THE EPITOME OF COSTUME DESIGN

Mardi Gras Festivities
The Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu
Lake Charles, La.

Gigantic Mardi Gras Costume at
Entrance of Mardi Gras Museum of
Imperial Calcasieu

We recently visited the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu in Lake Charles, La.   This museum was a dream come true for several unbelievably talented costume designers who loved the Mardi Gras as well as the pageantry of the costumes.  Each year six to 10 costumes valued at least $3,000 on up to $5,000 are donated to the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu, located in the old Central School Building in Lake Charles built in 1912.  The museum now is home to several hundred costumes on display for visitors to enjoy.

 Most Mardi Gras costumes are heavy, cumbersome and require a physically fit person to be able to support the extra weight of each costume.  The men's costumes usually have tights as bottoms...as well as gold, glittery or sequined shoes.

King Costume for Mardi Gras

The women's and men's costumes elaborate headpieces, long, detachable trains and they are jeweled and sewn to complement a particular theme.

An Elaborate gown and Train
for Mardi Gras Festivities

An Elaborate gown and Train
for Mardi Gras Festivities

Mardi Gras Gowns and Costumes Line the Halls
of the Mardi Gras Museum

An Elaborate gown and Train
for Mardi Gras Festivities

To top that off,  the crown,  jewel accessories, etc., are then selected to further complete just the right finishing touch.  And don't forget the mask!

Crown worn for Mardi Gras Festivities

An Elaborate gown and Train
for Mardi Gras Festivities 

An Elaborate gown and Train
for Mardi Gras Festivities

An Elaborate gown and Train
for Mardi Gras Festivities

When Mardi Gras season arrives the number of parties and festivities must be exhausting.  And yet, the tradition continues year end and year out, and grows larger each year and it must be quite an honor to serve as a krewe member (reveler) and participate in the activities.

A Mardi Gras Queen From The Past

Experienced and talented local costume designers, not unlike what you would expect in major movie set productions, come up with new ideas  and creations every year....each one better and more grand than the year before.

We were pleasantly surprised at the amazing extensiveness of the museum.  We would go back again and look forward to seeing other Mardi Gras museums in other cities.  We saw documents at the museum in Lake Charles that this is the largest display of Mardi Gras costumes in the world.

ANGELS AMONG US

Several years ago when visiting Asheville, NC, I read the novel "Look Homeward, Angel" by author, Thomas Wolfe.  After reading the novel we visited the cemetery in Hendersonville, NC, where the beautiful angel Wolfe wrote about is located.  It was after that we began noticing the angels in cemeteries throughout the United States,  and their historical significance, art and beauty of each one.

Hendersonville, NC "Look Homeward, Angel" Statue

Angel in Thomas Wolfe's novel
"Look Homeward, Angel" in Hendersonville, NC

 So, that being the case, we started photographing angels when we had an opportunity and now we have a collection of hundreds of beautiful photographs of statues depicting angels.

This angel was in Newberry, South Carolina 

These marble statues are deteriorating and are being environmentally destroyed by the test of time.  On our recent trip to New Orleans, the opportunity to photograph angels presented itself again.  This may be the city of the most angels we have ever seen.  I will share some of our photos and hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed taking them.

While in New Orleans we visited St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 at 3421 Esplanade Avenue, specifically so I could photograph some of the famous angels.  This cemetery was established in 1854,  and the burials show immigration patterns to floods and yellow fever outbreaks.  Each one deserves a moment of study and reflection about the spiritual significance of what exactly the angel is doing.  To say they are beautiful works of art is an understatement.

St. Louis Cemetery No 3
New Orleans, La.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 3
New Orleans,  La.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 3
New Orleans, La.

An interesting sidenote is that Louisiana creole practitioner of Voodoo, Marie Laveau, is buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 3.  No, there was not an angel at her gravesite.

WHO REMEMBERS CHATTAHOOCHEE?

I-10 going West in Florida

This morning we left Webster, FL to travel for about the next 6 or more months - something we look forward to each Spring since we have been full time RVer's.  We are excited about the future months because we have many exciting plans, and we leave our winter domicile with many memories of the last season.  For the next couple of weeks we will be in a caravan of three motorhomes with friends, and we hope you will enjoy and make comments along the way!

Our last sunset for the season
Florida Grande Motor Coach Resort
Webster, FL

We enjoy many sunsets looking out over a ranch that encompasses hundreds of acres.  Our neighbors are certified angus cattle for the most part, but our favorite is a Welsh pony that has become special and visits several times a day.

Toby
A frequent dinner guest

 Toby, as we call him, has learned how to work the system.  He usually goes up and down the fence that separates our property from the ranch and we all feed him....carrots, apples, and he adores peppermints.  Toby has the best smelling breath in his neighborhood.  We'll miss our view, the sunsets, and yesterday we spotted a bald eagle in the field for the first time in several years.  OK, take my word for it, it was a bald eagle a thousand feet away!

Do you see that tiny little dot....well, it's a bald eagle!

Today we travelled to west Florida to stay overnight at the Triple C Campground, in Chattahoochee, Florida.  All I remember about Chattahoochee is a comment my mother used to occasionally make.  She would tell my brother and I we were going to "send her to Chattahoochee"!  I didn't realize it was the location of the State Mental Hospital, a very large hospital for severely and persistent major mental illnesses.  I didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but it wasn't a good thing!  By the way the Chattahoochee State Mental Hospital was the only State mental institution in business from 1876 to 1947, and currently has the capacity of over 1042 beds.

Triple C Campground
Chattahoochee, FL

We'll look forward to sharing some of our unique destinations.  Many of the places we'll be stopping will be for Attitude Adjustment Painting Seminars, possibly more art therapy on the road.   I promise they will leave you shaking your head, maybe laughing, but always enjoying what is over the next hill.  Hope you will subscribe to our page if you might be interested in our adventures.

TIFFIN LIFE IN OKEECHOBEE

RV THERE YET?

We're all settled in at the Okeechobee KOA at the enormous Tiffin Allegro Club Rally.  There have been so many motorhomes being driven in this place today it makes you wonder how they are going to fit them all.

This morning was registration to get our credentials and the itinerary for this week.  On Tuesday morning, after breakfast at the 20,000 square foot KOA Convention Center,  my first Attitude Adjustment painting class will begin in the converted Mail Room.  Sometimes you think of a Mail Room as a small little room - not this one.

KOA Mail Room - now a painting studio

KOA Mail Room - Okeechobee, FL

The accommodations are spacious and fit the needs for this class.   I learned today they opened the class up to everyone who is staying here - residents, renters, etc.  We'll set up early and class will be from 9 am to 11 am tomorrow, with a maximum number of 20 students.

Remember....it's FUN art...not FINE art!

TIFFIN LIFE - with a flamingo!

Our new next door neighbors are from Austin, Texas, and we have enjoyed getting acquainted.  Most of all we love their hood ornament on the front of their coach.  Steve and Claire Ray, like us, are attending their first Allegro Club Rally.  This evening, dinner is sponsored by Freightliner Chassis and the Tiffin Allegro Club and will be a patriotic tribute to all veterans as well as a contest for the most patriotic site decorations

This is ACCESSORIZING!

Patriotic Yard Decor

TIFFIN ALLEGRO CLUB RALLY - Okeechobee, FL

March was a busy and productive month.  If we are on the road, and if I have not forgotten all the art supplies I need for my class, then we've accomplished quite a bit.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT PAINTING CLASSES

Attitude Adjustment - It's FUN art...not FINE art!!

The Tiffin Allegro Club is hosting an RV rally in Okeechobee, FL.  When we first started traveling in our motorhome I wondered.. what exactly is a rally?  Well, after attending these rallies over the past ten years I think I can say.  For the most part, rallies are opportunities to SHARE, LAUGH, EAT AND SOCIALIZE.

Tiffin Rally Friends

Tiffin Motorhomes is a manufacturer of motorhomes since 1972 from Red Bay, Alabama.  This rally will be attended by about 350 plus motorhomes and they have planned many activities when the rally begins on Tuesday, April 4 through Thursday, April 6.

Attitude Adjustment is a FUN class .... guaranteed!

We are owners of a Tiffin Allegro Bus, and I will be presenting my national painting class called "Attitude Adjustment by Marty Whitney...it's FUN art...not FINE art" on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in three 2 hour classes.

Tiffin Life is the first of three classes in Okeechobee

The first class is a "Florida" bag which I hope will bring memories of the flamingos and birds in Okeechobee, as well as "Tiffin Life" with a palm tree.  The class will be an opportunity to meet new friends and renew old acquaintances.

LIFE IS SHORT.....EAT DESSERT FIRST!

LIFE IS SHORT....EAT DESSERT FIRST!!

Eating dessert first isn't a big deal for me.  I think everyone should have the option.  However, the real point of this is that life is short, and it is definitely going by at warp speed for many of us as we enter this time of our life.  Our status from about November 1 to April 1 is to arrive at Florida Grande Motorcoach Resort in Webster, Florida, for the Winter season and RELAX, which sometimes is difficult with all the fun we have in the months in-between.  It's exhausting!

Florida Grande Motorcoach Resort
Webster, FL

Florida Grande is situated between
2 Black Angus Cattle Ranches in the middle of
Florida cattle country

About 7 years ago I began a class at Florida Grande called "Attitude Adjustment...It's FUN art...not FINE art!".  Every month I teach a different class until the middle of April, when just about every one begins leaving our large motorhome community of about 275 acres and over 100 class A motorhomes.  As our weather begins to get warmer, a lot of people return to their permanent homes and farms, while many, such as ourselves, head for a part of the USA we want to visit (check off our bucket list).  I'll be talking more about that later because this community has actually become a very large and interesting family.

 Attitude Adjustment Art Therapy Brochure

This year has been no exception.  Attitude Adjustment Class, for the first couple of years, was a sit down canvas painting class....and guess what!?  We ran out of room to hang our canvasses in our motor coaches!  We have many art classes with creative ideas that don't involve painted canvas and we have such fun exploring different art techniques.  A very important part of our classes has always been for us to become better acquainted with each other.  The people at Florida Grande come from all over the United States as well as Canada and beyond.

First Attitude Adjustment Class 2016
BeautifulAlcohol Ink Coasters 

Our home in the Winter is in Webster.  This year we
participated in the community Christmas card on the
main street leading into Webster.

We love the flexibility to take opportunities to get away with family - like last Thanksgiving when our family met at Little Lake Weir near Leesburg, FL and spent about a week just "chilling" with our family, which included our 4 grandchildren.  One evening we had dinner at Gator Joe's, a very casual lakeside restaurant in Oklawaha,  Florida.  What made Gator Joe's interesting was it was about 400 feet from the spot where Ma Barker and her gang resided around 1935.  This is an interesting tidbit of old Florida history!

Little Lake Weir, FL

Harold helps Kenzie catch a very large fish!
Little Lake Weir, FL at Thanksgiving 2016

Crazy Times with Family
Gator Joe's
Oklawaha, FL

Looking forward to sharing many more Attitude Adjustment blog entries in the future!  Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog today.

Another Beautiful Sunset at
Florida Grande Motorcoach Resort
Webster, FL

B.Y.O.B.

BRING YOUR OWN BRUSH!  What were you thinking?!

Lots of new projects to complete after you return to Florida Grande and I hope you'll grab a buddy, hop in your golf cart, and make your way to the Activities Room Thursday evening.  We may have a twofer (that's 2 for 1) since so many of you like the pumpkin wine glass tea light thingy on Facebook!

The class project will be an opportunity for us to begin ART JOURNALING which is quite a trend right now. ...think doodling, zentangling, adult color books.  We will use a variety of different types of examples.   We'll be updating this throughout the season.  You can also go to my Pinterest board called "Journals" for lots of inspiration.

There are so many fun and colorful pens, colored pencils, watercolor sets, acrylic paints, crayons, gel pens, etc. for us to work on this project!  I'll explain everything when we get together tomorrow night at 6:30 pm.

Bring a snack to share and your favorite beverage.  We will have this class again for those that want to be included and haven't arrived yet.  So don't be disappointed when I post the class pictures.

Please call me and let me know if you will be there!  Like RSVP this minute!  I want to know who's coming.......you know my email address AND PHONE NUMBER.  Oh, and don't forget to invite any renter or visitor who may not have this link!  Remember this is fun art.....not fine art!