National Park Adventure Part 1

Over the past couple months I've managed to have two great encounters with park locations.  Here's a quick write up of the first adventure!

So back on Labor day weekend I was itching to do something as my husband and I visited my family in Richmond, Virginia.  No one was feeling like going too far, so I took Bryan and my dad out to the Maggie L. Walker historic site for a tour.  My mom and I had visited a couple years ago and were highly impressed.  My husband and dad agreed with this opinion once they saw the importance this site has.

Maggie L. Walker was the first female, African American bank founder, and the bank was the longest continuously running African American operated bank in the US, 1903-2009.  Plus she did amazing things in her community through the Order of St. Luke and her connections with other prominent individuals during her lifetime.  The site includes her home as well as several nearby buildings, and her house is a gem among them.  She presented a completely modern, elegant face to the world through her home, which had electricity, indoor plumbing, and eventually an elevator, all before 1930!  It's heartbreaking that Walker isn't better known to the world considering this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all she did during her lifetime.

This picture is from the NPS site

There's a fantastic virtual tour you can see here at the NPS website, but I recommend a visit in person if you're able!

Next up, I cover some some stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway I've never visited here in North Carolina.  Plus a blog about some interests that lie closer to home, and updates on art.  Til next time!

Love,
Lydia

Days 80-86

Hi folks!

Here's the animation of the book you've all been waiting for, and yet it's a GIF, and that's why it looks funky.  I kind of like the funk though.  Tell me what you think!

It loses some detail in the transition, but you can still make out some of the most important parts.  And it was pretty fun to make, which along with it having a lot or personal meaning made it really rewarding to me.  And now there's yet another new project from The Art Assignment that you're all able to participate in, it was just posted today - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slCnZzsETVM

I don't know what I'll be doing for that one yet, but I'm definitely going to doing it.  In fact I think I might even incorporate it into some of my upcoming art lessons that I'll be teaching!  I actually just got off the phone with someone about it; I'll be teaching their teenager, focusing on drawing mostly.  So I'm really excited about that, and am already getting ideas for a first lesson pulled together.  If you have any particularly fun activities you feel were good for your learning project, please feel free to share them with me!

See you tomorrow!
Love, Lydia

Days 50-56

Well everyone,

The past week has passed by in a blur, job applications sent off, resume tweaks for each one, being more active on Twitter, searching every job site I can think of, spending time with family, planning for either a trip to Virginia or Pennsylvania soon depending on some family news, looking for artistic opportunities, and continuing work on art pieces here and there.  Some of it is ridiculously boring, and some of it slightly less so.

Twitter for instance has been making a big change in how I'm communicating with people.  I've heard about a lot more local art shows and events through it.  In a few weeks of using it regularly I feel much more connected to what's going on in Raleigh, as well as Roanoke and Columbus!  Feel free to add me - @Lydiasdesigns

Highlights of this week include:

Celebrating my husband's birthday with his family
Searching for a snowy owl (failing, but getting the consolation prize of Girl Scout cookies!)
Getting our taxes done other than a W2 that's missing
Seeing the film Chico & Rita and the NC Museum of Fine Arts
Updating my computer OS from Snow Leopard to Mavericks (not sure what I think of all the changes!)
Completing 3 weeks of a health awareness regimen (which I hope to continue in the long term)
Joining the Raleigh Tabletop Roleplay group on Meetup.com (I went to their GM Fair last year, where Bryan GMed a game of Hackmaster, and we tried playing Traveler - a space exploring ame)

Since things have been moving slow I'll be getting a little more action in posting a special "Ask me anything" on Facebook tomorrow and will give results here on my blog later this week. Waiting til things calm down in my personal life to do this - 2/26/14.

Additionally here's an update on how "Bianca" is going:

Thanks and until next time!

Love, Lydia


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