Blue Ridge Parkway East Hall Ghost Story and The Word Man gets Published Again!

My Artwork

Nan Beau   Original    20"x18" Oil Painting     $740

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

A favorite portrait of my sister with the only dog she had growing up.  Beau was an exceptionally sweet dog!

Tech Duck Pond    Original Oil Painting has been Sold

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

The V.P.I. and S.U. duck pond is a favorite place to walk and fish in Blacksburg, VA!

East Hall Ghost

East Hall Dormitory is on Appalachian  State University.  The story began in the 1960's.  A student took her life on the lowest floor of the five story section. The cause is not remembered.  She hung her self with a long silk scarf in the basement restroom.

Ever since then students have reported strange happenings. Whispering in the hallways, strange balls of light hovering near the ceiling in the dorm rooms, and one man claimed a ghost toppled him over after he heard the words, "My Dorm."
T
he strongest presence of a ghost is felt in the basement where the girl died.  Students have reported seeing a blue mist about the size of a human being moving through walls and always ending the walk at the bathroom.

Whatever is going on, there seems to be an affect on the students that live there.  There have been a lot of psychotic episodes and the school's mental health services  keep a close eye on the students in this dorm and they are always on the look out for early signs that a student that has gone East!

I got this story from North Carolina Ghosts and Legends on the online publication Stories from the Mountains

Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

Once again The Word Man has published his work!  I am very impressed with how frequently he is publishing his poetry these days!   He is not sure how many times he has been published but he knows it is more than 200 times in small press publications!

This time three of his poems will be in The Kentucky Review!  They will appear in the online publication  soon and the printed publication in January 2015. 

Way to go Word Man!

Blue Ridge Parkway Biltmore Ghost and My Latest Pawleys Island painting!

 My Artwork

I am very pleased to present the first of my latest shore scenes from beautiful Pawleys Island!  I love the shore and we get there once a year.  South Carolina has great beach resorts but my favorite is Pawleys Island.  

One of my best-selling prints, Marsh View at Pawleys Island, is one of my favorite paintings!

Pawleys Island Sunrise on the Sand is a sumptuous look at how the light reflects off the wet sand.  In this sunrise there is more morning light on the sand than the water, hence the title.

Pawleys Island Sunrise on the Sand    Original 30"x40" Oil Painting      $2430

Prints on Paper or Canvas Available at    KENDALL KESSLER ART

Breakers at Pawleys Island   Original Painting has been Sold

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

The Biltmore Ghost

The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina was home to  George Washington Vanderbilt who was one of the heirs to the Vanderbilt industrial fortune. He was born into a mountain of money and never had to work a day in his life.

When he was  26 he traveled to Asheville with his mother and loved the area so much that he purchased 126,000 acres and built a fabulous vacation home there The house is so big that one could sleep in a different bed room each night and not sleep in one twice for a year!

George was an avid collector of books, art, and artifacts and had a huge library.  He and his wife had lavish parties and he usually had to be called out of the library to greet guests.
When he died in 1914 the estate passed through his daughter to his grand sons.  They decided to open the house to the public. 

It is the largest privately owned home in America and the setting for a number of successful movies including Being There, starring Peter Sellers.

Today there are reports of ghosts on the premises. George is said to be seen in the library where he often retreated during storms.  His wife's voice has been heard asking him to join his guests.  The parties seem to still be going on. People sometimes hear laughter and loud voices at the pool which is no longer in use.

I got this ghost story from Stories from The Mountains online publication

Life with The Bird and Word Man - Clyde Kessler

Yesterday I listed books on Appalachia that The Blue Ridge Discovery Center suggests for great reading about this gorgeous area of the world! 

 I forgot to mention A Natural Sense of Wonder by  Rick Van Noy includes a chapter on Clyde.     Rick Van Noy is very impressed with the naturalist work my husband does and we were pleased he included him in his book!

Here is the list again!

For the Blue Ridge:

• Hollows, Peepers, and Highlanders - An Appalachian Mountain Ecology, George Constantz 
• A Fly Fisherman's Blue Ridge, Christopher Camuto

Other must reads:

• A Songbird Journeys - Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds, Miyoko Chu
• The Trees in My Forest, Bernd Heinrich
• Winter World, Bernd Heinrich
• The Beak of the Finch, Jonathan Weiner 
• Home Ground - Language for an American Landscape, Barry Lopez, Debra Gwartney

• A Natural Sense of Wonder, Rick Van Noy

Blue Ridge Parkway Valle Crucis Ghost Story and Blue Ridge Discovery Center books!

 My Artwork

Butterfly Bushes  Original 20"x24" Acrylic Painting     $960

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

Sunset on The New River   Original 7"x9" Oil painting    $136

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

Valle Crucis Ghost Story

Another frightening story from Valle Crucis in The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina!

The name of the town comes from two streams that meet at right angles in the middle of the valley.
Two men were driving by an old stone church on highway 194  when a huge dog with gleaming eyes jumped out in front of them.

The dog was a big as a man and had bristling fur and massive yellow teeth. The driver sped away only to see the dog in the rear view mirror following and actually keeping up with the car that was going 80 miles an hour!

The men really believed this dog was from Hell so the driver hit the accelerator one more time and sped over the bridge that goes across the two streams.

The dog stopped following them and the men wondered what it was about the water that stopped this supernatural dog!

The writer of the story claims he knew the driver of the car and considered him to be an honest man. 

The writer is very cautious about traveling near the graveyard of the old stone church and counts the seconds before he gets to the bridge!

I found this great ghost story on Stories from the Mountains online publication

Life with The Bird and Word Man - Clyde Kessler

On The Blue Ridge Discovery Center Website there is a great list of books for people interested in this beautiful mountain region!

For the Blue Ridge:

• Hollows, Peepers, and Highlanders - An Appalachian Mountain Ecology, George Constantz 
• A Fly Fisherman's Blue Ridge, Christopher Camuto

Other must reads:

• A Songbird Journeys - Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds, Miyoko Chu
• The Trees in My Forest, Bernd Heinrich
• Winter World, Bernd Heinrich
• The Beak of the Finch, Jonathan Weiner 
• Home Ground - Language for an American Landscape, Barry Lopez, Debra Gwartney
• A Natural Sense of Wonder, Rick Van Noy

Blue Ridge Parkway Chimney Rock Ghosts and Shoot that Sand!

My Artwork

Monarch  Original 15"x21" Acrylic Painting   $670

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

Blue Ridge Meadow  Original Oil Painting has been Sold

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

Little Boy on The Beach

Yesterday I managed to go to the lake and swim for a while.  While I was resting on the beach

I had a great time watching a toddler with a water pistol almost as big as he was.  

He was shooting the water, any vacant float he could find, and the sand!   I love to watch kids!  That one was really taking care of things!

Glad I wasn't one of the targets!  Good parents!

The Chimney Rock Apparitions

Chimney Rock near Asheville, NC has been the home of some of the strangest apparitions ever recorded in North Carolina.  A little girl saw a man on top of the rocks in 1806. She told her brother who refused to believe her.  He went to the site and saw thousands of apparitions flying in the air!

The children called their mother who also saw the apparitions that seemed to be clothed in white and were all ages.  In all, six people saw the flying beings.  The account of this strange event was printed a few weeks later in the Raleigh Register and Gazette.  

In the summer of 1806 people reported seeing  groups of beings that seemed to be in battle with each other that included horses!

Newspapers across the state carried reports of this strange battle and today many people consider the vision to be of the not-so-distant Revolutionary War.

Who knows what really happened.  Today Chimney Rock is a beautiful park with many visitors.

I found this legend on the online publication, Stories from The Mountains.

Life with The Bird and Word Man - Clyde Kessler

The Bird Man is very happy to hear of one definite siting of the Metalmark butterfly in The New River Valley by the Virginia Natural Heritage Program.  

This butterfly is having a hard time surviving and Clyde has been working on improving habitat for this beautiful insect.

Conservation is extremely important to our welfare.  As one ecologist put it, you can't keep taking bolts  out of an airplane and expect it to stay in the air.

Last I heard, China is now spending a fortune on cross pollinating crops by hand since the honey bee has died out there.   Conservation is also about money.

Blue Ridge Parkway Judaculla Rock and I Love it!

My Artwork

Golden Farm Scene    Original Oil Painting has Been Sold

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

King on a Leaf   Original colored pencil drawing has been Sold

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

I found another Blue Ridge Parkway Creature Tale!  This one is a giant in Jackson County, North Carolina.

Judaculla

There is a rock near Cullowhee North Carolina that has strange inscriptions on it. According to Cherokee legend these markings were the work of a giant named Judaculla.  Supposedly he lived in the region long ago.

The name literally means, "He has them slanting", which refers to the giant's eyes.  He was awful to look at with seven fingers on each hand and seven toes on each foot.  He was seven feet tall and very ugly.

Judaculla had control of the elements and all of the game.

There are many explanations for the markings on the rock.  One involves a fall that left impressions, in particular, a foot impression with seven toes.  Another is that Judaculla left hunting instructions on the rock as he was the master of all game and allowed the Cherokees to hunt.

The rock was an important focal point for the Cherokees and was the site of religious rituals until their forced expulsion in the 19th century.  It is now an historic site that people can visit.

I found this legend on Stories from The Mountains online publication.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I love to laugh! I especially enjoy word play!  There was a great one today on Facebook.  

A small child says she has Grandma on Speed Dial!  She calls it INSTAGRAM!

A Beautiful Moment   Original  20"x16" Oil Painting    $670

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

Life with The Bird and Word Man

The next Blue Ridge Discovery Center Even is Almost Here!

BRDC at Independence Farmers Market

Fri, June 27, 9:30am – 12:30pm

Where	Independence, VA map
Calendar	BRDC Web Calendar
Created by	scott@blueridgediscoverycenter.org
Description	More kids oriented educational activities.

Blue Ridge Parkway Scalawag and Maybe it is Renting it...

My Artwork

Mountain Lake Evening   40"x30"  Original Oil Painting     $2425

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

Canoes, Mountain Lake     Original 30"x40" Oil Painting has been Sold

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

Mountain Lake in Giles County was the setting for the hit movie, Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze!

I found another paranormal tale about a wild man in The Blue Ridge Mountains!

The Scalawag from Blue Mountain

Jimmie Lee had heard tales about the legendary Big Foot or Sasquatch but never thought he would come into contact with the beast.  He was twelve years old and staying with his uncle and two cousins for the summer.

One morning his uncle told the boys he saw huge  prints near his apple orchard.   Jimmie and his cousins decided to pitch a tent to see if they could see Scalawag!  They were having fun and when the campfire got low they decided to go to sleep at around 11:00.  

About thirty minutes later, the narrator heard a strange hissing sound.  He woke his cousin up and they both heard limbs cracking outside.

They saw with the flashlight a huge mammal like creature with long red fur eating apples in a crouched position. The creature turned and stared at them and they could see a strange human-like face with a pointy head. 

The face was the only part of the creature that did not have fur and was an orange-brown color. It let out a screeching howl and ran off into the woods.

The next day they saw the huge prints with toes in the ground.  The uncle and aunt have heard the noise of the animal since this event and Jimmie Lee swears he has seen Sasquatch!

I got this story from About.com Paranormal Phenomena online

Life with the Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

I have always been nervous about spiders since one of my childhood friends said she had a black widow spider in her garage.   I stayed out of there!  I am not that scared of them but I don't know one from the next so I am cautious.

The other day there was a small black spider in the computer room so I asked The Bird Man who is also very knowledgeable about insects to look at it.  I yelled from the room that there was a spider in the room and would he come check it out.

He asked me if it had it's own web.

I said I didn't know.  Maybe it is renting it.

The Word Man was not amused.

Blue Ridge Parkway's Devil's Tramping Ground and Worst Birthday Card Ever - But very funny!

 My Artwork

Here are some of my recent Kendall Expressions paintings!  Check them out and more in the Kendall Expressions folder on my website!

Shark Beauty  Original  16"x20" Acrylic Painting     $670

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

Beauty and Danger  Original  16"x20" Acrylic Painting     $670

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

Blue Tiger Original  16"x20" Acrylic Painting     $670

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

I am having a great time researching myths and legends of mountain sites that are near the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway!   Here is another Native America legend about the Devil!

The Devil's Tramping Ground

The Devil's Tramping Ground is located in Western Chatham county near Siler City.  It is forty feet long. The path forms a ring and is a foot wide. The center of the circle and the area around it is covered with grass and plants but nothing grows in the path.

If objects are place in the path at night they are removed by morning.

It is believed to be the ground where the devil walks in a circle planning his devious tricks. His foot prints make the path.  He is gone by morning.  The devil's foot prints are so hot the ground is scorched so nothing can grow there. It is believed animals avoid the path.

Spooky!

I got this great legend from Cherokee Indians - Native American myths and legends online publication

Worst 40th Birthday Card Ever

I just checked out a Good Neighbors DVD from the library.  I love it so far!  The opening scene has a man with a birthday cake with one candle.  He opens a card and reads it.   

Mozart and Mendelssohn were dead by forty - Why aren't you?

Life with The Bird and Word Man - Clyde Kessler

The Independence Farmers Market is coming up June 27th!  This is another great event with The Blue Ridge Discovery Center!  There will be activities for kids!  Come on out!

BRDC at Independence Farmers Market

Fri, June 27, 9:30am – 12:30pm

Where	Independence, VA map
Calendar	BRDC Web Calendar
Created by	scott@blueridgediscoverycenter.org
Description	More kids oriented educational activities.