weeds or flowers?

One persons weed patch is another's flower bed. Between the drought last summer that killed off all the grass and the copious rain this past winter, we had a bumper crop of weeds in our yard this spring. I was out mowing down some of the weeds the other day and decided I'd better leave these, this being the Texas State Flower and all. There were only a couple of blooms then, but they have really begun to bloom now. I didn't get them all in this shot either.

Things I hope you will teach my grandchildren

I have been reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. It was free on Kindle. He expressed very well in his philosophy of life a concept that I have always thought if understood and applied would do more to induce people (especially the youth who are more likely to chafe and rebel at being restricted) than almost any other to keep the commandments.

"In this piece it was my design to explain and enforce this doctrine; that vicious actions are not hurtful because they are forbidden, but forbidden because they are hurtful, the nature of man alone considered; that it was, therefore, every one’s interest to be virtuous who wish’d to be happy even in this world; and I should, from this circumstance (there being always in the world a number of rich merchants, nobility, states, and princes, who have need of honest instruments for the management of their affairs, and such being so rare), have endeavored to convince young persons that no qualities were so likely to make a poor man’s fortune as those of probity and integrity.”

It is interesting that the style of writing is reminiscent of the Book of Mormon. The long complex sentences being one of the things that make it difficult to read. This was written in the mid to late 1700s not many years before Joseph Smith was born and the prevailing style of writing was probably very similar in Joseph Smiths day.

Correction

The portrait artist was Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) an American painter, soldier and naturalist. He is best known for his portraits of George Washington. In January 2005, his full length portrait of "Washington at Princeton" from 1779 sold for $21.3 million dollars, setting a record for the highest price paid for an American portrait, according to Wikipedia.

SAMA part 2

OK, here's the rest. First a portrait of an Indian (native american) chief. then the Chinese pieces. I'll let them speak for themselves.

SAMA

In case anyone is still checking my blog after so long a period of inactivity, I will post some pictures of our field trip today. Unfortunately, they only allow photos without flash and I only had my phone to take pictures anyway so they are not of the highest quality. I was helping to chaperone the Latin students on a field trip to the San Antonio Museum of Art to experience some of the Greco-Roman culture. Since they didn't have anything specific for me to do, I pretty much just toured the museum. They have the largest collection of Greco-Roman art in Texas and probably in the Southwestern US. Here are some of the things that caught my attention (mostly not Greco-Roman).

This was in the modern collection


This was in the Southwest collection, I believe.


You would have to see this one in person to get the full effect. It is a huge very ornate carved wooden desk in the Mexican collection. A close up of the top below.


A huge (about 12' tall) very ornate painting of the famous Virgen of Guadalupe also in the Mexican collection.

Another view to try to get the whole thing in one frame. The long candle holders on the sides were at least 6' long.

Unfortunately, this is not a good shot. It is a relative of ours (on both Suzanne's and my lines) from the European collection. A member of the English Royalty or Nobility. I dont remember her name now.
A French desk (Louis IV era) from the European collection.


These two portraits of husband and wife by the same artist (Charles W. Peak) are the most life-like I have ever seen. He even captured the glistening from the moisture around the eyes. Unfortunately you can't see them very well in these photos. The other portraits looked flat and lifeless by comparison.

I will post some from the Chinese collection in another post.

Interesting information on the Hulets

I found some interesting information in a blog about the Hulets.
This one shows the Native American ancestors which are disputed by others. It also has histories of many of the Hulet ancestors.

Hulet line

This one has a video of the Charles Hulet farm area and the Sylvanus Hulet grave headstone in Ohio. (Click on the First LDS Member
link)

Gardner Blog

How Many of Me?

Our librarian at work is always sending out links to interesting web sites. This is one she sent today.

www.howmanyofme.com  

Did you Know?

• There are 2,626,763 people in the U.S. with the first name Richard.
• Statistically the 8th most popular first name.
• 99.77 percent of people with the first name Richard are male.

• There are 141,834 people in the U.S. with the last name Lawrence.
• Statistically the 219th most popular last name.
• Famous people with the last name Lawrence:

• • Brian Lawrence
  • Francis Lawrence
  • John Lawrence
  • Marc Lawrence
  • Martin Lawrence
  • Quentin Lawrence
  • Ray Lawrence

There are 1,211 people in the U.S. named Richard Lawrence.