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

More on Bisset Park near The Blue Ridge Parkway and How The New River used to be...

My Artwork

Bisset Park Original    Original Pastel Painting not Available for Sale

Prints on Paper or Canvas available at      KENDALL KESSLER ART

I especially like the many New River scenes I have done.  My favorite ones were done from different parts of Bisset Park in Radford, VA.  When the weather is nice there are a lot of motor boats, canoes, and rafts gliding along the river.

Bisset Park Original is not available, because as luck would have it, it drowned in a gallery in North Carolina years ago.   There was a tremendous amount of rain that year and the gallery flooded.  The water rose over a foot and this pastel drawing was low enough for the lower half to be immersed in water!   

The gallery was insured and I was compensated for the painting but it no longer exists.

Afterwards, I decided to do an oil painting of the same spot.  I wanted to get a very different look reflecting a different time of day and season.  One of my favorite artists, Claude Monet, often did the same scene at different times of days and seasons and each one is a unique, beautiful creation.  

I love the way colors change throughout the day as the light shifts.

Bisset Park    30" x 40" Original Oil Painting        $2425.00

Prints Available on Paper or Canvas available at    KENDALL KESSLER ART

New River History

I love history and thought it would be nice to put in a little information on how different the river was years ago.

The river used to have many batteaux carrying cargo downstream as far as Bateau Mountain before the coming of the railroad.  Bateau Mountain ,which is near Grandview, is now called Batoff.

The batteaux were propelled along the shallow rivers by crews pushing long poles along the side of the boats and steering with long sweeping rudders at each end.

The boats carried lumber, agricultural produce, and mercantile products.

A lot of the workers were African-American crews and captains.  Because of the unique skills and abilities the job required, batteau crews could find an equality in their work that was not easily available for African Americans seeking employment in American society at the time.  For most of the workers it was a vagabond life on the river.

I found this information on batteaux in the online publication New River Gorge

Life with The Bird and Word Man - Clyde Kessler

Again, be sure to join Clyde and Nancy Kent this Saturday in Wildwood Park for a great nature walk.  Photographer Nancy Kent will teach young and old on how to get good photographs of flowers in insects!

The Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally is coming up.  The Rally is Friday May 9    5:00 - 9:30pm at The Konnarock Community Center!  Check out the Blue Ridge Discovery Center for more information!