Art Show

Madison sold her first piece of art tonight - a lucky couple from Forsyth County bought her framed masterpiece, promptly bringing it home and hanging it on the wall nearby her room.  Tonight was the big art show, a clever ruse by the school to raise money - basically, they take pictures that our kids have made, frame them, and then make them available for for viewing in a gallery, like the one you see below.

Madison is seen here, appraising the work on display.  She's taking note of the nuances and details of the grand sweeps of the paintbrush, discerning the artist's overall vision and technique.  Yes, each one of these framed masterworks had a small price tag on them, and by now you've caught on to the clever ruse.  What parent wouldn't buy their kids artwork if it was on display?  Imagine your child's art, the only one left in the gallery, because nobody would buy it!

Fortunately, the price wasn't in the stratosphere - and also, it looked very nice.  The art teacher at her school did a swell job with all the children's works.  We enjoyed touring the "gallery," which if you can't tell by now, is the school's gym.

It was neat getting to see all the artwork from the kids, presented nicely and framed.  We snatched Madison's up before anyone else could buy it - we were initially afraid of a bidding war over this masterwork, but were able to pick it up quickly before the real art connoisseurs swept onto the scene and started fawning over her creation.  Mommy had just the right place for it at home:  it's on the wall in the hallway, just before you enter her room.  You can see it as you're walking down the hall towards her room, and it looks perfect there.

There were other things to do at the school that night, as if the art gallery wasn't enough!  One activity the kids could enjoy was boat building, where kids assembled a hull, mast and sails all on their own.  It was very important to read and follow the steps on the wall, as explained numerous times by the gentleman overseeing the projects.  Apparently, these amateur boat builders were just expecting to make something that floated in a jiffy!

But not Madison.  She was in tune with the construction process, and after a few set-backs in the testing pool, she and Daddy finally created a vessel that was seaworthy!  We hoisted the sail on a tiny toothpick, and Madison christened her new boat, The Minnie.  Here's a memorable image of this fine ship on her maiden voyage:

As you can see, the canals for these boats were made of piping, filled with just enough water for an adventurous voyage down the hall.  All we asked for is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by.  And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking and a gray mist on the sea's face and a gray dawn breaking.

Madison guided her fine ship down the straight and narrow towards it's destiny, the master and high commander of the intrepid Minnie.

Ahoy and avast, the gales blew and fine trade wind held the course steady as she goes.  The crew of The Minnie felt the spray of sea salt in their faces as they made passage down the hall.  It was a grand adventure, an epic journey across the waves.  Well it's not far down to paradise, at least it's not for me.  And if the wind is right, you can sail away and find tranquility.  The canvas can do miracles - just believe me.