Goddess Eastre And The First Day Of Spring 2010

This video is about a statue I purchased at a dollar store. As I was walking down an aisle, I spotted it, and thought it would look nice if it was painted into a statue of a Goddess. Which one I thought ... how's about The Germanic Goddess Eastre! I grabbed some paint and brought it all home. I wanted to do the job on March 20 since that date is the First Day Of Spring and the beginning of The Ostara Season. It turned out alright - the hair is fabulous, but I need to touch-up the rest of it.

Here is a video of it:


Keywords: Ēastre Ēostre Eostre Easter Ēostur-Monath Eosturmonath Germany German Anglo-Saxon Austrō Au̯es- Au̯es Ostarâ Eástre Eástor áustr Göttin des Ostern

Grover Cleveland's Birthday!

Today, March 18, 2010, is the 173th anniversary of former President Stephen Grover Cleveland's birth and what better way to celebrate it than to go right where it all began ... his birthplace in Caldwell, New Jersey. It is a wonderful place to visit as it contains a nice assortment of items pertaining to the life of Grover Cleveland and life in general from the time in which he lived. These photos were taken at the home where Cleveland was born on November 30, 2008. I just cropped and uploaded them now!

Photo taken with the flash (horrible):


Photo taken without the flash (turned out quite nicely - great color):


Here I am to the left on the photo:




You can visit his place of birth too. Here are a few websites that discuss and describe the home:
http://www.clevelandbirthplace.org
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/historic/grover_cleveland/gc_home.htm
http://caldwellnj.com/grover.htm
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/presidents/grover_cleveland_birthplace.html
http://www.presidentialavenue.com/gc.cfm

James Madison's Birthday!

On this day in the year 1751, James Madison, Jr. was born. He is one of the great long-haired males of history and also one of the greats who was of a shorter stature - he is, in fact, the United States' shortest Commander In Chief standing at around five feet, four inches in height. Madison was the principal architect of the U.S. Constitution and, as leader of the nation, was one of two sitting Presidents (the other being George Washington) to lead the army on the actual field of battle (in the War Of 1812). Happy Birthday to James Madison on the 259th anniversary of his birth!

Here is a print of James Madison (believed to be from 1836):




Here is a land grant, signed by Madison as President, from November 20, 1816:


Close-up of the signature:


Here is a print of Madison's Montpelier Estate (believed to be from 1867):


A video of the above three items with a quick biography of James Madison:

Clay Statues Of The Minoan Snake Goddess And The Venus De Milo

I have been having a fantastic time making clay statues the past few months and I am just now showing them to the public. The first two to be presented are the Minoan Snake Goddess (made on 2-13-2010) and the Venus De Milo (made on 2-17-2010). I have never had any training in the arts in my adult life and I did not make a project out of clay since elementary school ... that was nearly twenty-five years ago. I am very satisfied with the completed specimens. Here are two videos showing the process ...

Minoan Snake Goddess:


Venus De Milo Goddess:


Many more clay statues to come!

James Garfield (And Family) Signature Identification Video

I made this video so viewers and future autograph collectors can get acquainted with the signatures of James Abram Garfield, his wife Lucretia, his Mother Eliza and his son James Rudolph. I do not have enough examples so I do not consider this an actual Signature Study. You will note the letter - very interesting and apropos to see a letter with a request for one of James' autographs.

Remembering William Maxwell Evarts

I would like to introduce you to a lesser-known figure in American History, William Maxwell Evarts. He was heavily involved in the most important events of his day, but he is but an obscure figure in the present. His history ...

1818-1901. Delegate at the 1860 RNC - nominated William Seward. Defense in the Andrew Johnson Impeachment Trial. Counsel for Rutherford Hayes versus Samuel Tilden in the 1876 election controversy. Secured funds for the Statue Of Liberty.

Family - his grandfather was Declaration Of Independence signer, Roger Sherman. His great-grandson was Archibald Cox who was the prosecutor during Richard Nixon's Watergate Scandal so he and his great-grandson were involved with two Presidents' court proceedings.

Some photos of a portrait print and an autographed card:




Perhaps I will get around to framing the two of them together some day:


A video for you ...