This 4th of July...Remember Project Compassion

Let's remember the hundreds of service men and women who have fought and died for this great nation of ours...Please give a little something to this marvelous cause called Project Compassion...Go to it...Read about it...And give something if you can...

http://www.heropaintings.com/ShowGallery.aspx?Gallery=1

You won't regret it...

Portrait of Arnold Palmer

While sitting in a doctor's office I came across a photo of Arnold Palmer on the cover of an old Golf Digest Magaazine taken by Johnn Dominis...In 1964 I did a scratchboard illustration from that photo...I always liked that photo of Arnie...but I always liked the scratchboard I did of him over forty years ago too...

Peace Pilgrim Walks On...

In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned the Peace Pilgrim...Although I don't believe she ever professed a personal religous belief... I feel she had to be as close to a saint as anyone has ever come...To read more about her go to:

http://www.peacepilgrim.com/

or the latest news letter from Friends of the Peace Pilgrim:

http://www.peacepilgrim.org/FoPP/newsletter/pdf/nl54.pdf

Peace Pilgrim

1908 - 1981

 

Between 1953 and 1981 Peace Pilgrim walked more then 25,000 miles across the country spreading her message— "This is the way of peace: Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love." Carrying in her tunic pockets her only possessions, she vowed, "I shall remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." She talked with people on dusty roads and city streets, to church, college, civic groups, on TV and radio, discussing peace within and without.

Her pilgrimage covered the entire peace picture: peace among nations, groups, individuals, and the very important inner peace—because that is where peace begins.

She believed that world peace would come when enough people attain inner peace. Her life and work showed that one person with inner peace can make a significant contribution to world peace.

( There is a book on her and her beliefs...it is free...check out her web site and get you a copy...It may help change your life...Uncle Ron)

Let's talk about FOOD...

A couple of nights ago I took my lady friend to a Mexican Restaurant...Why? Because she likes Mexican food...I have other friends who like it as well...I have not been in the same camp...It wasn't that I didn't like it...I just never knew what to order off the menu...I don't speak Spanish...I barely speak American...So when I look at a menu that offers me Enchiladas...Quesadillas...Chimichanga...Tortillas...Fiattas...Papadzules...I begin to sweat...I just don't know what these names mean...Okay...so I know a couple...But I really would prefer a menu that says Chicken in Peanut Sauce (we call it Pollo Encachuatdo)...or... Tender pork topped with Onions (we call it Poc-Chuc)

OK...laugh at me...A month ago...A group I belong to called "The Sociable Singles" went to this very restaurant I am speaking of...Everyone (there was about 9 of us...) seemed to know what to order...One member sitting across from me ordered the Taco Salad...That didn't sound all that filling until she said you can eat the bowl it is served in...What...Eat the bowl too?...I never heard of such a thing...Well I ordered it also and with chicken...She ordered it with beef...And do you know what?...I ate the whoooooooole thing...

So what did I order this time...That's right...but with beef this time...Yum Yum...

Old Town - New Town

The New Township

Boy It's Hot...(photo by Margie)

Beautiful silk flags being sold next to my booth...

                               Panorama of Block Party

The Old Township Auditorium is now...The New Township Auditorium...and it is beautiful...both inside and out...So...for the opening they held a street party with lots of artistic folks selling their wares...I brought my sombreros with me and was ready to do some sketches but the weather was soooooooo hot...I don't think they wanted to sit for me yesterday...But...we (Margie and I)did have a cool breeze most of the day...and there was a large stage with lots of live entertainment all day ...and there was free hot dogs and colas, and popcorn...and  we ended up at a staff party in the basement with lots of good eats (Marge and I loved the boiled shrimp)and drinks...

Jeffrey Day

Miss Olive Oyl

We were honored to have two well known figures stop by for the festivities...The first was Jeffrey Day...Our resident art critic...I guess he came to check out all of the fine artist's work he wouldn't normally see in the museums...and the second was the most famous wrestling fan of all..Miss Olive Oyl...Anyone who has ever attended the famous wrestling matches which the Township was known for will remember her...She use to sit ringside almost in the same seat every week and give those wrestlers, Rick Fair and others a fit with her vocal comments...(Those were the days , my friends)

June 14 th... Flag Day

I never forget Flag Day...Because my older brother John was born on that day...This year he will turn 87 years old...No...he will turn 87 years young!

Our mom and dad had four sons...Victor, John , Roger and Ronny (that's me) Our two brothers Vic and Rog have passed away...We were all born in Chicago, IL...Johnny married a West Coumbia girl and settled in West Columbia...I married a southern Ohio girl and settled in Columbia...Both of our dear wives have passed on...But Johnny,at the age of 85 has remarried...(You son-of-a-gun ,you) His lovely wife, Marie and he are avid health advocates...They try to eat veggies and fruits every chance they get...Johnny says he's going to live to be 100...I hope so...and I hope I'm around to celebrate that day too...but for now I'm going to celebrate Monday, (Flag Day) with Johnny and his family..."Happy Birthday, Brother...."

Mad Lady Maxine of wrestling

Back in 1985 when I had my own commercial photography studio in Columbia, I had the privilege of photographing four young  "Up and Coming" lady wrestlers ...They were moving down to Florida to grapple with more lady wrestlers...They decided to put together a brochure with photos to advertise themselves...Well...the most notable of these women was the tallest...She stood 6'-2" in her bare feet with a mohawk hairdo...She had a great figure and weighed about 170 lbs....She was called Mad Maxine...Since most wrestlers are typed as either Good Guys or Bad Guys...Maxine was a Bad Guy...And she was very formidable when she entered the ring...In her move to Florida she renamed herself "Lady Maxine"...

I had often wondered whatever happened to her...Well lo and behold...from out of the blue, I get this e-mail from her the other day...She is writing her memoirs of her wrestling days and came across my name on one of my photos...She googled me and found my blog...This world is getting smaller isn't it? She only wrestled for a year or so...but she made her mark on the wrestling scene...She is listed in Wikipedia as Mad Maxine...Look her up...
(The other ladies in the photo are Peggy Lee Pringle, Angella "Luna" Vachon and Tamara...)

Is life not good?

To Flush Or Not to Flush...

That is the question...Nooooooooooo....That WAS the question...Now that my septic tank has been found and relieved of 25 years of poopoo....I can FLUUUUUUUUUSH all I want...HallalooYa Baby..... I have to say that these two young men worked diligently probing the ground with that T-bar tool in the picture until they found the tank ...They had to trek through my woods full of briers and bugs and animals  for about thirty yards (probing all the way) until they found it...EUREKA!!! I was never so relieved in my whole life...It reminded me of the old jingle that Alka-Seltzer used way back when..."Plop,plop...Fizz, fizz...Oh what a relief it is...."

I froze at the Freeze (Flash Freeze)

I participated in a Flash Freeze the other day at the Dutch Square Mall at 1:00 PM...check out the video...This  group of artists are called Artrageous-SC...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgHQv5XED3o