Ghost Story on The New River near The Blue Ridge Parkway and It is not a Crater on Mars...

New River Scene    Original Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at      Kendall Kessler Art

My Artwork

I have a lot of paintings on the beautiful New River as seen from Bisset Park and Riverview Park.   New River Scene is one of my more energetic works.  I was especially pleased with the movement in this painting and the fleeting look of the mountains through the tree limbs.

New River Reflections Near The Dedmon Center        

Original  

 21"x27"acrylic on paper Painting  $1164.00

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at    KENDALL KESSLER ART

Another beautiful section of The New River in Radford Virginia is close to the Dedmon Center at Radford University where I taught for twenty years in the Art Department.   This painting has a beautiful glow and serene atmosphere.  I love the way the reflections have been gently broken up by the ripples.

Ghost Stories about The New River

The Devil's Stairs is a site along N.C. 88, just east of the community of Warrensville. The spot got its name when the Norfolk & Western Railway (now Norfolk Southern) extended the rail line from Abingdon, Va., into Ashe County, N.C., around 1914.

A section of rock at that bend in the river was dynamited, and the resulting formation resembled a set of giant steps ascending the side of the mountain.

The stairs may have been designated as the devil's because at least one construction worker is said to have been killed in the dynamite blast.

There are a number of versions of this North Carolina devil  but here is what Dennis Lewis, who put this story on New River Notes, thought was the best!

The Devil and The Preacher

It concerns a preacher who was driving home after a church service on a rainy, cold night. As the car neared the Devil's Stairs, the minister "saw a hitchhiker in a dark black raincoat that covered his head and face."

The preacher stopped to offer the stranger a lift, primarily out of compassion due to the raw weather that evening.

"The hitchhiker did not say a word as he sat in the back seat," according to the account. The reverend "looked in the rear-view mirror several times, but never saw the hitchhiker's face. So he turned around and looked into the man's eyes, which were as red as fire and as big as a fist."

The startled minister pulled over to the side of the road to let the rider out, but when he got out and opened the back door he found no one inside the car.

Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

When my son was little I read a lot of Sesame Street books to him.  His favorite was How to be a Grouch by Oscar the Grouch.  The one I remember the best was Grover's Bad Awful Day.  We all have those at times.  It is one of those days that Murphy of Murphy's Law just stalks you.

Yesterday was one of those days for me.  One irritating thing after another.

My bread machine for some reason has a hard time making a good loaf out of whole wheat flour.  I don't mind when it doesn't come out right because it is more dense and the flavor is usually better but yesterday's loaf was  horrible.

My husband said take a picture of it and tell your readers it is not a crater on Mars.    It sure looks like one!

Aerial View of Yesterday's Loaf of Bread or  My Bad, Awful, Day