Posted by Unknown at 2:59 PM
I've always wanted to sit outside, on some crowded sidewalk, painting as people come and go around me. This past Market Days weekend I did just that.
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| S Bond outside of Art's Cool |
For weeks, I had been looking down the street that extends to the left of our porch (Here at the Little Red School House). There is a door down there, the only thing along the view that is truly Perpendicular to the street. The other doors and windows are all facing the street, and thus nearly hidden from view.
Just how to paint that special doorway has been on my mind a lot over the weeks leading up to Market. I took pictures to study, in various lights, and then put together a simple paint kit, something akin to Bob Ross meets Jerry Yarnell and they fight to the death, sort of deal... Anyhow, I had paint, brushes, and a good idea, I hoped.
I figured, quite obviously, that to become successful with ART here on The Mountain, I need to get plenty of material on display. The Art Buying public can be a fickle lot; one never knows when or where they will be moved to purchase. I can only count on the fact that THE MOUNTAIN calls people up here in some special way, and that what I'm capturing, hopefully, calls them to take it home with them, a part of The Mountain to call their own.
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We had a few pieces ready as Market came:
Plus some of the awesomeness that can only be Feathermaye:
as we opened the new studio/shop: Art's Cool...
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Sign made entirely of random debris we found laying around on the hill
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So, after two afternoons, I had this finished:
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Porches on Lazy Days Lane
by S. Bond Herndon |
It's clear that we've got a ways to go yet. We need walls full of Mountain, and that's what we'll spend this next month working on...
Once again we thank you for following this blog. You can always find us on facebook as you stumbleupon looking for stuff to digg. Please be sweet and give this one a TWEET!
Posted by Unknown at 5:29 PM
It took the fabulous feathermaye and I exactly two seconds of standing on this Mountain to realize that we were looking at ART WORLD:a place full of subject material right out of an artist's dream...
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I mean, c'mon... this place is a time warp, what would you do if you found
all this around you? Got paint? Got a sketch book? A camera? |
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This one, and a couple of others are set ups for a few pen & ink pieces
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Classic walkways that disappear around
irresistible corners...
In reality this bump of sand was once
the playground of artists
The aged wood, shapes...tickle the sketcher's eye...
Old West meets our age...
all yours to capture
look up...
look down...
Art is waiting for you here...
This place has been home to painters, photographers, and World Class Sculptors. Street performers and glass blowers with chainsaw art wielding husbands. Musicians, dancers and (like your's truly) a few novelists. This fertile mound is now ready for its next colony of artists to form. They only need set foot here once...
If you've been a starving artist working shows and traveling from here to there, you need to add Canton, and The Mountain, to your plans.
If you have a closet full of paintings, or a garage full of furniture that you've reclaimed and turned into fantastic works of art, you just might find the place where it all comes together, here, were ART HAPPENS every 1st Monday of the Month "Market Days" here in Canton, Texas.
Shop Canton, Experience The MOUNTAIN!
Posted by Unknown at 12:59 AM
Okay, so I'm a bit self-prejudiced since she is, after all, my lovely wife...However, I'm the grandson, and son, of artist-women-folk; good ones. I know good when I see it with my eyes.
and so, I'm quite proud to announce that the Herndons have gotten their ART ON!
Next Market Weekend will be the official unveiling of feathermaye multimedia's "MOUNTAIN ART".
Here's just a taste folks: Another masterpiece by feathermaye...
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Waiting in the Wings: by feathermaye
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We hope you'll drop by to see our
work... fun!
Shop Canton, experience The Mountain!
We invite you to follow our little blog here, and thanks to all who've just joined in on the fun. You can always find us on facebook, and I'm known to Stumlbeupon great notions that I Digg. And, hey, if you'd be so sweet, please give this one a Tweet!
Posted by Unknown at 8:33 PM
It really doesn't matter what sort of place you get on The Mountain, as long as it has a really great porch...
Plenty of porches left here...Come claim one of your own. Art, happens here every 1st Monday Market. Shop Canton, experience The Mountain!
Posted by Unknown at 9:06 AM
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| Throngs of shoppers flood Canton |
Over a Million visitors flooded the town below us, but only a few thousand ventured up this hill. That's in part due to the fact that most of what happens up here, happens at night. However, low crowds during the day are also due to the fact that the word about the place is not getting out, any more. That's part of the role we've assigned ourselves...
You've all witnessed how we have fallen in love with this sandy bump in East Texas. We can't let it lose its identity as "The Best kept Secret in Texas". No, sir, and we ask not for one dime, we just want the word to get out; we want stale and out-of-date websites that still draw hits at the top of search engines, to be replaced by hits that filter through this blog, by you, our faithful followers. After all, this is about getting your attention, and trusting that if it moves you to do so, you'll not hesitate to pass it along to your own networks. Hey, that's what a blog can do...
But for all of the ones that found their way up here...
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| LZ putting the final touches on her evolving dream |
TWIRL! a Photography Boutique premiered this weekend and I watched, grinned and even twirled my-own-self as the vision that was only last Market Days referred to by its central story line: "Miss Lilly's Closet", metamorph'd, in serendipitous fashion, to become 'Twirl'. Feathermaye Multi-Media even zipped together a really cool sign with Laurie's script design in lights that made the joint pop even more.
Like a magnet people were drawn to the elaborate Zebra Tree set, wondering what, oh what, could this be... Then, about sundown on Friday, it took off as the first set of girls flooded in, chose outfits and got to twirling while The Divine Mz. Z, feathermaye, and even a reserve photographer (Becky Mottolese) put their creative eyes behind Mz. Z's designs and directions, and as spectators stood agape in the street watching, the dance that is 'Twirl!' flowed, organically, magically. By 9:00pm Saturday, the artists were spent, dragging...
Be sure to check out Part Three in the next issue!
As always, we would love it if you follow this blog,and you can always find us on facebook. Often, you'll stumbleupon us, but if you'd be so sweet, please give this one a Tweet! Digg it!
Posted by Unknown at 7:36 PM
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That's right, we rented this little Red School House, right
here on The Mountain: Current HQ for
feathermaye multimedia |
IF you're just joining us, I'll begin by telling you that we are hiding out on The Mountain, here in Canton, Texas.
You'll also find several additional blogs here on the site about The Mountain, Canton, and what, exactly, The Herndons are doing on this hill.
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The Texicans were in full swing:
led flying, pistols popping
every hour! |
Now, for everyone else in the Posse...
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| Lecia's Designs were a natural crowd stopper... |
We had us a root'n toot'n, shoot'em up weekend here on The Mountain. Our guest Artist Lecia Zinna set up a small exhibit of her work and met many fellow artisans that love coming here, not only for the exposure to thousands of eyes during Market Days, but also for the camaraderie shared by an artist's contemporaries, regardless of their art, we all starve, we all crave the company of others with similar aspirations, however lofty, or simple they may be...
More about this weekend coming in the next issue!
As always, we would love it if you follow this blog, and you can always find us on facebook. You can also find us as we Stumbleupon and if you'd be so sweet, please give this one a tweet! Digg it!
Posted by Unknown at 4:09 PM
I know I've already told you about the little B&B we are staying in: The Mardi Gras is but one of many similar Bed and Baths, or in some cases Bed and Breakfasts that dot the Calliope-like mix of structures on this hill.
Mountain B&Bs are a mainstay here; many of the shoppers and night clients of THE MOUNTAIN are those staying in these quaint little sleepers. They've shopped all over Canton during the day, and after dropping their bags in their B&B, are once again ready to take to the hill for some night time fun!
At the base of the hill, you'll find great places like: The Long Branch Hotel where Tony Lewis runs, what has been voted: one of The BEST Hotels in Canton for the last eight years. Tony also puts out an excellent breakfast buffet, with all the trimmings for his guests.
Buffalo Girls is as rustic as they come...Old West charm in the middle of the twenty-first century. That's the point of this place. There's even a scheduled Shoot Out in front of the porch, usually lined with spectators as THE TEXICANS start slinging led.
As you move up the hill you'll see more and more of the smaller B&Bs. Right next door to us is The Big Easy, another of the festively decorated B&Bs. Pink Debbie owns the Big Easy and a few others as well. She's from Deep Down in Louisiana, where they make Mardi Gras floats and gowns. Some of those very same gowns are on display in various B&Bs around The Mountain. The artwork alone on these gowns is incredible!
This would be the longest blog in history if I tried to put up shots of all the B&Bs here... Instead, I've tried to put in a wide range of styles, since the styles can very from boxy old shot-gun design to something akin to a fort built by Spanky and the gang, or even Butch and his gang--I wasn't thinking of Sundance and Butch, but them too.
No matter the architecture, it fits with the general idea of The Mountain: FUN.
After all, Mountain B&Bs are about having a nice, comfy, or even cushy place to flop after you've dropped from all the shopping!
I'm including a list of all the websites and their respective booking sites for you to choose from. We really hope to see YOU on The Mountain soon!
As always, we would love to have you follow this blog, and if you'd be so sweet and give this one a tweet!
Posted by Unknown at 8:16 AM
No one is standing there ready to hand out advice when you set out to see if you can find America. You accumulate it as you go; sometimes folks you encounter along the way will offer up some useful tidbits, time or money savers that help--but most of the time, it's trial and error. And, we've got a lot of ideas. But, that's how it goes...
The Fabulous Feathermaye and I have finally concluded that WE are going to have to jot down the notes that others can follow. Some of it is silly, sure, some of it can really make a difference. As I've said in earlier blogs: We are operating from a very thin precipice... avoiding mistakes can be the difference in staying in your budget, or going hungry.
Of course, the best way for a Blogger/Novelist/Humorist/Satirist to pay for his or her room and board, is by Advertising!
I don't want to make too much of this; after all, the last thing I want to do is alienate my readers, just to make a buck. Besides, no readers=no blog=no advertising bucks to keep going with.
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| Does ANY insect repellent actually work? |
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My Fabulously Brilliant wife has taken great pains to shop for the right sort of advertising clients, not based upon how much we can make; but rather upon the sort of products or services that I'm already talking about in the blog.
Beyond that, we had to decide if the product or service is something that we can actually get behind, actually promote, in other words: Would we use this ourselves?
A very wise man named Judge Ziglar
(yes, that one, the brother of Zig) told me once that it's always important to remember the last four letters in the word "enthusiasm". The Judge told Yours Truly that those four letters actually mean: I Am Sold Myself. Ergo, we now have some new affiliate advertisers that we not only care about, but feel their product lines are unique and fit well with our over-all theme. And, just so you know... Judge Ziglar once sold TV sets in rural Mississippi, before there were any TV Stations!
He also holds the world's record in sales of Pots and Pans, Insurance, you name it. The man knew what he was talking about. That's the sort of advice you tend to keep...
We will diligently report any and all new products that we come across as helpful or useful. And, we hope to develop long term relationships with our affiliates, as we open up the rest of our web pages in the near future.
Allow me to introduce our new affiliate sponsors!
The Fan Zoo is, simply stated, a Sports Memorabilia distributor, based out of Vancouver, Canada. Their overall mission, however, is so much more. From their website:
The Fan Zoo is committed to "Connecting Athletes with their Communities of fans" through:
- Sports Memorabilia signings
- Hockey player events with local children and youth
- Hockey schools
- Outfitting local sports teams
All our sports initiatives have a societal impact on local organizations or individuals.
The next company we're now working with, and equally excited about, is SpiceBox Ltd. As promised on their website:
SpiceBox creates high quality books and activity kits, designed to foster learning, friendship, fun and laughter.
This mission is very special to Feathermaye and me. Also, knowing that many of you have artistic interests and hobbies, and a few of you are STARVING ARTISTS like us, we really couldn't turn away from the chance to do business with such fine folks. These cool art kits are a fantastic way to expose your talent to different media, without investing a fortune! We love to go look at their product line...
**I also want to mention that both The Fan Zoo and SpiceBoxBooks.com reached out to us personally in response to our application for affiliate advertising. Both companies took the time to visit this website and ask questions to determine how well we fit together. These are exactly the sorts of relationships we hope to foster over the coming years.
Stay tuned for the next edition of "...ways and means..." to hear about some of our other sponsors, like Minimus.biz (which you absolutely NEED when living life in survival-mode), and FiveFingerTees.com, your ultimate resource when you need some ridiculously awesome t-shirts.
Be sure to look for us on facebook. And, it would really help OUR cause if you click to follow this blog. Please be sweet and give this one a Tweet! as you Stumbleupon to your next brilliant find...Digg it!
Posted by Unknown at 2:08 PM
THE AGONIZING TRUTH
Circulation (319) AGONY, TEXAS
Jackson Tuck Editor
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Drylander, always a large man, rumor has it
that he's dropped hundreds of pounds and is
getting involved with The Mountain, in Canton
Texas |
Long time Radio personality and owner of KGAY radio, here in Agony, Travis Drylander was reported to be both alive, and well. Drylander told the AT: "I just had to get outta town. I followed the Herndons to this place. I like it, and I'm staying. That's all..."
Folks here in Agony were shocked to hear of Drylander's seemingly clandestine jettison of his home town. "I've known Travis all my life. He never much came outside, much less ever left town. Shoot...I didn't even know the fool could drive!" Clim Stanton told the AT.
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| The Cuts of Agony "The Big Nothing" |
"I figured he wondered off into the Big Nothing," Sam Carmichael told the AT. "We searched out yonder for days and didn't find enough to feed a chigger, much less somebody Travis' size..."
Drylander was always a large man at least until this last year, where a few scattered reports surfaced of Agonites seeing Travis as he slimmed down.
"Man would not come out if people were about," Mimi Lutz of Lutz' diner told the AT. "Travis always comes in about three, or four in the morning, depending on how many folks would be in here, sitting in the diner. Last few days, we ain't seen him any."
Why Drylander would go so far as to follow Novelist S. Bond Herndon as far away as Canton, Texas no one may ever know.
We made a quick phone call to Herndon about the report and asked if he had anything to add. "Well, we're about to need a radio man up this way..." Was all the controversial writer had to say about the matter.
Posted by Unknown at 11:45 AM
One of the most unexpected benefits of setting off to look for things that make you want to just BE FREE UPON THE FACE of The EARTH, are the people that come out of no where to help. As near as I've ever been able to tell, it's a very organic thing...
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Post Katrina found us, and a lot of
other Houston area folks digging
deep of their time and anything
we could spare. |
With supposition, I can clearly see how others want to reach out. We certainly have given whenever we had it. Usually anything above our basic needs, we've given, in one form or another. Especially in a time of great need.
Some might even ask: "How can you ever expect help when you won't give it yourself?" I know most of YOU give whenever you can. It's not a solitary notion--THANK GOD.
As The Fabulous Feathermaye is always quick to remind me: It's never easy accepting HELP from others... After all: we're supposed to be self-sufficient...Right? But, that's the sort of thinking that leads to disaster!
Survival Rule #1-- never turn down help!
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| Rule #217 in effect |
Feathermaye is assembling all the new rules we've come up with or against, as the case may be. Such as Tip #217 for living in survival-mode: When you wake to a sudden downward shift in the temperature, be prepared to add layers and carry on.
There are lots of things like that which we'll be passing along.
So we say thank you, to the wonderful people who have helped us along the way, and have welcomed us into the bosom of THE MOUNTAIN. I promised not to call them all out by name since they would only be embarrassed by the recognition...they give without thinking twice.
Meanwhile...Work is piling up, and I've we've got to get back to it!
Remember: Come see us on THE MOUNTAIN as soon as you can. If you're an artist who has been following, send us an email if you would like to plan a trip down to attend, and participate in a Trade Day Weekend.
Artists who wish to know more about, or just ask questions about THE MOUNTAIN please feel free to contact either Heather@feathermayemultimedia.com or sbond@feathermayemultimedia.com
We are always happy to talk about THE MOUNTAIN...
Remember you can always find us on facebook, (THANKS ZUCK!). We welcome you to follow this blog. Please be sweet and give this one a Tweet! as you stumble through your day...can you digg it?
Disclaimer:
Images used on this site are a combination of search results and personal photography; we in no way intend to infringe upon any rights. As applicable, our 2011 (c) belongs to one or more of the following: S. Bond Herndon, Heather Hyde-Herndon, feathermaye. If you feel you have a claim to any image used on this site, please feel free to contact us at query@feathermayemultimedia.com
