Captain Morgan? Is that you?

Well,

I thought I would share this with you! Since our family decided to have an 18th century costume party, I have been busy with creating the decor for the party. I painted this 6 foot pirate from a very high grade plywood (the kind used for cabinets, etc. ) After transferring the design, my husband cut out the main shape. I then primed the board, let it dry, and painted the figure. This photo has been enhanced in Photoshop to create the unique background. Arrgh!

Happy Fall!

I absolutely love this time of year! Fall in New England is spectacular, with warm days, cool nights, and the horizon ablaze with color.

And pumpkins everywhere!! I hope you enjoy this season too.

Thank you to all who have visited my blog and website recently! I appreciate your kind comments and interest in my artwork. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions about portraits. And once again, thank you!

Here is my latest painting in progress. This painting was created from a photograph of the young girl.

Thar be Pirates!

Our July trip to Cape Cod seemed to have a definite pirate flavor. Of course, with my love of history, and a 12 year old daughter in love with Jack Sparrow (and what's not to love about

Jack?), the boys just simply had to tag along!

First stop was at Heritage Museum and Gardens ( in Sandwich, MA) to see the new exhibit which explores America's facination with pirates. The highlight of this exhibit for my daughter was the autographed photo of Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack!

Next, we scooted down to Newport, RI, and took a spooky walking Ghost Tour through the dark streets of the little seaside town. We heard tales of lost ships and lost souls, and a tavern still creaking with a pirate past.

As if this wasn't enough, we pointed the minivan toward P-town, and visited the dockside museum of the pirate ship The Whydah, which was found by Barry Clifford and his team of explorers in 1984, off the coast of Cape Cod.

Well, we couldn't leave the Cape without a round of minigolf at Pirate's Cove! I actually think minigolf is an olympic sport! Aaargh!

What has all this got to do with colonial history and my blog? Pirates were a very real part of life in the American colonies, and the results of their deeds could be felt in the towns populating the Eastern seaboard. Pirate "treasure" was often very marketable, such as spices, teas, and slaves. Selling and trading such commodities by the pirates undermined the hardworking merchants and affected the economy. Trade routes were interrupted, goods were pillaged, destroyed and lost at sea. But this all pales in comparison to the fact that lives were lost to the pirates' cruelty.

Much is confirmed about the violent way of life aboard a pirate ship. However, certain elements of pirate life have enticed scholars to use words such as"democratic" and "majority rules" to describe the 'code of articles' by which they lived.

If you are interested in pirates, I suggest the book by David Cordingly, Under the Black Flag. You'll never look at a pirate the same way again!

A Work in Progress

Despite the bustle of summer activities and mini-vacations,
I have managed to continue my work on Col. Pettit!
Here I show a detail of his right hand,
with which I am very pleased.

Many thanks to all of you

who have visited my website recently!

The Needle in the Haystack

A recent trip to Plymouth, MA yielded wonderful results for my ancestry search! After obtaining certificates of my grandfather's marriage and death, I asked the town clerk where he was buried. She directed us to Vine Hills Cemetery. So off went went...

A short drive later, we entered a local cemetery through the rear gate. No sign was posted, so we weren't even sure we had the right one. Acres and acres of little rolling hills, populated by thousands of headstones, spread out before us. We split up for the search, looking for the Ruel Thomas grave marker.

Finally reaching the main gate, we identified the cemetery as the Vine Hills. A few minutes later, Russell called out, "I found it!" I could not believe it! It was like finding a needle in a haystack. After the emotion of the discovery passed, we took photos, and remarked on how God surely must have a hand in such things. We continued our day in Plymouth by visiting the Howland House, and Plimoth Plantation.

Now, I just need to continue gathering documents and evidence proving my Mayflower heritage.

Mayflower Decendant

While researching colonial paintings, I came across some information on The Mayflower Society, a society for the descendants of people who came over on the Mayflower in 1620. I thought, "How neat," not realizing I was about to embark on a genealogical adventure! After poking around on Ancestry.com, and phoning my elderly aunt, I discovered that I might possibly be descended from 3 members of the original passenger group on The Mayflower - John Howland, Elizabeth Tilley, and Richard Warren. A little bit of ancestral sleuthing further confirmed my suspicion, so soon I will be off to Plymouth county, in search of vital records and burial places. What is so coincidental about the whole thing, is that last fall I designed one of my soap labels about the Pilgrim John Howland. How was I to know he might be my Great Grampy, 11 times back?!!!

I will keep you posted on my search results!