How West Virginia sees the rest of the U.S.

Got this from Mountain Laurel, who got it from http://sourappletree.blogspot.com/

Click to see the bigger version



How California sees the rest of the U.S.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/how-californians-see-america

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FestivALL: Capitol Street Art Fair

This is the last weekend of FestivALL 2008, and I managed to talk The Husband into going to the Capitol Street Art Fair.

We had lunch at the mall and walked over from there.  This is Fife Street, with painted catfish hanging.  Apparently painted catfish are associated with FestivALL in some way but I don't know why.  They are all painted differently, kind of like those cows I used to collect.



There was music



And dancing. That is one tall lady



Capitol Street taken from the Lee Street intersection



There were tents like this lined up in the street with West Virginia artists exhibiting and selling their work inside. There were so many amazing artists!! I wanted to buy something from everyone.



There's me shopping for cat art, which I seem to be collecting. I am a collector of cats and cat art. Standing to the left of me is artist Pamela Gatens - see end of post for photos of what I bought.



Here I am shopping some more, this time with artist Jeanne K. Cochran. Jeanne is one of Husband's coworkers. Until this week I didn't even know she was an artist! I did already know she was an amazing person who I like a great deal. Now I am also a fan of her art. That's her husband Ric (seated) she's talking to, who also works with Husband.  They are both also musicians and Ric writes poetry, including haikus for the back of her note cards.  Ric's Haiku Blog



When we were done at that tent, I wanted to see some more but it was hot and humid and I was covered in sweat. I knew Husband was hoping we were done, so I sent him to get the car and arranged to meet him at his office after I finished going through the tents. I probably should have just gone with him, because I didn't see much more of interest.

The bellydancer was pretty cool - I didn't manage to get a picture of the front of her though.



After I finished on Capitol Street I wanted to go to the antiques on Hale Street. Along the way I passed the drive thru exhibit in the alley behind my office. I should have gone through it but didn't.



Eventually I made it over to Husband's office and cooled off inside before we left. We stopped at the Capitol Market to pick up fresh cucumbers, zucchini and yellow squash.



They had music there too!



We headed home and stopped in Pinch for gas. The storm was coming and it started raining before we made it to the house.



Now for photos of what I purchased. First, from Pamela Gatens.  I bought one matted print and a couple of bookmarks (the bookmarks had different cats on each side)







Next, the art of Jeanne K. The matted print I purchased is "Stonewall Lake". This photo doesn't do it justice.



I also bought two notecard. This one is "Forest Floor" - sorry my photo is blurry.



On the back of each notecard is a haiku written by her husband



This one is "My Day in the Sun"



Finally, artist Ron Refsland. He does a lot of wildliife and cats. So more cat art for me. I love bluejays too.



I recognized his work immediately, because I had purchased one of his watercolor prints at Tamarack last year and it's one of my very favorite paintings.



So that's all for now. There's all kinds of stuff going on at FestivALL today and tomorrow, but we aren't planning to go to any of it, unfortunately. I am so impressed with FestivALL and its organizers - they have done a fabulous job. I'm just sorry this is the first year I've actually made an effort to attend, but it certainly won't be my last. It's a wonderful thing for our city!

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Bear in the Kanawha River!

This is near where I walk a lot!  A bear was in the WSAZ studio lot, jumped in the Elk River, swam to the Kanawha and across the Kanawha River, then crossed Route 60 while law enforcement stopped traffic.

WSAZ got video too

http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/22007839.html

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Saturday: Eating, Shopping & FestivALL

After a false start (Husband forgot his cell phone) and a stop at his work place, we eventually made it to O'Charley's for cedar plank seafood goodness (Husband likes the salmon, I like the tilapia).  We hadn't been there for awhile and it seemed particularly good today.  Our waiter must have had too many tables or something because he didn't come around very much two other waiters assisted us with drink refills and the bill.  I hope he splits his tip with them.

We then stopped in Circuit City so I could get a thumb drive type card reader for me to carry around and get pics off my cell phone.  I wish I'd waited and gotten one online and looked to see what kind of memory card my camera had because it doesn't work with my camera memory card.  Not a big deal though, I use a cord and just hook the camera up, and it would have just been an extra bonus. But if I'd waited and looked around I'm sure I could have found one online and it probably would have been cheaper too.  At any rate, I have it now and it works great and now I don't have to ask Husband to get the pics off my cell phone anymore.

Speaking of cell phones and memory cards, whose bright idea was it to put the Razr's memory card UNDERNEATH the battery??  It makes no sense.

Anyway.  FestivALL started yesterday. It's a 10-day arts festival in Charleston. There are tons of things going on at different locations, all of them art related in some way:  art exhibits, music, plays.  This is the first time I've really attended any of the events. I'm not sure why. I think it's such a great thing for Charleston to have, and I really want to support it, so I'm trying to attend at least some things year.  So after we left CC, I drug (dragged?) Husband downtown.

We parked at Husband's office and walked down the boulevard to the the Smoke on the Water chili cookoff.

They have a good sized part of the boulevard blocked off.  Since we had just eaten, we didn't sample any of the chili, but it sure smelled good. However, it was a little too hot and wasn't that pleasant walking around. We stopped and talked to some of Husband's coworkers. They had two stages with music, and when we were there Julie Adams was performing on one of them.



We left the boulvard and walked down to Davis Park, where they were having "Art on a Stick." I don't know why they call it that. But it was a great place for it, nice and shady. This park is one of my favorite areas of downtown. I used to work across the street from it and had lunch there a lot. Now if I have time I try to walk through it in the morning.



There was live music




and local artists offering their art for sale.




I enjoyed looking at everything. There I am walking around, in the blue shirt toward the left.



There was a nice variety of different types of art. I purchased this cat picture by Andrea Anderson and framed it when I got home. I wasn't able to get a picture of it without the reflection, I'll have to work on that later.



Andrea seemed very sweet and she had some beautiful drawings of figures that I thought were just amazing. One was a large one she did entirely with her left hand when her right was injured. I felt drawn to her for some reason and that's why I chose her art to purchase. I googled her after I got home and found several mentions of her. I didn't find any of her art online but I did discover she's also in a band called The Buttonflies out of Huntington. She plays banjo! But it's not a bluegrass band, It's an alternative kind of thing. Neat sound, check them out at the link. Maybe I'll be able to catch them live some day.

There were also exhibits around the park, like this one.  They are tiles. I don't know what it's called. I only had my camera phone so I couldn't get a closeup.




We left the park and headed back toward the car. Along the way I saw some art hanging in the alley behind my office but I didn't know why.  After looking at the schedule, I realize it was a drive thru exhibit!  Very cool. I wish I'd known, we would have driven through.

Along the way we stopped at Art Emporium.  I frequently walk by this shop in the mornings and there is a collection of pottery in one of the windows with this wonderful tree design (she calls it Tree of Life) and I have been wanting a piece. So I took this opportunity to buy one.  The artist's name isn't on it and now I have forgotten it. I think it might be Susan Greg but maybe not. I've emailed them to ask. I know she is a native of Charleston but lives out of state now.  I would love to have more of these pieces. There are mugs and plates and vases and even a gorgeous table with the design on top.  I really like trees.



We arrived at Husband's office hot and sweaty and went inside for a bathroom break. Then we enjoyed a cool cup of spring water in the green room before heading home.




Looking forward to attending more FestivALL activities later in the week!

FestivALL 2008 Schedule

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United, We Blog for a Better West Virginia

The links for the posts in the West Virginia Day blogging project is up - lots of awesome posts!!

http://www.abetterwestvirginia.com/2008/06/20/united-we-blog-for-a-better-west-virginia/

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Celebrate WV Day

With some Almost Heaven West Virginia apparel!

I kind of forgot about this Cafe Press shop.  The design incorporates a photo of some blooms from my rhododendron bush.  I think I'm going to send my baby nephew who lives in Oregon a little shirt.

http://www.cafepress.com/wildwonderfulwv

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Happy West Virginia Day!

On June 20, 1863, West Virginia became a state.  I was born in 1963, the year of our centennial, so I always remember the year :)

In honor of West Virginia Day, some WV Bloggers are posting about a "new stereotype" of West Virginia and/or highlighting something positive about the state in order to combat negative stereotypes.  I didn't think I was going to participate, because I really don't have any ideas on "new stereotypes."  But I saw someone suggest "highlighting the positive about West Virginia" and decided I could at least tell you about the West Virginia I know.

I was born and raised in West (by God) Virginia.  As a teenager and young adult, I wanted to leave the state to go somewhere more exciting and glamorous.  I'm so glad circumstances were such that I stayed here.  It wasn't until I matured that I began to realize just how fortunate I am to live here.  There is truly nowhere I would rather live.

It really bugs me to hear negative things said about my state and its residents. Of course, every time we judge something in a negative way, we do it because it makes us feel superior.  I try to keep that in mind.  Some people are simply ignorant and have never actually been here or have decided to judge an entire group of people based on the conduct of a few.  I would prefer to have a "who cares?" attitude.  Let people think what they want. That way they won't all want to come here and make it all crowded and ruin it. :)

When you ask people what negative stereotypes they hold about West Virginia, their answers might be things like poor, uneducated, marry their cousins, live in trailers, drive pick up trucks.  The first thing I would like to say is -- is there a single state in the union that has NO people who fit those descriptions???  Is there some utopian state of which I am unaware that is full of only wealthy, educated, house-dwelling, sedan/SUV driving people?  I don't think so.  Do we have more than our share of some of those things than some states? Possibly.  But what gives anyone else the right to judge that?  Are people who are poor and uneducated and living in trailers less valuable as human beings?  No, they're not.  And if you think they are -- if you think you are somehow "better" than they are -- then it is you who has the problem, my friend.

When I think of the people of West Virginia, I think of people who are independent, strong willed, loyal, hard working, and free thinking.  I think of people educated in institutions of higher learning and people educated by life.  I think of people who have monetary wealth and people who have a beautiful piece of land and a loving family and just enough money (and who are happier than any rich people I know).  I think of coal miners and artists and farmers and professionals. 

What I love most about West Virginia is the incredible natural beauty.  We have green rolling hills of farmland.  We have tall mountains covered in hardwood trees that turn into brilliant colors every fall.  We have clear, pure mountain springs that turn into rivers of raging rapids.  We have tall rocks and big lakes and narrow hollows (okay, hollers).  I live 13 miles from the state capitol, yet I can go outside on my back porch right now and hear nothing but crickets and look up into darkness and see a million stars with no city lights to spoil the view.  In West Virginia, we have room to roam.  We earned the title "Almost Heaven."

I wish you could see West Virginia and its people as I see them.  Do we have our problems?  Sure we do.  Plenty.  But not because we are West Virginians.  Because we are human beings.  And even with all our problems, I am proud to say I am a West Virginian.  West Virginia is and always will be my home sweet home.

For more posts about West Virginia, go to www.aBetterWestVirginia.com

Thanks to Jason Keeling of that site for the project.

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West Virginia Historical Photos

WVU Libraries has made a bunch of historical photos from 19th and 20th century WV online. as part of their West Virginia History OnView collection. Very cool! Search or browse. It's supposed to have 50,000 images when it's done, but has 5,000 now.

West Virginia History OnView

WV Day Blogging

A group of West Virginia bloggers are planning to post something "defining their vision for a new stereotype of West Virginia" in honor of West Virginia Day (which is Friday). A guy who has the website www.ABetterWestVirginia.com came up with the idea. I am not planning to participate because I don't really have any ideas. But I think it's a good idea and am interested in reading the posts tomorrow.



Here's a newspaper article about it:



http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200806180620

WV Exhibition Coal Mine Reopens

I'd really like to go here this summer.

"From riding through an actual coal mine in a "man car" to wandering around a company store to seeing a miner's shanty house, you can catch a glimpse of life in a Southern West Virginia mining town at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Complex.

After a recent $3.5 million expansion, the largest and most popular coal heritage destination in the region now has even more to offer. A new 14,000-square-foot replica company store houses a museum, visitor center and gift shop. With state-of-the-art displays and multiple kiosks offering information about each area, the complex is enjoyably interactive. The renovation also brings new parking and pedestrian areas, better visitor access from the interstate and outdoor exhibits highlighting coal mining's role in the region's development."

More here: Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Reopens After Renovations

Morning on the Kanawha

Cell phone pics



My favorite tree (on the river)


Okay this one is actually afternoon



Added a bunch of pictures to my Charleston WV web album:

Charleston, West Virginia

Whitewater Grill (for Charleston folks)

Whitewater Grill at the Marriott has a lunch buffet every day - around $8 which includes your drink. Wednesday is Husband's favorite day (roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, etc.). Tuesday is make your own taco day - we haven't been to that one yet.

Friday is fish day. Today they had salmon with a Marker's Mark glaze, wild rice, mixed vegetables and german chocolate cake.

I don't like salmon so I ordered quesadillas from the menu. All the food we have had there has been very good. Maybe next week we'll figure out what chicken day is and go then.

A springtime drive

I've done this in the winter (posted pics of a drive) but not in the spring, my favorite time of the year! Come with me!

At the bottom of the road we'll turn left onto Pinch Ridge Road.



Trees & Clouds



Sunroof Shot



There are redbud trees along the road everywhere



Look at the forsythia in that yard!



A couple of young Hereford cows



Look! Another cow!



It won't be long until these trees are green again



Tower cows on Dutch Ridge Road. That shaggy winter fur must be itchy. The middle cow was scratching her head on the tree.





The Elk River at Queen Shoals in Clay County



Now we're heading back toward home on 119 between Clay and Clendenin



Almost home now! That field needs some cows.