RAF- Rockdale Art Farm!

When someone says the letters R-A F, I hope that reminds you of the Royal Air Force in Britain. Being married to a Brit you might think that is why I always think of things from England but no, it is because I have read so much about World War II that I know about the RAF and have such a high regard for them.  If you don't know about the RAF and the Battle of Britain, please look it up and you will understand my meaning. The Battle of Britain Memorial Society is a good place to start, you may find it just here.  It is an amazing site to visit, please look at it!  After reading this, I hope you will also want to bow your head in remembrance at the sound of the letters...R.A.F! They quite simply saved the world. 

Mike at his blog "A Bit About Britain" had an amazing write up about the Battle of Britain...you may find it just  here.
(Go and read this.  You will be glad you did.)

Rockdale Art Farm here in Rockdale County can also be shortened to RAF.  Isn't it an exciting thing! A while back on one of our walks at Panola Mountain State Park, Richard and I spoke to one of the fellow walkers on the trail...he stopped and told us that he had plans to open a community arts center, but since it would be adjacent to the park, it would be connected with the natural world.  Would we be interested in getting involved with this arts center?  Would we!  Where do we sign up?
Not that we are important or anything, not wealthy or have great prestige...we are just people who love the outdoors and are  quite happy to share that love with others! I know that they plan to have a pollinator garden there and oh my goodness...that would be perfect for my husband! Why he is just the best gardener around, you should see all the bees and butterflies out my window as I type this! (Not to mention all the great photos that he can take.) Okay then, Kay, you are thinking...what can you do? Well, I can talk!  Oh my yes, I can tell others about this place and hopefully, the word will spread!

One thing though, the Rockdale Art Farm must have approval from Rockdale County first!
  Tomorrow evening, there will be a Rockdale Art Farm Rally at a local coffee shop which is just across the street from the Planning Commission meeting.   Then, we will walk across the street and hopefully will receive the support needed to convince the Board of Commissioners to issue the Special Use Permit so that the Rockdale Art Farm will get the go-ahead.  If so, then it should open in the spring of 2019.   (This will be voted upon on October 9th...which is just around the corner now!) 

(Note: Awake Coffee Co.  at 862 North Main Street on Sept. 13th,  from 5:30PM to 6:45PM.
The Planning Commission Public Hearing is at 7:00PM and is  across the street, on the corner of Main St. and Milstead Ave. at the Assembly Hall at 901 Main Street-this used to be the location of the Baptist church many years ago!)


Richard and I were able to go on a tour with Joe Eifrid (the nice man that I told you about earlier, the one that we met on our walk at Panola Moutain State Park.) and it is a lovely site. Thanks, Joe!  We met artists who had painted just a few pictures and they were truly amazing.  One had painted a view of an old house that was across the street and another had painted some scenes of a few old trucks that had been at the back of the property. My, that doesn't sound very exciting does it? But that is just the fault of my writing, those TRUCKS were jaw dropping, the colors that the artist could see in them!  And the old white house with the bushes curling around it, shaded in the old oak trees ...so pretty.  Why, you could just hear the bees buzzing!

                                Part of the Trail at Panola Moutain, near the RAF (we could see those old trucks through the trees that are on the property...never dreamed I would recognize them in a painting!)


Now, no one will ever ask me to do reviews of paintings, I am sure! Still, I hope that you can see a bit of what I am trying to tell you here.  I am sure that you will wish Joe the best of luck in trying to get this done.  We all have high hopes!  

UPDATE:  The Board approved the Special Use Permit!  It passed 4-1.  Now, it goes to the Board of Commissioners.  There really should be no reason that they will turn it down so... I hope to be able to tell you more about the RAF, the Rockdale Art Farm in future weeks!  Look out for my news! Thanks for all your well wishes, fellow art and nature lovers.