KENDALL KESSLER'S OIL PAINTING DIARY

Monday, July 28, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Artist, People Art, and Now I can't find my Shoes...

My Artwork

I do not live on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I live near it and so much of my artwork is about this gorgeous mountain region.  I prefer Blue Ridge Parkway Artist to Southwest Virginia Artist so I am going to stick with the slightly innacurate one.

I have been blogging about so many different aspects of the Blue Ridge Mountains that I thought I would take a break and focus on the other kinds of artwork that I do.  I have never understood what people mean when they talk about artist's block. 

 I just wish I had the time to paint all the things I want to paint.  I am never at a loss as to what to paint and I am never bored.  I love what I do and I am determined to get all of it out to the world!

As usual, my main gripe is I wish someone could add more hours to the day!

In addition to mountain paintings I also paint people I know and genre scenes so I will blog some about them.

I come from a family with many artists and musicians and I play the piano every day for my own fun and to keep my fingers going.

A contemporary musician I greatly admire is the internationally acclaimed violinist David Garrett.  The portrait I did of him is my only celebrity portrait.  It is based on a photograph that was taken at a concert in San Diego.  

I contacted the woman that took the photograph and she gave me permission to use it.  I contacted David Garrett's estate and received permission to paint him.

davidgarretsmallDavid Garrett     Kendall F. Kessler


See more of my work that is available to purchase at  KENDALL KESSLER ART


Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

I spend a lot of time looking for my glasses.  I have to have everything carefully put away or I can't find a thing.  

I usually don't have trouble finding my shoes but lately I have been leaving them in places that I don't usually put them so now I am looking for them as well.

My husband has had his glasses on and actually asked co-workers where they were!
We ain't what we used to be!

Friday, July 25, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Thomas Wolfe Ghost Story and Now it is War!

My Artwork

coneflowerscopyrightedConeflowers     Original 24"x30" Oil Painting       $1470

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


blueridgewildflowcopyrightBlue Ridge Wildflowers  Original Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at     KENDALL KESSLER ART


pathrockykcopyrightPath to Rock Castle Gorge in the Evening   Original 30"x40" Oil Painting    $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at     KENDALL KESSLER ART


Thomas Wolfe Ghost Story

According to the site ,Ghost Stories of Asheville, NC, there are so specific ghost stories about Thomas Wolfe's home at 52 Market Street but people have reported some strange goings on there. 
A man sitting in a rocking chair has been seen and a woman in the dining room has also been there. 

Also a face peering from the upstairs window has been seen and on occasion there are sounds of a typewriter.

Also at Riverside Cemetery where Thomas Wolfe is buried a phantom Confederacy regiment is seen marching in formation.  Could this be the one that was preparing for Civil War Asheville Battle that took place in 1865?

I got these stories from Ghost Stories of Asheville, NC.

 

 Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler


My husband has told me repeatedly not to kill the ants.  The drops with poison they are lapping up while they play cards are to be sent back to annihilate the nest.  Well, I don't think the drops are working and we both are wondering if they have built up an immunity to the poison. 

I decided yesterday to stop feeding them.  They can go set up their gaming tables somewhere else.  Today there is a significant decrease in their numbers but I am catching a few trying to get to the food in the cabinets.  

One of them had the nerve to crawl on my bread machine that is currently making bread!

That's it!  Now it is war!  I will kill every one I see.  If they can't leave my house on their own volition then they will leave feet first!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Floyd Fest and The Two Camps seem to be Merging...

men6 (1)Men  Original 7"x10" Hand colored Lithograph $150

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


creeksmartviewlbig (1)Smart View Original Oil Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART



Floyd Fest


Floyd Fest is a great celebration of life !

The event began in 2002, and spans four days each year with on-site camping and multiple stages featuring rock, bluegrass, reggae, folk, Yiddish, Cajun, and world music performers!

In addition to music, the festival features local arts and crafts, dance workshops, morning yoga lessons, story telling, poetry readings, and a Children's Universe tent.

Here is a promo for the Floyd Fest website!  Be sure to check it out for more info on the artists that will be performing!        FLOYD FEST


At FloydFest, we believe in the WHOLE SUM Festival experience- which is what makes our event more than just a music festival- it’s a total vacation package. Our beautiful Appalachian Mountain venue lends itself to breaking away between sets for a hike, bike ride, even a nearby float trip.cypfloydfest2013-39

Our Children’s Universe features performances, workshops, play equipment, and basically enough FUN STUFF to keep the kids entertained (and educated!) for four entire days.

The Healing Arts area offers ‘hands-on’ healing ranging from traditional massage to the more nuanced alternatives, as well as morning yoga classes and other natural refreshers.

The Teen Scene provides a space and outlet for our ‘rising adults’ to both get space and make healthy connections, and our Workshops and Panels are educational, informative and  engaging platforms for the exchange of information and ideas.

Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

We are still fighting the ants with little success.  I put out the glucose drops that contains poison and they just seem to party down!  They looked sluggish the other day but now they are back to perfect circles around the stuff. 

Maybe they are playing cards. 

Until today the small species stayed clear of the large ones but I guess they either called a truce or they are good friends now.  
Both types are everywhere in the kitchen and bathroom.

I'm sure a manufacturer will come up with another full proof method for getting rid of them so they can become immune to that one as well.  We are the fools that prove the pesticide works for a while and then the ants become immune to it!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Bridge Ghost and What am I going to do with the Two Gallons I ordered?



My Artwork


tugglecopyrightTuggles Gap  Original 30"x40" Oil Painting       $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART



riverview (1)River View Reflections    Original 30"x 40" Oil Painting     $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


blueridgemeadowcopyrightBlue Ridge Meadow    Original Oil Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART



Helen's Bridge


Helen's bridge is located in Beaucatcher mountain in Asheville, North Carolina.  Supposedly a woman hung herself there after losing her daughter in a fire.  Now she wanders around the mountain in a long  dress asking people if they have seen her daughter.  

 Strange things happen on the bridge.

Many people have reported car trouble on the bridge or right after  crossing it.  Others have reported seeing strange monstrous, dark things coming out of the woods.  Watch out!



Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

As I have said before, I love to laugh.  I had a hilarious father and am married to a hilarious guy.  Their humor is different but I like both styles!  I remember one day when I was a teenager my father cracked up my mother and me right before he took off for work.

She said she kept him around for laughs!

I miss him very much!

My husband keeps me laughing now and I look for opportunities to come up with some of my own humor.

The other night we were watching TV and there was a commercial about some sort of rejuvenating face mask all over the advertisers face.  Clyde said he was so glad that I didn't spend time with  goop on my face or cucumbers on my eyes.

I became alarmed and asked him what I was going to do with the two gallons of face mask I ordered?  One for me and one for him!

He wasn't amused but I thought it was a pretty good quip!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway School Ghost Story and They Look so Different!

teapotcopyrightTea Time  Original 12"x16" Oil Painting    $384

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at  KENDALL KESSLER ART


applecopyrightApple          Original Colored Pencil Drawing  NFS

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


TWO OF MY FAVORITE STILL LIFES!


Haunted School near Asheville, North Carolina

In the 1970's The Clyde Irwin High School was built just outside Asheville, North Carolina. What was left of the Old County Home Graveyard was dug up to make room for the school.  The remains from the Potter's Field were moved across the street and buried under wooden crosses.  

The spirits must not have liked the move as there are strange goings on since the transfer. Janitors that work the night shift at the school refuse to relate the strange incidents they witness!

Unmarked graves are said to still be beneath the Potters Field overlooking the School.

I found this ghost story on Local Ghost Stories of Asheville, North Carolina website! Great website!



Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

We continue to battle the big black ants and the small ones.  I guess they don't like each other because the big black ones stay on the slips of paper in one part of the the counter and the small ones are in another section.  I guess they are worried about fist fights.

Anyway, when we first put out the slips of paper with the poison they  all sat around in a perfect circle, laughing and shooting the breeze.   Now there aren't any perfect circles - just partial arcs and I have seen some ants look like they are about to fall of the paper on the ledges.  

Could it be they are drunk with all that glucose and can't find their way back to the nest?
Still, I don't see them waltzing through the shelves and getting into the food supply so I can't really complain that much, but I like writing about them!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Ghost Story and the Ants were just Sleeping in!


My Artwork


sweetpeacopyrightSweet Pea Morning  Original 18"x24" Oil Painting    $864

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at  KENDALL KESSLER ART



rockyknobcloudscopyright

Rocky Knob   Original Oil Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at  KENDALL KESSLER ART



clouddancecopyright

Cloud Dance   Original 30"x40" Oil Painting    $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at  KENDALL KESSLER ART

Three beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway Mountain Vistas


Calvary Episcopal Church Ghost

An Episcopal church in Fletcher near Ashville is said to be the site for a ghost.  The church itself does not have a ghost but there are reports of a Phantom Rider of the Confederacy. The Phantom Rider is said to be the ghost of a woman on a palomino horse.  She pauses at the road by the church and then gallops by as if she were being chased!



Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

Yesterday I was so excited to NOT see the big black ants sitting around the poison enjoying life!  I thought one of them had finally gone back to the nest and annihilated it!  No such luck.  They must have been sleeping in. 

They came back full force around noon.

We live with ants in the summer and that is all there is to it.  We are not going to spray chemicals that are also harmful to us so I guess I will keep on feeding them.  As long as they stay in all the little cafes, they aren't in our food, so I can't complain too much!


Don't forget about the next Blue Ridge Discovery Center Events at Floyd Fest  on July 25- 27th!

In cooperation with the New River Land Trust, BRDC will host a series of educational booth activities throughout the week. Friday is iffy for BRDC, which also scheduled another farmers market day

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Ghost Story and I don't need to feed the Ants today!

My Artwork


peakslodgecopyrightLodge at The Peaks of Otter    Original 16"x12" Oil Painting  $384

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


fairlawnridgecopyrightFairlawn Ridge Original Oil Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


dockpandapascopyrightDock at Pandapas  Original 30"x40" Oil Painting      $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART



Here is another great Blue Ridge Parkway Ghost Story!


The Battery Park Hotel is now apartment building.  Supposedly it is haunted by a woman that was murdered in room 224.  On July 17th, 1936 Helen Clevenger was found murdered.  She had been beaten, her faced slashed and shot.

An employee Martin Moore confessed to the crime and died in the gas chamber.  On stormy nights Helen is seen wandering the halls.

The roof was the scene for a number of suicides and people report seeing bodies falling from it.

I found this great story on The Local Asheville Ghost Stories website!

Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler


Yesterday I wrote how our kitchen is a 24/7 diner for ants this time of the years.  We have a glucose poison they are supposed to eat and take back to the nest.  This is not happening. They just sit around the poison in a circle and have fun rather than take it back to the nest and annihilate it.

We have two kinds of ants.  Some very small ones and larger, blacker ones.

Today I was so happy that the large ones were not sitting around the poison talking and laughing!  I guess one of them finally went back to the nest.  There is still plenty of poison on the slips of paper so I don't have to serve them today.

The smaller ones are still here but they still have plenty of poison to sit around.

The waitress has a day off!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Ghost Story near Asheville and Our 24/7 Ant Diner

My Artwork


pawleyscormorantcopyrightPawleys Island Cormorant Morning   Original 30"x40" Oil Painting     $2430

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


Before I married Clyde I didn't know a cormorant from an osprey!  He has taught me a lot and I am proud of this latest shore painting!


cheerscopyrightCheers    Original 9"x12" Oil Painting      $226

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


A Cheerful Still life!


I found another great ghost story on  Local Asheville Ghost Stories website!                             


Battle Mansion is located near The Grove Park Inn.  Supposedly, it is haunted by a servant girl named Alice.

They say she either fell or was pushed down the stairs.  The mansion is also haunted by the former owner, Samuel Battle.  He has been seen wearing a top hat and formal attire.

When the mansion was the location of 13WLOSTV Alice was often seen by employees.  She wears a long, old fashioned dress.  Sarah Harrison, the writer of this report talked with two employees of Grove Park Inn and one of them swore that some wires hanging from the ceiling were swaying back and forth on their own.  

The other worker said he was grabbed when he walked down the stairs. The man that grabbed him fit the description of Samuel Battle.  He was presented a picture of the doctor and is sure of his claim. 

SPOOKY!

The mansion was demolished in 2006.

Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

Kessler Ant Diner -  Open 24/7!

Every year when the weather gets warm we have hoard of ants in our kitchen.  We have tried everything to get rid of them without success.  Ant traps don't work and we have tried a number of safe remedies that work at first and then the ants are back in full force.  

One summer talcom powder did the trick for a while and then they were back.
This summer we have a remedy that consists of putting a few drops of a glucose solution with poison on small squares of paper.  The ants eat the solution and take the poison back to the nest.  This one was working great for a while!

Now they are all just sitting in a circle around the drops having a great time!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Falls and Blue Ridge Discovery Center Happening!

My Artwork

secludedwaterfallcopyrightSecluded Waterfall   Original 14"x11" Oil Painting      $313

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at  KENDALL KESSLER ART


fivemilemtcopyrightAnother Look at Five Mil Mountain   Original 25"x40" Oil Painting   $2025

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER



I thought it would be fun to look at all the beautiful falls in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains!  I have always been fascinated by falls and when I was in college I often hiked up to the Cascades in the Jefferson National Forest in Giles County.

The hike is two miles long and is an up hill climb.  It is great fun to watch the rushing water and the light coming through the trees.  I have one painting of what is called The Roman Road that I sold to a great patron in Martinsville.  I also sold a print to the creator of that section of the trail.

The water is extremely cold in the pool at the falls but I spent many summers at Rehoboth Beach where the water is also very cold so I liked swimming under the falls!  Some of my fondest memories are of that beautiful place!  I hope to go there again sometime soon.  It has been a while.



The Top 10 Blue Ridge Parkway Waterfalls

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Blue Ridge Parkway WaterfallsTop 10 Blue Ridge Parkway Waterfalls

Graphic by Blue Ridge Parkway Daily


 Life with The Bird and Word Man - Clyde Kessler

Upcoming Blue Ridge Discovery Center Happening!


July 27th, 2014: The Channels, Clinch Mountain

Leaders: Ronald Kirby and Fred Newcomb
One of southwest Virginia’s most spectacular and unusual natural preserves will be explored on this Blue Ridge Expeditions (BRE) hike which is sponsored by the Blue Ridge Discovery Center (BRDC). The part of Clinch Mountain known as The Channels is an area of huge sandstone rock outcroppings where ancient forces have created a maze of giant fissures, some of which now serve as passageways somewhat similar to slot canyons of the western states.
The hike will be a 5 mile round trip of moderate difficulty and will take place on Sunday, July 27. Geology expert Fred Newcomb and Ronald Kirby will lead the group. Participants should call (276) 579-4011 to register and for more information.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Biltmore Ghosts and The Word Man does it Again!

My Art Work


mtlakeevecopyrightMountain Lake Evening   Original 23"x30" Oil Pastel Painting   $1380

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART

This was the setting for the hit movie, Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze!


housechesterbrookcopyrightHome on Chesterbrook Road   Original 30"x40" Oil Painting    $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at  KENDALL KESSLER ART


Biltmore Ghosts


A while back I wrote about some ghostly activity at the Biltmore Estate.  Yesterday I found out that there was a lot more to the story!

Back in 1914, George W. Vanderbilt died from complications from a surgery he had for appendicitis. His wife was extremely upset. So late at night, in the Library, she would sit in front of the large marble fireplace, and talk with George though he was never really there.

Her servants started to think she was losing her mind. To this day, late at night you can still hear her voice talking with George very softly. Also, you can feel George's presence in the Billiard Room, and the 2nd floor Oak Sitting room, one of his favorite rooms in the mansion.

During rainy late nights, George would sit and read. Workers report feelings of being watched, apparitions, voices, laughing, & screams. A headless orange cat has been seen by numerous visitors roaming the area between the Gardens and the Bass pond. The Pool Room is also a focal point of unexplainable events.

The sound of people swimming echoes throughout the entire lower floor in the dead of night.
Insane laughter can be heard coming from the drain at the bottom of the pool. It is said to be haunted by a lady in black.

Employees report hearing footsteps on the second floor. It's $10 for the small tour and $50 for the full tour of the house. But be sure you stay CLOSE to the guide. Odds are, there will only be 3 or 4 people touring with you.

I got this story from The Blue Ridge Parkway Guide online publication


Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

The Word Man does it again!  This time He got a poem published in the San Pedro River Review fall issue!  The name of the poem is "Gigging and it will be in print!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Terror Town and How Many Poets does it take to Change a Light Bulb?

 My Artwork


summerpathcopyrightSummer Path at Rock Castle Gorge   Original 30"x40" Oil Painting   $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at  KENDALL KESSLER ART


violrockyknobcopyrightViolet Rocky Knob Evening   Original 16"x20" Oil Painting     $640

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at  KENDALL KESSLER ART


wildflowbrsunsetcopyrightWildflowers by a Blue Ridge Sunset  Original Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


Blue Ridge Parkway Terror Town

Located 1 mile past Zooland Campground on Pisgah Covered Bridge Road outside of Asheville (.5 mile past Forest Hills). There is old farmland there with a number of hauntings that have been reported over the years. The farm is made up of about 18 acres with several farmhouses scattered throughout.

A little girl's voice is heard deep in the forest. A boy who hung himself there haunts the upper farm.
An old lady and her husband haunt one of the houses. Her brother died in the woods near the house and can now be heard singing at night while he makes moonshine.

A shadow of a black horse has been seen running through the woods and then vanishes.

There is a company who uses the location now for a haunted attraction called Terror Town so it is very easy to access during hours when they are there working. One of the staff lives at the park so don't try to visit this one without permission.

I found this story on The Blue Ridge Parkway Guide online publication


Life with The Word and Bird Man -Clyde Kessler

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A SLUR ON MY HUSBAND OR OTHER POETS!  IT IS JUST A FUNNY INCIDENT.
How many poets does it take to change a light bulb?  In this case  - none.  An electrician was called in to do the job.

The other day my husband replaced the bulb in our porch light.   Later, he turned on the light and it didn't work so he turned the switch off so he could see if the bulb was broken.  As soon as he touched the bulb it shattered into a zillion little pieces.

As luck would have it we had already arranged to have an electrician over to work on a broken ceiling fan so he checked the circuit to make sure nothing was wrong with the light fixture.  It was just a faulty bulb!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Moon Shine Tale and We were Barely in the Twentieth Century...

ridgelandcopyrightjpgWinter Ridgeland Beauty  Original 8"x10" Oil Painting   $168

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


I still have a lot of paintings to post that I haven't already posted but I am running out of time today so here are some favorites!


nearpurgatorycopyrightNear Purgatory  Original Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


eveglowrockcastlecopyrightjpgEvening Glow at Rock Castle Gorge   Original 30"x40" Oil Painting     $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART



Old Jake 1983

Bootlegging, like the chestnut tree, is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Only a few old die-hards persist today. Yet, there was a time when bootleg whisky was one of the few ways a mountain family had of getting cash. Not everyone participated but those who did were an independent bunch. They worked hard to provide for their families the best way they could during times many of us today would find impossible.

They were not the lawless hillbilly so many stories have been told about. They were, for the most part, honest, God-fearing family men who did what they had to do.

The articles about bootleggers in The Mountain Laurel will not be making fun of those who made whisky. They may be humorous but it is not our intention to make fun, just the opposite. We wish to pay tribute to the people and the era when independence was alive and times were hard but through it all, humor managed to ease the hardships, if only long enough for a smile.

Must have been 50 or 60 years ago when this story supposedly took place. Seems there was a fellow who had him a still set up down near Lover’s Leap. He was notorious as a “bootlegger” but his word was gold. If he told you something, you could count on it and everyone that ever drank his “corn” bragged on it. Word is that even the judge down at Stuart liked it so much that he kept a little “laid back” for his own use.

Well, it seems that whenever the revenue officers in these parts ran up on a slow time finding other stills, they would come looking for “Jake.” He was their ace in the hole, a “bonified bootlegger” to fill the slack time and their monthly arrest reports.

Well, on this occasion, “Jake” had his still set up down near “the Leap” and it was a model of “bootlegging art.” Just exactly what the revenue boys needed, since they had received instructions from Richmond the day before to dismantle a working still and send it to the capitol for display. The workmanship “Jake” had put into this still was the culmination of a lifetime of experience. He had spared no detail in its construction and it was just the thing for Richmond.

The officers were sorry they hadn't taken a picture of the still before dismantling it so Jake offered to put it back up so they could take a picture in the morning.  He rebuilt it and made moon shine all night long!

Well,  the boys were upset because they’d been tricked, not to mention born gullible and they told “Jake” he was under arrest again. “Jake” is the only man in these parts that’s ever been arrested for bootlegging two days running on the same still at that! But knowing “Jake,” it seems appropriate that he should have that honor.

The day of “Jake’s” trial, he was to be tried for two counts of bootlegging and since word had gotten out about the circumstances of his second arrest, the courtroom was packed. When the revenue boys walked into the room snickers and outright laughs noted their arrival. Since “court days” were pretty big doings in those days, the town was packed. Everyone wanted to find out how “Jake” would fare before the judge.

Well, as it turned out, he “fared” pretty well. The judge reckoned that “Jake” was guilty on both counts but since the revenue boys had told him to set the still back up and hadn’t told him not to run off any more bootleg, if he found “Jake” guilty on the second count, then he’d have to find the boys guilty as accomplices. This wouldn’t really be fair to them because they had already suffered enough humiliation by way of being laughed at by everybody in the county. (At this point, he had to threaten to clear the courtroom if the laughter didn’t cease. Immediately!)

So in the best judgment of the court, they would have to let “Jake” off on the second charge and only find him guilty on the first. This decision met with the approval of everyone including the boys and “Jake”, although he could never understand why a man couldn’t run off a batch of “corn” for his friends and neighbors without it being the “law’s” business.

I got this great story from the online publication, The Mountain Laurel


Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

My husband and I have never been that great with technology.  When computers took over I didn't want to keep up which is a decision I regret since no one can escape now.  Anyway, my husband says we were barely with it in the twentieth century when it turned into the twenty-first!  Still catching up every day! Yikes!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Pink Lady and Apple Turnover...


My Artwork


evepeacecopyrightEvening Peace    Original 18'X23" Oil Painting     $843

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART

countrysunsetcopyrightCountry Sunset  Original 8"x10" Oil Painting      $168

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at    KENDALL KESSLER ART


hucklyberrylinetrailcopyrightHuckleberry Line Trail  Original Oil Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at    KENDALL KESSLER ART


The Pink Lady of the Grove Park Inn

Asheville's Grove Park Inn has a reputation as one of North Carolina's premiere hotels. First opened in 1913, the Grove Park was built by Edwin Wiley Grove and his friend and Son-In-Law Thomas Seely. Grove had made a fortune selling Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic throughout the South. Asheville and the nearby towns were popular health resorts at the time, and when grove visited Asheville on his doctor's advice he decided to stay.

Soon, he and Seely began construction on the inn, designed to rival the finest hotels in America. George Gerhswin, Harry Houdini, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and even President Obama have all stayed at the Grove Park. Known for its elegance and comfort, the Grove Park hosts several world-class restaurants and a superior spa on site.

It's a beautiful, relaxing, romantic inn that you would never want to leave. And, according to legend, one guest never did.

The Pink Lady is the Grove Park Inn's resident and much-loved phantom. This kindly spirit has been seen and felt in the halls of the Inn for nearly a hundred years. She is said to be the spirit of a young woman who fell to her death from a balcony on the fifth floor of the Inn in the 1920s. She is usually seen in the form of a pink mist, or sometimes as a full-fledged apparition of a young woman in a pink ball gown.

There are various stories about who this young lady was and how she met her end. Some say that she had come to the Inn for a clandestine evening with married lover, and who threw herself from the balcony when he called an end to their affair. Others say she was a young debutante who accidentally slipped and fell to her death.

Whatever her origins, The Pink Lady is agreed to be a good-natured, even a kind spirit. She seems to particularly enjoy the company of children, and seems a little more willing to reveal herself to them than to adults. She has been seen by the beds of children who were taken ill during a stay at the Inn, speaking softly to them and gently stroking their hands.

In one famous case, a doctor who had been staying with his family at the Grove Park left a note when he checked out asking the staff to thank the lady in the pink ball gown, and that his children told him how much they enjoyed playing with her during their stay.

The Ghost of the Pink Lady is also said to enjoy playing small pranks. She's been blamed for lights, air conditioners, and other electrical devices turning on and off by themselves. She seems to enjoy rearranging objects in the rooms.

It's also been said that she'll occasionally wake up a sleeping guest with a good tickling on the feet.

While she has been seen all around the Inn, the spirit seems particularly attached to room 545. According to tradition it was from the balcony off of this room that the young woman fell to her death.

The Inn's employees are used to the presence of The Pink Lady, and treat her as just another part of the tradition of the grand old hotel.

How to Get There

The Grove Park Inn is located at 290 Macon Avenue in Asheville. The Inn is open year-round, reservations are recommended.

I got this great story from Stories from the Mountains. I usually paraphrase what I find, but this time I printed the whole tale!  It is such a great one!

Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

When you live with a writer, word play is the order of every day.  We were watching the news when a commercial came on about apple turnovers.  

Of course, my husband couldn't resist saying, "Why did the apple turn over?  That cracked me up and I wanted to include it in my blog but, as always, he checked the internet to see if this joke was already around.  

 It is and the answer is great!  The apple turned over to see the banana split!

Friday, July 4, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Tom Dooley Legend and Be Careful with those Sparklers!

My Artwork


libertysmall (1)Liberty  Original 8"x10" Oil Painting      $168

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available    KENDALL KESSLER ART


thomasgood (1)Wonder  Original Painting has Been Sold

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jamesreflectionscopyrightReflections on The James River     Original Oil Painting      $2425

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at    KENDALL KESSLER ART


The Legend of Tom Dooley

In 1866, a woman named Laura Foster was murdered in Wilkes County. A man named Tom Dula, pronounced "Dooley", was convicted and hanged for the crime. That murder and the name Tom

Dooley lives on in one of the most famous folk songs ever to come out of North Carolina.
The story of a dashing Tom Dula that returns home from the war to fall in love with a young woman that was being courted by a school teacher is not the accurate story. 

If you would like to read the true story you can find it in Stories from The Mountains online publication.  I would rather stick to the fanciful, romantic one.

 Laura Foster was being courted by Bob Grayson. Foster fell in love with Tom Dula, but so did another woman, Anne Melton. Melton was married, wealthy, beautiful, and insanely jealous.

Learning that Dula was in love with Foster, not her, Anne Melton stabbed Laura Foster to death in a jealous rage.

Tom Dula was blamed for the murder. Tula fled, heading for Tennessee. Bob Grayson headed a posse to hunt down Tom Dula, and he was dragged back to Wilkes County. Dula, realizing that it was Anne Melton who committed the crime, confesses out of a chivalrous desire to save her from a death by hanging.

On May 1, 1868, Tom Dula was executed for the murder of Laura Foster. Grayson returned home to the North. Anne Melton went slowly insane from guilt.

It's this version of the tale, a complicated story story that ends in the death of an innocent man, that became immortalized in a folk song that circulated in North Carolina for nearly 100 years before it was made nationally famous by the Kingston Trio in 1958.

Their recording of the ballad Tom Dooley reached #1 on the Billboard R&B charts, and rose to the top of the country music charts.

THE REAL STORY IS SOMETHING ELSE!

I got this story from Stories from The Mountains online publication


Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

My husband is a cautious man.  He is great about car up keep and is always advising me on the weather.  He is also very cautious with fireworks.  We only use sparklers due to all the accidents every year with the other ones. 

What I didn't know is sparklers are much more dangerous than most people think they are.
Sparklers remain one of the most dangerous fireworks in terms of accident statistics simply because they are taken for granted.

Year after year people underestimate the dangers of these traditional items and get burnt.

Be sure to have a bucket of water nearby and only light one at a time.  Many accidents have occurred when two of these extremely hot sticks (several hundred degrees celsius) cross and cause a flare up.

So be Safe!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Chicken Alley Ghost and Floyd Fest will be here Soon!


My Artwork

anotherrockyknobcopyrightAnother Rocky Knob  Original 8"x10" Oil Painting    $168

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


sidestreetcopyrightSide Street     Original 20"x16" Acrylic Painting    $670

Prints on Paper or Canvas And Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


Another one of my recent paintings from my Kendall Expressions.  In these paintings I am letting my expressive side take over!   We sure wish we could get some rain.  We are so dry right now.


The Ghost of Chicken Alley

Chicken Alley is a small, narrow alley in Downtown Asheville. Named because of the chickens that would congregate there in the city's earlier days, the most prominent chicken found today in Chicken Alley is the one in the large mural by local artist Molly Must that decorates the entrance.

Dr. Jamie Smith was a physician who practiced in Asheville at the end of the Nineteenth Century. He always carried his medicine bag and a cane with a silver pommel on it. He was known as a man who loved a good time.

Asheville was a rougher city in those days. Men who worked in the logging camps and nearby industries would flood the town on weekends looking for a drink and some company.  Liquor flowed freely, virtue was easily bought and sold, and Dr. Smith loved every minute of it.

There are those who say that the majority of his practice came treating the various social diseases that were the constant companions of the city's good times.

All of this came to an end in 1902, when Dr. Smith walked in to a bar called Broadway's Tavern, which was located in Chicken Alley. In a case of remarkably bad timing, Smith happened to stumble into the middle of a vicious bar brawl. He tried to break it up, but was stabbed in the heart by one of the men in the fight. He died instantly.

Jamie Smith's murderer was never caught. Broadway's Tavern burned to the ground the year after the fatal stabbing.

Ever since that night, people have reported seeing a strange figure walking in the alley late at night.  He carries an old-fashioned physician's bag and a cane with a silver head.

The people who live in Chicken Alley believe that this is the ghost of Dr. Jamie Smith. He has been seen for over 100 years, and throughout that time the figure's appearance has been described with remarkable consistency.

Dr. Smith's fashion sense was apparently distinctive enough to make him recognizable even beyond the grave. The locals are divided as to the reason his spirit returns to the spot where he met his end. Some say he is still trying to stop the fight. Some say he still just wants a drink.

How to Get There

Chicken Alley is located in downtown Asheville between Broadway and Lexington. The Alley runs between Carolina Lane and Woodfin Street, and the entrance on Woodfin is clearly distinguishable by the large chicken mural.

chicken alley

Life with The Bird and Word Man - Clyde Kessler


The popular Floyd Fest is coming soon!  This is a gala event with music and activities!  The Blue Ridge Discovery Center will be there, too!


Floyd Fest
When Jul 25 – 27, 2014
Where Floyd, VA
In cooperation with the New River Land Trust, BRDC will host a series of educational booth activities throughout the week.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Phantom Hiker on Grandfather Mountain and That is a Great Homework excuse!

My Artwork


fishcopyrightFish    Original Hand Colored 8"x10" Lithograph   $170

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


gilesbarncopyrightClover Hollow   Original Painting has Been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


The Phantom Hiker of Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain stands above Blowing Rock Highway near Linville. The mountain gets its name from the mountain's profile, which resembles the head of a bearded old man laying down in sleep.

Grandfather Mountain was operated as a private tourist attraction for many years until 2011, when it was purchased by the State of North Carolina and is now a publicly-owned nature preserve.

The phantom hiker of Grandfather Mountain is said to be an older man, bearded, with a rough  appearance.  People say he wears old-fashioned workman's clothes that look like they're from somewhere in the middle of the Twentieth Century.

He wears a rough canvas army backpack and carries a long walking stick.
The phantom hiker is said to appear mostly as the evening is settling in, when most of the day hikers have left or are working their way back.

He never says anything to himself or anyone else. He simply appears walking along one of the trails in the back country, moves swiftly ahead of anyone else he encounters, and then simply vanishes.

No one knows who this mysterious figure is. Some have suggested that he was a hiker who became lost in the the thick woods around the mountain, and fell or was injured and was unable to make his way back out. Others have said he's just the spirit of a man who loved the mountain so much that he chose to stay there after he died.

This ghostly hiker seems to do no harm. He seems to want little to do with people in general. He only seems to be there, like all the other visitors, to enjoy the natural wonder of Grandfather Mountain.


I got this story from Stories from the Mountains online publication.


How to Get There

Grandfather Mountain nature preserve is located two miles north of Linville on US 221 near Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 305. The admission price covers access to all the hiking trails, exhibits, and the famous mile-high swinging bridge.
The phantom hiker is said to appear on the backcountry trails around Grandfather Mountain


Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

My husband and I are having fun watching Welcome Back Kotter on MeTV.  We saw a few episodes when the show first came out and thought it was great! 

 We are having a lot of fun seeing episodes for the first time!  We have both taught  elementary school and college so we can relate to the shenanigans students put teachers through.

The other night Barbarino came up with the best homework excuse I have ever heard.  He had another one of the students give Mr. Kotter part of the assignment and was told to look for the Homework Mugger for the rest!   Love it!

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Blue Ridge Parkway Story of the Origin of the word Hootenanny and The Word Man gets Published Again!

My Artwork


whitevasecopyrightThe White Vase    Original 14"x10" Oil Painting   $295

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


rosesdrivewaycopyrightSpring Roses   Original 24"x 20" Oil Painting   $980

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available at   KENDALL KESSLER ART


Two of my favorite florals!


mountainsunsetcopyrightBlue Ridge Sunrise   Original Painting has been Sold

Prints on Paper or Canvas and Greeting Cards Available   KENDALL KESSLER ART


The Story of Boojum and Hootin' Annie

Eagle Nest Mountain stands at the southern edge of the Balsam mountain range and was once home to the luxurious Eagle Nest Hotel. Guests at the hotel soon began to hear the story of a strange creature who lived in the area. The thing was not quite a man and not quite an animal — it stood about eight feet tall and every inch of its body was covered with shaggy grey hair, except for its human face. The creature was named Boojum, and he seemed to be harmless enough, but he did have two all-too human habits.

The first of these was the Boojum was greedy and he loved to hoard gems. Rubies and emeralds are found naturally throughout the mountains of North Carolina, and Boojum loved to hunt for these pretty, precious stones and hide them away in his own treasure hoards.  He would then bury them in one of the secret caves on the mountain

Boojum's second habit  was that he loved to look at pretty girls. Back in those days, a young woman who wanted to have a bath might head off into the woods to find a secluded pond at the base of a waterfall. There, safe from human eyes, she could strip down and bathe. A young woman enjoying herself in the water would often hear a rustle in the bushes and look up to see his hairy face peering down at her.

Now, most of these girls would quickly gather up their clothes and run off back home as soon as they saw him. But one young woman named Annie was braver than most, and one day when she was bathing in a stream deep in the balsam groves on Eagle Nest, she looked up and saw Boojum staring down at her. But Annie didn't run, in fact, she looked into Boojum's sorrowful eyes and saw that above all else he was just another lonely soul living on the mountain. Annie fell in love with those sad eyes, and she fell in love with Boojum, and she left her home and her family to go and live with Boojum deep in the mountain woods as his wife.

As much as Boojum loved Annie, and as much as Annie loved Boojum, Boojum still hung on to his love of jewels. On certain nights, he would leave his bride alone and go searching for jewels on the mountain. Annie, growing lonely, would go out in search of Boojum, and she developed a peculiar holler, something that sounded like a cross between a monkey and a hooting owl, that she would use to call out to Boojum. Boojum would use the same cry to call back to her, and eventually the two calls would come closer together until they came together on the hills.

Annie and Boojum calling to each other was often heard by guests at the Eagle Nest Hotel. Folklorist John Parris has said that Annie's owl-like holler was the source of the term "Hootenanny," which appeared in the language around the turn of the twentieth century and meant any kind of party or get-together. In the 1960's the term was expanded by pop artists to mean a gathering of folk musicians.


Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler


The Word Man really is tearing up the Publishing Turf these days!  He was notified last night of four more accepted poems!


Editor Vanessa Eccles accepted four poems for the Fall Issue of Belle Rêve Literary Journal: A Southern Experience. That is scheduled for November 2014.
 
Poems are “Distances”, “Everything Is A Wager”, “Snow Frogs” and “Talking”.
 
The title of the magazine is from Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire. Belle Rêve is the name of the plantation home of Blanche & Stella.
 
 
Here is this magazine’s web page:
 
http://www.bellerevejournal.com/