.....

Peace out

The Thing About a Daily Blog....

is, well, you're supposed to do it daily...missed a day - had a wonderful time with some guests...Texas style. Ribs, garlic smashed potatoes, grilled green beans (again, I can't get enough of them), and key-lime pie for dessert...gin and tonics, red wine...yum!

The man who built our home, and his wife joined us for dinner, and we had a wonderful time.

Randy builds a wonderful, Texas-style home. For those of you who don't know what that means, it's "Rattlesnake Limestone"...(they are actually fossils in the stone, but look like rattlesnake rattles), deep porches, stained concrete floors (keeps one very cool and easy to maintain), lots of great touches, such as the Texas-shaped piece of stone in the fireplace, with a fossil, marking where we live (Austin area).

I painted the painting "Ghost Swimmers" years ago, but it seems to be right at home....a shot of color...and yes, there is an outlet for a flat-screen tv, but I prefer not to have a tv above the fireplace...for me, it's two, conflicting focal points. To each his own.

This fall, God willing, we are going to put up turquoise-weathered shutters..I am determined that this economy will stop plummeting soon.

I painted the "Gathering Desert Storm" watercolor, which hangs in our dining room...It was my very first watercolor, and now, I am trying oils, which seem much more challenging....

So, it's Saturday, a day to enjoy, rest, maybe a few chores and errands....

Off to workout....