The New Year
The Christmas tree is down, and we’ve stored the tensile stuff.
Winter is upon us which we hope will not be rough.
For weeks we gorged ourselves on meals both good and hearty.
We have welcomed in the New Year with song and drink and party.
The leaves are off the trees, and we can see our neighbor’s houses.
We spend more time indoors with our children and our spouses.
With golf and outdoor sports curtailed ‘til springtime comes again.
There are books to read and games to play, like bridge or maybe gin.
I like the winter in the south where the season’s really short.
It gives me time to freshen when my pep is down a quart.
I enjoy an open fireplace, a bowl of popcorn by my chair.
And time for conversation which at other times is rare.
The snowbirds have all departed to places that are warm.
But some of us would like to see at least one real snowstorm.
The days are getting shorter and nightfall comes too soon.
But then, before we know it, will come the warmth of June.
Bryant Williams
These words of my favorite poet remind me of all the beautiful and nostalgic times of the past year with all of its sadness but unexpected joy also. Hoping a new and fresh start will come to all of us in the coming season with peace and hope and exciting opportunities still to come.
Our Lake Lure Artists had a fantastic art show in November at the Townhall and are already planning for it to become an annual affair. As I write this article we are having our yearly Christmas party at the Vista Clubhouse hosted by our generous hostess, Laura Krejic.
A few months ago, I noticed an article in an art magazine about a famous artist they were honoring who had recently passed away in Washington, DC. His work is shown in the museum there and he is well received in the art community. I recognized his name, Frank G. Wright, as I am fortunate to have one of his paintings. It was a gift to me almost 40 years ago and has remained downstairs in my studio since is it a huge painting and needed a place to be hung by itself. When I realized its providence, my friend Jean Robinson, who is very adept on the internet, looked up his biography and we decided it was time to bring the painting up and display it more properly. It’s an interesting oil painting of a lake and mountains in the fall of the year and duplicates the scene outside my windows overlooking Lake Lure.
I have another piece of art that I have hung up recently. Jodie Karr, a member of the first class to graduate from our Lake Lure Classical Academy and a recent art major graduate from UNCA, has produced an amazing and beautiful mixed-media painting now adorning another place of honor in my home.
It is in keeping with the sentiment of the poem quoted at the beginning of this article to sit with friends and family in front of the fire with a cup of coffee or perhaps a glass of wine and take time to admire them both and to talk about the arts news in the Hickory Nut Gorge. My garden is asleep but the gorgeous view outside my windows is still there to enjoy even on a dreary, cold winter day.
What good is the warmth of summer without
the cold of winter to give it sweetness.
John Steinbeck
