Summer of 1969: My 17th year as a teenager:
Of course, I had trouble identifying myself and I was in the midst of changing times during 1969 with the Vietnam war and the stress of being in public high school as sophomore without support services. It was 1969 and I was 17 years old. I spent many hours traveling around the midwest in my 1964 Chevrolet Impala.
I would often escape from family and friends to go down to Gamaliel, Arkansas. I stayed at maternal grandparents. I spent many hours in the woods thinking and thinking. I was 17 and the craziness going on. My grandparents were busy tending around the property and going fishing. They would often drag me to go fishing even at night. They called it night fishing. They would hang the lantern on one side of the boat. We would sit quietly into the wee hours of morning.
I did enjoy the serenity of night fishing and all the mystery of surrounding area such as the glow of light beaming into the darkness. The water was green and some fish swimming around underneath the boat attracted to the light of lantern. I did sometime sneak off and go fishing alone. You can see the proof in the pudding in the picture above. =)
It was July 1969 when my family and grandparents watched the moon landing. It was on black and white television screen that my eyes were glued on the screen seeing the historic landing. Grandma Ruth made frozen chocolate fudge and we all ate some fudge with milk. It was fun night.
I can remember the breeze at nights when we take windows down and enjoy the gentle breeze. It was refreshing to smell Arkansas air. All the trees around the property and very natural.
During the stay in Gamaliel, I spent many hours thinking and did some watercolors. I did not realize they were in my box in basement that I did not open for about 27 years. I am glad to have them and will have them framed. They will grace the wall in my office.
I will save the rest for later.
Now here are the pictures as I drew them at age of 17 during the summer of 1969.
I walked down the country road and saw a house. I made it up and did the water color.
It was when I was visioning about my grandmother and how she would be alone in future if my grandfather passed on. I was envisioning where she might live. I was 17 and innocent. =) She would often tell me about her old days like her picture on the wall and all the stuff of comfort for her needs. I loved her and she was a sweet grandmother despite my bristleness about her old fashioned values clashing with my 1969 values. She would often walk the floor whenever I drive into town (Mountain Home (across Lake Norfolk with a ferry). She was afraid I would hurt myself. I rolled my eyes many times. I would wail, "Grandma! I can drive and I am fine! Quit worrying!"
Then I was thinking back to 1900's after reviewing grandparent's albums and made an idea about how a woman wore and acted in that era. I drew that out of boredom. It was raining outside so I decided to do it on the porch with the view of lake. It was nice and cool out on the screened in porch. I remember viewing Pike's Head or something across the lake. It was serene and it gave me the will to water paint this one.
I was out on the lake one summer day and was drawing the picture of the family house. It was different as I was trying to visualize the way I would like to see happen when the time comes. I was 17 and naive! of course! But I did my darndest best to draw from the environment while on choppy waters. Luckily, some water did splashed on my drawings, but I managed to save it.
It was when I was thinking of a wizard making a rainbow. Another naive act of me? he he! That's it!
