November 19, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Bedford Again.

Last Saturday we had a picture to pick up at the framer in Everitt. Karen and Rodney own the business, called " Barber's Framing", while Rodney works four days at a monument and marble factory, where he makes headstones with fancy pictures for graves. The rest of his time he makes frames and mats. He also paints and carves wood. He is very talented. Karen runs the business and gives Rodney advice on the mats. We take all our photographs and paintings to them for framing, because they do a wonderful job and of course, they are less expensive than the framers in Bethesda. The photographer across the street referred them to us, after he had taken our family photo at the farm. The Barbers have been our framers ever since, in fact , now I just give the piece to Karen and leave it, and they choose the mats and frames. They are both in their early 50s, I think, and a very good looking couple they are. In fact, it is kind of funny, because we live in the city but come in looking like we live on the farm, while they both look very stylish and modern. It looks as if the situations are reversed. They are good friends of Patty Jay, the youngest daughter of our farmer friends. Patty and her husband and their children live in Clearville.

Rodney always sketched and painted with watercolors as a child, The first art work he did as an adult was pencil and paper drawings of birds and ducks, and they were the first pieces he sold. I bought several of his prints. They are very good. My collection of drawings is small but growing. One day I asked if he would consider painting our farm house. The house is charming, with porches on three sides and dormers on the third floor, and I have no other pictures of this home. One Sunday after church they came down to take a bunch of photographs and he agreed to do his best. Two years later it was finished and now hangs on our wall in the apartment. He painted the house in oil, the first time he had ever painted in that medium. Since then he has a half a dozen of his oil paintings for sale in their shop and he submitted two paintings to a local show. This Saturday I bought his latest painting of a tree in the woods. It is wonderful and hangs in the spare bedroom in the hill house at the farm. He is improving with every venture, and it is exciting to see his talent blossom and grow. The next time you are in Everitt, on the main street you will find "Barber's Framing". Go in, and tell Karen that Ruth sent you. Then buy one of Rodney's paintings. You can afford it.