A Grandpa
There was a man;
A kind man;
A gentle man.
He came from another time and place.
Sweeping his hardships to the side of his new life,
He gave more than he took.
Sweet Face, Welcoming Smile, Genteel Manner.
This man will never come again.
We will never see the likes of this man.
Where does a man like this go? Where does he fit when his work is done?
He lives in hearts and memories and words.
Hearts are bigger, Memories are vivid, Words are spoken with love,
Just because he was here.
~Susie Spear Bruhn
A dear friend of mine wrote this poem. She said the photograph of my Grandpa inspired her to write it. She is the sweetest person and writes about many things. The things she has written that I've had the good fortune to read have all been written with love and her good heart shines through all the words. I have a few writings of hers that I've intended to post and will do so one day. I've known her for many years ~ since I was a young child living at my Grandpa's house ~ but I haven't seen her since high school. Through email, she contacted me about 4 years ago. I'm so glad she did. We've been corresponding ever since and getting to know her again has been a blessing to me. We live in different areas of the country, but plan to meet one day.Thank you, my friend, for sharing this poem. It is beautiful and speaks lovingly about all the Grandfathers who worked hard to make a good life for their families. I hope you won't mind that I've shared it. I believe anything that stirs emotions of love should be shared.
Patrick
Isn't she beautiful? When I came upon her, she was either too terrified to move, or she just didn't care. Standing only about 20 feet away, she stood there long enough to let me take several photos. The deer usually run fast whenever I approach them. She must have known I've been trying to get a good closeup for a LONG time. Once she heard me say "thank you", she took off into the woods.
Thursday evening we had a beautiful rain shower ~ it was quite overcast with dark clouds moving swiftly across the sky. As it often does, the sun decided to peek through during the latter part of the shower. It was quite nice - the soft rain coming down, the dark clouds above and the bright sun shining through them. I wondered ... and then suddenly it appeared. 
Because I have no more room in any of my bookcases, this STACK of Ideals Magazines are stacked in my studio. I use photos from these beautiful old magazines on my blog.
This is my STACK of journals. Can anyone have enough journals? I have spiral journals, boxed journals, leather journals, homemade journals, small journals and large journals. These are just the writing journals ~ my art journals are in another room.
Now this is a mess. This is my "to go through" STACK. I'm surprised it's still standing. It wobbles when I add anything to the top. It is definitely time to start weeding through it because as much as I hate to admit this ~ there are more "to go through" piles elsewhere. I sure hope I'm not the only one who has these.
This is my drawing paper and texture making STACK. I use these papers, napkins, net bags, bubble wrap pieces, etc., when I'm making a mixed media painting.
Not a very tall STACK, but a stack of recently purchased old prints. Not sure what I'll use them for at the moment, but they were the right price and irresistible!
How about STACKED canvas ~ works in progress??
Not paper, but STACKED paint!!
How about STACKS of beads? 
I purchased another beauty the other day ~ couldn't help myself. This beautiful 5" x 5" poppy, painted in acrylics on gallery wrapped canvas, was painted by my friend, Silke Powers, of Metamorphosis.
Andrew J. Kopka and Audrey 
This is my latest purchase. It is an 18" x 18" painting done by Suzun Hughes. Suzun, a Philadelphia born painter and photographer, having been based in San Francisco since 1975, moved to Virginia in 2007. Suzun and her husband ~ sculptor John Wilson ~ own and operate WILSON HUGHES, a contemporary art gallery located in the historic downtown ARTS District of Roanoke.
On the 11th day of September, 2001, the world stood still as our country was attacked. Ten years have passed since that awful day in New York City when the Twin Towers fell. "We Will Never Forget" are the words that ring in our ears ever since. Ten years later, the horror is still fresh in our minds as we remember the events of that day. Ten years later, and we still fight the war on terror.
Hi Friends.
