If you haven't done so, take some time to drive to the NC Mountains to see the beautiful frescoes in Glendale Springs and West Jefferson. Allan Edwards and I spent the day on Saturday in the mountains - mostly tromping through cemetaries looking for Blevins ancestor tombstones.
I found the graves of my great-great-grandparents and also happened to meet an 80+ year old woman at one of the cemetaries. After talking for awhile we discovered that her great-grandmother and my great-grandfather Houston (pic to the right) were brother and sister -so we had great-great-grandparents in common.
After we trekked all the cemetaries, we drove for awhile on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped in Glendale Springs to see the fresco at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. This beautiful fresco was painted by NC Native Ben Long. According to the website linked below Buon Fresco is the art of painting on wet plaster. The powdered pigments are mixed with water and applied to fresh lime plaster so that the pigment is absorbed into the plaster. The painting actually becomes part of the wall. It is a technique that has been practiced for centuries and reached its peak with the great masters of the Italian Renaissance.
There are also frescoes just 12 miles away in West Jefferson at St. Mary's Episcopal Church.
I promise you its worth the drive. And while you are in the mountains, say hi to all the ghosts of my ancestors.
Jennifer
For more info on the frescoes see http://www.ecva.org/exhibition/acs/commun_1.html
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