UNCLE WARD'S PHOTOS

My mother was the youngest of a large family.  She was in high school when her brother, Ward, joined the navy and spent time on a battle ship during World War II.

Ward sent photos home to his little sister and she put them in a photograph album which I inherited when my parents passed away.  Some of the photos show sailors doing their duties aboard ship and others are of young guys just grinning for the camera.  I don’t know a lot about Ward’s time at sea but I could tell he got to go ashore in New York City.

The snapshots from the city were probably purchased at a souvenir shop and mailed to his little sister.

 In 1944 the Empire State Building dominated the skyline, seen here behind the Brooklyn Bridge.

 Now it takes a little searching to find the famous skyscraper.

 I don’t know if Uncle Ward got a chance to go to the top of the Empire State Building but he sent back photos.  Here is the view at that time to the north with Central Park in the background and the Chrysler Building on the right.

 I’ve never visited NYC but I can see from this recent photo that a lot has changed since then.

 The view from the observation deck south in 1944 shows the Brooklyn Bridge on the left and way off past Lower Manhattan to the right is the Statue of Liberty.

 Same view today with the new One World Trade Center building just right of center.

 And as a reminder of why we appreciate all those who leave home to defend this great nation, here is a view of the same place before September 11, 2001.

Most of these recent photos are borrowed from:  http://www.esbnyc.com/visit-empire-state-building.  Some can be seen in greater detail by clicking on them.

FRESH FRUIT

I’ve just finished a new painting which I’d like to show off.  I recently purchased a graniteware colander on EBay and decided to use it as a prop for a still life.

I filled the colander with fruit and placed it on our dining room table on a sunny morning.

 I took some reference photos, made some preliminary sketches and finally settled on this composition.

 The next step was to add more detail and some shadows.

 I forgot to take pictures of the stages that brought the work to this conclusion.

 I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.  It is available for purchase on my Etsy Shop, Watercolors by Leenie. 

I’m not through with playing with the colander and the fun shadow it casts.  Now I’m working on painting a picture of it full of eggs.  I’m finding them to be difficult subjects even though they hold very still.  Trying to make a smooth transition from shadow to highlight is really scrambling my brain.  Maybe I shouldn't put them all in one basket.

DUST IN THE WIND

Collings home, Monroe, Utah

Due to a bad economy and misfortune my mother’s family was forced to move from a comfortable home in the valleys of Utah…

Blanche playing by her home near Jerome, Utah

…to a tiny house on a sandy hill in central Idaho.

Ralph Collings plowing Idaho farm

 There they raised sheep, poultry and a few crops.

Mother told of one spring in the 1930’s when the wind never seemed to cease.  One day the wind stopped blowing from the west and then turned to come at them in a howling gale from the east.  It blew so long and forceful that sand sifted through the cracks of their house and covered every surface. 

 Even the clock was clogged and stopped ticking.  School was closed and drifts of sand blew across the road so deep that when the storm finally passed a few days later, a road grader had to be sent out to clear the way.

Blanche hanging clothes.  The granary is in the background.

 Fast forward a few decades to a particularly quiet afternoon on our farm in central Idaho.

Blanche with Jack, Eileen, Brian and Jewel

My little brother and sister and I were playing in the sand box when we looked up and saw a wall of dirt blowing in from the south. Suddenly wind whipped around us and blew us across the yard.  Moments after we ran inside the house, Dad and our older brother, Jack, rushed through the door.  

We watched through the windows as tumble weeds flew through the air and chickens fluttered for shelter.  Then Dad let out a wail.  The wind was tearing the roof off the granary.  Dad called Jack and they hurried out into the storm.  They gathered tools and haywire from the shop and climbed up on the granary while the wind whipped dirt through their hair and clothes. 

They used the electric drill to make holes in the roof and walls of the building, then they threaded the haywire through and lashed the roof down.

When the excitement was over and life returned to routine a day or so later, I climbed on the roof of the granary to examine the repair.  The wire wrapped around the boards had saved the building and stood as evidence of the resourcefulness of a good farmer. I’m not certain but I wouldn’t be surprised if the wire remains there even now.