Hello my loyal readers! Yes I know it is April and I have not updated this site since October of 2006. Due to the unfortunate busyness of life, I wrote my Christmas letter the day after Christmas! I hope all of you had a joyous Christmas and celebrated the true meaning of the wonderful season. So let's get on with Spring!
For some of you, 2006 was not a very friendly year so I do hope that 2007 will be your year of healing. Prayers and good thoughts will be going out to all of you!
This year has been quite an adventure as far as traveling the roads of America goes... A few attractions were found in New York, Illinois, Michigan and Virginia as well as here in Indiana. The beginning of 2006 was spent visiting my old homestead New York. Just before coming back to the Meadows of Wood in Cornville, I was able to spend some time in Lake George NY looking big things! My old friend from Buffalo (not that he is old but that we have been friends for a long time...) and I saw a bear on a roof, a big rooster and a couple Paul Bunyon's. We witnessed a creepy mutant muffler man which had been turned into a clown, a huge Uncle Sam, a fairly large Santa and a gorilla coming out of a barn. It was very productive! We headed back and made it to my mothers just in time to celebrate the New Year with pickled herring...yuck!
A visit to a friends cousin brought us to Bolingbrook Illinois. Of course I had to map out some stops along the way. First stop was Gary Indiana to find the home that Michael Jackson grew up in. All I can say about Gary Indiana is that there is a very, dark, luminous cloud that hangs over this little town. Needless to say, we did not find #2300 Jackson Ave. I prayed for that town and will continue to, it needs help! We traveled a bit more and found a smiley face water tower in Calumet City. Then on to Evergreen Park where we were able to see a muffler man painted in metal flake.
The 4th of July weekend was spent with a gal I work with traveling to Michigan City. On the way yes, I mapped out some small attraction stops with a few bonus sites thrown in! First stop was Kokomo Indiana. We went to see the worlds largest sycamore stump...we wandered a park to try to find it. We ended up having to ask a passing jogger. She said “turn around” and sure enough the “stump” was behind us encased in a building! We couldn’t get in with the stump but there were windows surrounding it. It is 57 feet in circumfrence and was 800 years old as far as they could tell. Big Ben was a bonus as we saw the worlds largest “steer” residing in a shelter right next to the stump! Big Ben weighed 4,720 lbs when he passed on. Next we were on to Mentone Indiana to see a giant egg. The actual destination of our journey was Michigan to look at light houses. Instead of going on Rt. 65 which is a very boring interstate, we traveled the beaten path. We found many, many bonus sites along the way! A big yellow chair!? A pig gas tank! Yay! But the best was the giant bonus pumpkin! Located on Courters farm, we actually got to meet the man who made it. It is 34 feet around and 16 foot tall! Mr. Courter unfortunately has never heard of Roadside America...HOW can you have a giant pumpkin and never hear of RA? Beats me.
Next trip was a trek to visit my father in Virginia. I started out at 6:40 am on Saturday morning which was a feat in itself! My first stop after getting turned around on some county roads that were not marked was at Longs Furniture! As I was taking pictures of the giant chair a guy riding his bike nearby I yelled to asking him to take my picture. Turns out he was the owner and in fact, this may truly be the worlds largest chair! It is being put into the record books currently! The doorway to get into the store was on the side of the world’s largest Chest of Drawers but the owner called it Chest of Doors...The next stop was in West Virginia where I found a pink elephant located outside of an insurance company. I made it to my dads late that night after a lot of running around and getting lost! I spent some quality time with my dad and we went fishing on this trip which I had not done in years, many, many years in fact. I only caught four fish after two full days of fishing. The fish I caught were actually at the dock instead of on the boat the day before our outing and the day after!? <>< (Note: All fish were released.) An outing to Roanoke VA took my father and me to the mother load in roadside attractions!!!!!! A huge neon star, my father even let me take his pic by the mufflerman of Roanoke. Totally caught by surprise, we ran across a huge iron skillet outside of a hardware store. After stopping for lunch at an italian place, in the parking lot we came across Jesus. On our way home, a giant chicken or was it a rooster? The last day out in Bedford VA,? we stopped at a 3 story antique mall where my dad came across a giant bust of Elvis. How can I go anywhere without coming across Elvis? My dad decided to buy it for me after his wife realized that I wanted it and that my dad didn't want it. Not sure it would go with their decor! What a score I tell ya! Elvis ended up riding with me in the trunk. Now this is what America is all about and why I drove and didn’t fly to Virginia.
According to the official Roadside America website, there is a giant leg located in Lake Village Indiana. Now the actual address of this leg was at the Sun Aura Nudist Resort! Eeek! The camp was started in 1933 and when we arrived it looked as though it had never been renovated since 1933. We saw a sign that said “Members Only” but I was not about to turn back after driving 80 miles to see the “great leg”. Did I mention it was a sun dial? We drive in and start looking around for the leg, how could a gigantic leg not be seen from the entrance I thought? I saw a circular area with cement poles and exclaimed “Oh No! The leg is gone!” Well, I see a guy in a truck and I am hoping he has clothes on and yes he does! He looks like a maintenance guy. I ask him where the giant leg is and if we could see it. He says it is around the building we were parked in front of. So we muster the nerve to go around and there she is! A real beauty! We got a visit from “Steve and Linda” (made up names) who were riding around on a golf cart (yes fully clothed) and they asked us how we had heard of the leg etc. They were pretty nice and Steve sported such a nice mullet...
What I do on memorial weekends...Last year it was the world’s largest ball of paint, this year: A faded pink elephant who guards the front of a liquor store. He has red blood shot eyes and is drinking a martini. Not sure what the glasses are for...beer goggles? Finally found Tin Alley and it was just closing...so we couldn’t eat but got a pic with the ice cream attendant. Found a cool indian and then a bonus purple hippo.
Another weekend was spent heading back to Illinois. Unfortunately it was not for a happy occasion. The reason for being in Illinois is that my friends cousin unexpectedly passed away a month earlier and we were asked to drive her car back to C’ville. I was trying to get over a bout of bronchitis so I wasn’t sure but I felt ok that morning so we went for it. Although it was a sad time, we wanted to make the best of it and not stay in a sad frame of mind and we knew Becky would have loved to have gone with us so we brought her with us in spirit. On the way we found a hand holding the earth on top of a mattress factory. Then we found a muffler man dressed up as a space man. He was located in the parking lot of the Launching Pad restaurant in Wilmington IL. From there we went to Bolingbrook and started to pack up the car and a truck and headed back.
One more trip was needed to NY to spend Thanksgiving with my family and friends. I drove of course! This time however, I did not stop until I hit Buffalo where I stayed with a friend for a few days. I had some of the best meals in my life on this trip to NY! Indian, Vietnamese and Thai food to die for! Of course there were many other RA adventures to be had. One trip was a short drive to Oneida with my mom to see one of the world's smallest churches. I would have to call it a chapel really...supposedly it fits 3 people. This trip to NY also included a giant whale which sits on a restaurant roof, a home made dinosaur that resides at someone's home, a giant ice cream cone and the ultimate...a giant kazoo. Actually the kazoo was at the kazoo factory which is the only USA kazoo factory that manufactures metal kazoos. Interesting tidbit of information is that all other kazoos come from china which are plastic...
So that is the full account of the RA adventures for 2006. But that does not mean the fun stopped there! After eating soggy french fries in the rain and watching a country band completely soaked, I left the legendary “strawberry festival” (I guess there is more than corn in Indiana) to head to the local armory to see the art coalition. When I first got there I saw a guy with his face painted rather elaborately. I had to do the same. My friend took my picture and it ended up in the paper...
exerpt from the paper: “A new kind of facial...Internationally known face painter Nancye Eidson from Kentucky interpretated a painting by local artist Jody Frankton onto the face of another local artist, Nina Smith at the First Performing Artists Coalition Saturday at the National Guard Armory. Although the weather was inherently cold and wet, the spirits of the artists were bright.”
Remember last year when I curbed my cravings for painting on saw blades? I made another attempt at entering the local downtown art festival. Halleluiah!!! I was accepted. Have I been assimilated? Absorbed into this corn culture? But I didn’t even have to paint a covered bridge over a sea of corn! No, I kept my dignity. I didn’t win anything but I was just pleased that I got all three submissions into the show. I wound up in the paper again as well! (Sometimes it helps when you know a reporter and this is a small town...)
Speaking of knowing reporters, my reporter friend told me of the woman who runs the gallery in the local library her in C'ville which was just built. I don't know how much pull she had but I did contact the woman and I have 108 ft. of empty space reserved for me at the end of June 2007! The show tentatively will be up for a full month. I will send out announcements closer to that time. Being a brand new building, the area I have to work with is very large and open. This means I need to get busy and paint as I do NOT have enough paintings to fill this space! What this also means is that this will make it that much easier for me to have an exhibit at a gallery in Indy. I will have enough peices to chose from and this gives me a little practice as well. Not sure if I will have an opening night at the library since it is not a typical art gallery but this is a great opportunity for me. The woman I spoke with told me she needs to be careful if my art contains any nude figures. I guess she had a collage up with a teeny nude in one of the corners. She thought no one would notice. Well, the paper wrote it up as so-n-so art shown in public library shows nudes in front of childrens section etc. Controversy in Cornville!!!!? So she is a little gun shy to say the least. I don't have any nudes going in the show so I think I am safe...But this will be interesting!
I have been pretty creative this year and have been blessed with many opportunities to produce art. I painted a tree at Calvary Chapel in their nursery. Many of you already know the symbolism that came out of that mural. They have also asked that I paint some of the walls in their new bookstore that will be opening this spring. I am thankful for the doors that have been opening for me.
While we are on the subject of opportunities in painting, where I work they have been remodeling the downstairs offices. I asked the CEO what the budget was if I got a painting to put at the end of the hall. He asked me what price was I thinking? I told him and he said ok. He then asked where was I getting the painting? I said I am making it. I ended up painting it within two weeks and the owner ended up liking it. I am commissioned to make a triptich for a side wall and maybe a larger one for one of the “big guys” office! Maybe Cornville is starting to broaden their horizons! I will be very busy.
So, as far as concerts of entertainment go, I was able to see Stomp and the Blue Man Group. Stomp was absolutely wonderful. Full of life and vitality. The setting was good as the theatre was on a smaller scale. I was in the balcony at the Murat in Indianapolis. The only bad thing was the guy in front of me kept moving his head to the right then the left then the right so I had a hard time seeing. I wanted to be right up close to hear the pounding and feel the whole atmosphere better. If you get the chance, pay the little extra for good seats! Will be so very worth it!!!! Blue Man Group was in a larger arena. The show was good but I felt it was a bit on the melancholy side. More on the techno side and had a sad type of feeling. I am glad I went but I would probably pass on going again.
On a sad note, our little gray buddy is gone...Spike the cat I adopted after college fell in “love” with my sisters cat Boogey. This led to her adopting him as I just couldn't split them up. When Lori left the state both Boogey and Spike found a home with my Gram and Uncle Tom. Spike was around for a good many years and will be missed. =&Mac246;..&Mac246;=
This year I turned 41! I can't believe it. I don't act a day over 29... I guess that 41 is not too old to become an auntie now is it? Yes you read that right, I am going to be an auntie. Now you can call me aunt Nina but don't call me Antenna...(haha that was a joke told to me by my friend Diane's dad. He told me if I ever became an aunt and if my name was Tenna I would be called Auntenna....) Well it was quite funny when he said it. I am looking forward to this next year when this little baby will be born and I have a chance to be a part of a child's life. Yes I believe in miracles.
As I come to a close of the life happenings of a New York gal hanging in Cornville US of A, I bid you a fond adieu. Much peace and happiness to you, your families and friends. Keep your sense of humors in check and practice with them daily. There is nothing a smile can not cure. I love you all! God Bless!
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