— The recent violent unrest in Kenya<\/a> has provided days of concern for Dan and Sheryl\u2019s Elizabeth, but word has arrived from Neil<\/a> that she and her group are safe. It will be good to hear from her directly, and hopefully that will happen soon.<\/p>\n (Variations on a Theme by — NBC lives up to its reputation for prematurely yanking some of the best dramas on TV. In the spirit of keeping profanity to a minimum at this site, I\u2019ll let another blogger express my profound dismay<\/a>.<\/p>\n — During my recent morgue reorganization<\/a>, I came across a post card written by Dana\u2019s father in 1932 to his younger brother. Clearly, it was one of those items we\u2019d rescued from a spasm of \u201cmovin\u2019 madness<\/a>,\u201d before Aunt Marian and Uncle Dick gave up their home in Dayton and moved to San Diego. The card is from the Art Institute of Chicago and depicts a Vermont landscape Rockwell Kent painted in 1921\u2014 Mount Equinox, Winter<\/a>.<\/em> Almost twenty years after coming into our possession, neither of us remembers how it ended up in the reference files, but we both deemed it too valuable to exclude from the family archives. I put it on the scanner earlier today, never imagining that tonight we\u2019d stumble upon Part One of the PBS documentary about Kent that I missed seeing earlier this year. Familiar with his work as a book illustrator and wood engraver<\/a>, I knew little about his paintings, nor did I have a coherent appreciation for his life as an artist and adventurer<\/a>. The man certainly had his flaws (addicted to infidelity and cruel practical jokes), but, Good Lord, what an amazingly prolific creative genius! <\/p>\n — Well, I\u2019d better quit. Tomorrow begins a new cycle of productivity, and 2008 should be a great year. Nic and Michelle will marry, Marty will begin to drive, Peat will finish her degree, Bruce will get a place of his own, Brendan will publish his book, and the \u201cBay-bo Gril\u201d will make her way to Yorkshire Estate. Follow it all here at Uncle John\u2019s! <\/em><\/p>\n
— I completed a twelfth work in my series of \u201cGrandy-bo Variations,\u201d but I won\u2019t be including another in the current format for our Christmas exchange, because, for the past two years, my painting has ended up in the hands of a household that already had a \u201cG-bo.\u201d I\u2019ve got to think of a better way to disseminate new pieces to those who haven\u2019t received one, or switch to a medium that accommodates limited-edition printmaking for wider distribution. <\/p>\n
\nGrandy-bo, Part Eleven<\/em>)<\/p>\n
![Mount Equinox, Winter<\/a>.<\/em> Almost twenty years after coming into our possession, neither of us remembers how it ended up in the reference files, but we both deemed it too valuable to exclude from the family archives. I put it on the scanner earlier today, never imagining that tonight we\u2019d stumble upon Part One of the PBS documentary about Kent that I missed seeing earlier this year. Familiar with his work as a](\"http:\/\/www.artic.edu\/aic\/collections\/citi\/images\/standard\/WebLarge\/WebImg_000002\/1215_184632.jpg\"){kind=link}
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