Esteban Vicente at the Meadows Museum

A new exhibition is currently at the Meadows Museum through July 31, 2011, featuring one of Picasso's contemporaries. Abstract expressionist Esteban Vicente's work developed through the years, as you can see from this small selection of work from the Museo Esteban Vicente located in Segovia, Spain.

--Landscape with a red umbrella, Esteban Vicente, 1931, oil on canvas,

13 x 16 1/8 in., Museo Esteban Vicente, Segovia, Spain

--Untitled (Princeton Interior), Esteban Vicente, 1966, charcoal drawing on
paper, 14 x 17 in., Museo Esteban Vicente, Segovia, Spain

--Untitled, Esteban Vicente, 1988, colored paper, charcoal, and gouache on
canvas, 42 x 20 1/8 in., Museo Esteban Vicente, Segovia, Spain

Check out Esteban Vicente.

Fun Foto Friday: Armadillos

--Click to enlarge.

These cute critters are feeding in my friends' backyard, along with the possums, raccoons, and, of course, cats.

Arkansas Adventure: Part One

--My picture of the Hemingway-Janes house in Piggott, Arkansas

(click on all pictures to enlarge)

Last week I went on a jaunt to Little Rock, Arkansas, and from there took a day to go see the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center in Piggott, Arkansas. Piggott is located in northeastern Arkansas, close to the Missouri border. If you look at a map, Piggott seems to be halfway between Little Rock and St. Louis. This was my second Hemingway site to visit, the first being a trip to Idaho in 2008.

The drive to Little Rock, Arkansas from Dallas, Texas was quite pleasant. Texarkana is a little more than halfway and is a great place to stop. T Town is growing and there seems to be lots of construction along the highway there. Once you get into Arkansas a bit, the landscape begins to change to have more hills and more trees. Everything was green, as this area has had plenty of rain and storms this spring.

Since Piggott is approximately a 3-1/2 hour drive from Little Rock, I decided to go to Piggott the very next day before exploring Little Rock and visiting the William J. Clinton Presidential Library. I wanted to get my day of driving done since the weather was so pleasant. Seeming to follow a railroad line, the drive to Piggott was uneventful. Rice is the crop in this part of Arkansas, as there were man made rice paddies, graineries, and irrigation systems all along the way. I passed through the German towns of Waldenburg and Weiner, Jonesboro (where Arkansas State University is situated), and was close to Piggott when I got to Paragould. I love that name. Apparently, the name is a blend of Paramore and Gould (Jay Gould) of railroad fame. Not too much further down the highway was Piggott.

The museum in Piggott sits on a hill and consists of the former home of Paul and Mary Pfeiffer and a barn/studio that Hemingway used to find some solitude to do some writing. He used this barn/studio when he was visiting the parents of his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer. I loved the beautiful landscaping and tall trees that were on the property next to the barn/studio.

Here is an postcard of an older picture of the barn from the 1930s:

And here is what is looks like now:

--A different angle

The barn/studio is very rustic looking and has screens and electric lighting near the roof now. I am sure a lot of the wood has had to be replaced. Here is an interior shot of the barn where tools and other equipment are kept:

As you can see, great care and renovations have kept the barn looking quite nice these days. The grounds are very well kept by the current crew. The museum gift shop is located on one side of the barn, but the other side on the top has the studio where Hemingway worked and relaxed. Following is an interior shot of the upstairs in the studio:

--Can't you imagine Ernest at the desk or playing poker with friends or family?

The really fun and so very interesting part of the museum grounds to see for me was the Pfeiffer-Janes house. After Paul and Mary Pfeiffer died, Mary in 1950, their home was bought by a local family named the Janes. The Janes owned a department store in town and they knew the significance of keeping the house in good condition. In 1982, the house was put on the National Historic Register. Arkansas State University bought the house in 1997 and has  restored much of it to its original state (including the beautiful colors on the walls) as the Pfeiffers had it in the 1930s. Even much of the original furniture and many possessions of the Pfeiffers are now in the house. Following are more postcards and pictures of the interior of the house:

--From a postcard. You can see the beautiful wood trim, pressed tin ceilings, and polished wood floors. 

My grainy pictures of this same sitting room:

--Having just seen a Stickley exhibit at the DMA, I loved seeing the Stickley rockers and couch in this room. 

The adjacent room contained this Steinway baby grand, which I believe was a gift from Paul's brother, Gus.

--From a postcard. I also liked the lace panels that were on all the windows. Each room seemed to have a different pattern. Mary Pfeiffer had similar curtains when the Pfeiffers lived in the house.

--From a postcard. This dining room's table was elaborately set with the family's china and Depression era glass and a beautiful tablecloth when I saw it . . . 

--From a postcard. The stairwell in the middle of the house was beautiful. Upstairs, there was a nice landing all around the stairwell with the bedrooms surrounding that space.

Another interesting site next door to the Hemingway-Pfeiffer museum is the Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Museum and Study Center. Karl Pfeiffer was Pauline's brother. This house and surrounding grounds contains a house museum, botanical gardens, animal sanctuary, the Matilda Pfeiffer Mineral Collection, and the Pfeiffer Native American Artifact Collection (which Matilda procured from a local collector when he retired). Matilda Pfeiffer was a great collector of minerals from the 60s to the late 80s. I was overwhelmed at the number of cases on display in the great room of this house (built in 1933) containing minerals, geodes, Indian arrowheads, and other personal Pfeiffer memorabilia. This house was also very beautiful. It had more of a modern feel (maybe because it was bricked on the outside), but I enjoyed seeing this beautiful house, too. The house has a sunroom and large side patio and there is a lagoon in the back. The lagoon was a cement swimming pool until Matilda decided she would convert it back to a more natural state. The pool was the site of one of the scenes in A Face in the Crowd starring Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal. Many Piggott locals and children were featured in the film.

I took mainly outdoors pictures at this house. This was because the cases with minerals were lit up and the sunshine from the windows was very bright. Following are a couple of the pictures:

--Path to the Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer house. The trees and landscaping were lovely.

--Pond at the Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer house that was once a swimming pool.

I did manage to buy a few souvenirs from the well-stocked gift shop:

--Postcards, a literary journal from 1999 featuring EMH and the Hemingway-Pfeiffer museum, stationery, a bracelet, Hemingway: The Toronto Years, and some pamphlets. 

I had wonderful personal tours led by Karen at the Pfeiffer-Janes house and barn/studio and by Teresa at Matilda Pfeiffer's home. Everyone at these homes seemed to really love their jobs and had a lot of great information about the Pfeiffers, Piggott, and Hemingway. I am really grateful that I got lots of attention as a group of schoolkids had been there earlier. What I learned about the Pfeiffers (Paul and Mary) were that they were very rich people during the Depression, but helped their neighbors and fellow Piggott citizens in various ways. Many of the local women would make quilts and Mary Pfeiffer would buy many of these even though she didn't need them. When she died, a whole room-sized huge closet was filled from top to bottom with quilts that she had bought and stuffed into the space to help others. Also, Paul Pfeiffer overlooked many debts since he was a landowner/landlord. And, it has been found that the house was constantly being painted to help men earn some money. The exterior of the house was found to have 47 coats of paint done during the Depression time period. Pauline Pfeiffer's parents were very generous, religious (devout Catholic) people. They even had one of the downstairs rooms made into a chapel.

I knew nothing about Karl and Matilda Pfeiffer and found their home and museum extremely interesting. Karl liked hunting and he and Ernest would go hunting in the area. Matilda lived approximately 20 years after Karl had died, continuing with her collection and specifying in her will that the house and grounds become a museum. Piggott can be proud of these good citizens.

Ernest never visited or corresponded with his in-laws after his divorce from their daughter, maybe because they were such good people and he felt guilty. He did write a major portion of A Farewell to Arms and some short stories in Piggott. Pauline died in 1951, the next year after her mother died.

Facing a long drive back to Little Rock and after a couple of hours at these beautiful houses/museums, I was on my way. Thank goodness for audio books. I listened to the better part of an 8-disc audio book on my way to and from Piggott. No, it wasn't one of Ernest's books, but was The Rules of Engagement by Anita Brookner. I am participating in a Brookner challenge, so I chose this book and am now thoroughly hooked on Brookner.

Below are few related links I have found:
--from an Arkansas magazine (great photos at the bottom of the article)
--from an online journal
--from an online travel blog

Part Two of my Arkansas adventure will be posted in a few days . . .

Ode

I had sat in my room in the dark, feeling the cool summer breeze blow the screen in and out, in and out, along with the sounds of the neighborhood: a dog barking, a gate shutting, diesels grinding up the hill on the highway not far away. In the distance I would hear the sound of a motorcycle. The sound got louder and louder and closer and closer and I could recognize its unique cadence. Happy to know he was safe and home again.

Years later, completely and totally unexpected, in another house and in another neighborhood, I listened to a message and the very worst thing had happened. A few excruciating, harrowing days later, he died.

Fun Foto Friday: Irony

--End of Trail Motel in Broken Bow, OK

Festival Time in Texas: Lakewoodstock

Lakewoodstock:

--Darryl Lee Rush (on the right) with his band. They play Americana music . . .

--Thin White Dukes (a Bowie tribute band). It's nice to be familiar with all of the songs. The lead singer was ill with the flu, but you really couldn't tell because he seemed so energetic.

--Jefro and cut-out Rip setting up the stage for Club Wood. Rip could not be there due to family obligations. But he was there in cardboard!

--Club Wood playing! That's Johnny Tone on the far right.

--Colin Boyd flirting (not with me unfortunately, but with the littlest Wood)!

--Colin Boyd singing. Have a listen to Juliet . . . You can't tell probably, but the bass player was also in the Club Wood photo.

--The Sutcliffes. Yes, Jefro (harmonica) plays in two bands, too. 

--Cricket Taylor (lead singer for The Electro-Magnetics)

--The Electro-Magnetics fabulous Kenny Withrow (and of the New Bohemians)

--Historic Lakewood Theatre

I can't relate completely how wonderful the weather was in Dallas for May. Usually is it already in the 90's and very humid. The temperature was in the pleasant 70's/80's with little humidity. Perfect festival weather. What a great music day . . . 

Can't wait for next year!

Fun Foto Friday

--Fairy Fondant Cake created by my friend Sandra in her current cake class. Say that a few times! Isn't it great? It's all fondant . . .

She took the cake to the Dallas CASA office to share it and now this is what is left:

--as always, click to enlarge these pictures

Tipu's Tiger

I wanted to learn more about the Tipu Sultan's "toy" after reading about it in Sharpe's Tiger . . . 

--from www.ablogabouthistory.com

You can learn more about the Tipu Sultan's tiger on Wikipedia or from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

More Welded Art . . .

Almost a year ago, I posted about a creative coworker, Sandy MacKenzie, and her welded art. Following are a few more pieces from her portfolio of works. Some have a Texas flavor and all are very creative. The previous posting can be found HERE. Click to enlarge!

--Abstract

 --Shovel Bird

 --Armadillo

 --Opossum

 --Duck

 --Singing Cowboy

 --Tornado

 --Tree

--Wine Rack (this one is now painted)

Kathryn Stockett Talks about THE HELP

I had the pleasure of going to hear Kathryn Stockett speak about The Help (New York Times bestseller) recently in Dallas. She is on a 24-city tour due to her book being released in paperback. The picture below is from her appearance in Houston the night before she spoke in Dallas:

--Kathryn Stockett in Houston (from houston.culturemap.com)

What an immensely enjoyable evening my friend and fellow blogger Stephanie and I had! You can find Stephanie’s excellent report HERE. Stephanie and I go to many literary events together and I believe this event was our favorite one of the past two years. Ms. Stockett started her talk in a very soft-spoken manner, and then her voice became stronger and louder as the evening progressed. I think she was overwhelmed by the overflow crowd at the beginning of her talk at the downtown First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, which was an alternative location from the Dallas Museum of Art’s Horchow Auditorium. Too many readers wanted to see and hear Ms. Stockett expound on her first novel and I definitely believe there were more than 1,500 people in the audience.

From the talk Ms. Stockett told of how she was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, and her primary caretaker was the family maid/nanny, Demetria. Living in New York City after college and working in the publishing industry, Ms. Stockett started writing about Demetria in order to assuage some of her homesickness. These writings were the basis of the novel. Ms. Stockett began the talk by declaring, “What a week it has been so far! Osama bin Laden is dead.” She was in New York and was trapped in her neighborhood for a while after the September 2001 bombings.

After telling the audience about her good friend and director of the movie version of her book, Tate Taylor, Ms. Stockett then read part of a chapter from the point of view of the character Minny. Minny is the feisty maid that works for the strange Celia Foote. I simply love when an author reads their own work. Of course, Ms. Stockett told of how her good friend, Octavia Spencer, was the one casting requirement that she absolutely insisted on for the movie and also told of how Ms. Spencer accompanied her on her first book tour and made the readings and tour so much easier and fun.

The rest of the allotted time for the event was spent taking questions from the audience. It is always so interesting to hear what questions people will ask and, of course, many readers just want to tell Ms. Stockett how proud they are of her tackling the subject she chose and how adorable she is. From the event I gathered that I need to listen to the audio version of the book, as it is read by Ms. Spencer. Harder to convey to you is just how delightful it was listening to Ms. Stockett and why she is so “adorable.” This is one funny, feisty, proud Southern woman! She recommends authors such as Katherine Anne Porter, Eudora Welty, Kaye Gibbons, etc., as she learned much from reading and rereading them. She also encourages any aspiring writer to set aside some part of each day for some type of writing just to get the hand moving and words flowing. After so much rejection before she found an agent to take her on, she has a never-give-up attitude. If you have a chance, go see Kathryn Stockett speak, but more importantly, read The Help if you have not done so!

My previous review of The Help can be found HERE.

Flyovers

--Flyover built in the 1970s near where I grew up (picture from 1995). Ahh, the sound of diesels grinding their gears down on the highway at night. Growing up near highways, the music of my youth . . .

--Another flyover area I travel through everyday now before construction. See the  highway in the distance? The next 9 miles are now under construction. Ugh!

--Flyover I travel through everyday now during construction. I still can't believe it is finished.

--Flyover I travel through everyday now after completion. I'm not sure I can take another 5 or 6 years of construction . . . but I guess I have little choice. By the way, this flyover is called the High Five due to the five levels of roads. The highest bridges are 120 feet high (37 meters).