“I like an empty wall because I can imagine what I like on it.” -Georgia O'Keeffe

September 24, 2017





 



“I like an empty wall because I can imagine what I like on it.” -Georgia O'Keeffe

Evacuation doesn’t have to be horrible and with our pets well situated and taken care of and nothing we could really do as far as returning to Key West just yet, we decided to make the most of our stay in Winston-Salem and get out and see some of the sights that the city and surrounding area have to offer,











Returning to Key West was sort of delayed by the lack of services that were available, we decided not to return until electricity and potable water were restored. Knowing our property had survived ok made that decision much easier. We did not want to add to the burden that first responders were dealing with as there were plenty of needy people.







Turns out that there is a lot to do in the early Fall in Winston-Salem. There was an amazing exhibit at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art on the famed artist Georgia O’Keefe that Kathy and I took my mother Marta to see. The Reynolda House is the former fancy home and large country estate of R.J. & Katharine Reynolds the tobacco magnates, which has been conserved as a wonderful museum that contains not only the collection and furnishings of the Reynolds family, but also hosts exciting traveling exhibits like the current O’Keefe exhibit.





Marta

The exhibit, “Georgia O’Keefe, Living Modern”, explores how the artist’s modern sensibility saturated her art, her life, her homes, and her carefully fashioned public (and private) personas. Reynolda House is one of only three venues to host the exhibition, and the only venue south of New York. The exhibit presents a completely new, highly focused, and meticulously researched perspective on the unified modernist aesthetic of O’Keeffe’s dress and art. In addition to a number of carefully chosen paintings by O’Keeffe and photographs of her and her homes by Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams, Todd Webb, Philippe Halsman and others, the exhibition features selected items from her personal wardrobe that highlight her preference for compact masses, organic silhouettes, and minimal ornamentation.















One of the other things that I enjoy while visiting new places in taking in the local sports scene and in Winston-Salem that means Wake Forest University. They had a home football game against Utah State and I wanted to attend and take in a little of that college football atmosphere. I got a decent ticket and headed over to check out the tailgate action before going in to watch the Demon Deacons rout Utah State to improve to 4-0 on the season. It was a great day under perfect Fall afternoon skies and wonderful conditions to play and watch a game.















Often we like to take day trips away from the city we are visiting and this trip was no exception. We spent a day hiking around Pilot Mountain State Park. Highlighted by the jutting small Mount Pilot that is visible for miles around, the park is a beautiful place to spend a day hiking. We loved it as we hiked up to and completely around the namesake mountain, which is really not all that tall. But it was a beautiful hike on an equally beautiful day.









If you are thinking that Mount Pilot sounds vaguely familiar, you probably recall it as the “big city” in the Andy Griffith show. The show’s fictional setting was based on this area and Mayberry was based on the small town that Andy Griffith grew up in, Mt. Airy. Being in the area, we could not resist a visit to the town, which coincidently was hosting their annual “Mayberry Days” festival.







The town already capitalizes on the famous connection and the actress who portrayed Thelma Lou still resides there and comes out each year along with many other minor characters from the show to participate in the Festival. In spite of the commercialism, Mt. Airy still manages to hold on to its small town character and is really a fascinating place to visit. The Snappy Diner, Floyd’s Barber Shop, Wally’s Filing Station, these places still exist and continue to function just as they did when the show was airing and before.











http://www.reynoldahouse.org/exhibitions/detail/georgia-okeeffe-living-modern
 
https://www.ncparks.gov/pilot-mountain-state-park