May 18, 2014
We flew east last Thursday to witness the graduation of Thomas Charles Bell from the Masters program at the University of Maryland on Friday:
![](http://api.ning.com:80/files/fXUwj8AcBImGtpYA6dxqdstjWGXcz88KgIVjGqVdWVhteeuHDcY5DbGAtFvAZTe84V5E0tf7ucz9KKHZfEZgsAfio1TPjDzk/gradwesmoore.jpg)
The guest graduation speaker was Wes Moore, who you will be hearing more from in the future.
Afterwards we motored down to Jeff & Patty's house in Severn, where we partied on the patio:
![](http://api.ning.com:80/files/fXUwj8AcBIn5qXWWd9RIXwlt-b2eSgLrXD7HI6oc-dfK043OHjm8Dzcjd7t2QM2xmtfrfpkJLaKFR*vmiBeGkY3OpfD8-om*/gradpartyonthepatio.jpg)
Tom Bell's graduation party
The next day, we drove to Philadelphia and I saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall for the first time. Also, the Philly Art Museum where Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) ran up the steps. Everyone, I mean everyone runs up the steps and does the victory dance at the top.
Afterwards we went to a great restaurant in China Town:
![](http://api.ning.com:80/files/fXUwj8AcBInHiF6hEsWyO1X*XEuQ4r1Q8745UQccUtwsZsj-0zOyZWlECCSEtcE*cSMAb6cBtjuPdL-lS6tF3YuIiRD3WP*n/dimsumgarden.jpg)
Dinner at Dim Sum Garden in Philadelphia: left to right T. Bell, Kendra and Jeremy, Kathy, Maliwan, Sci and Pattarapan.
This morning we drove out to Chadds Ford where we saw a bunch of paintings by this guy:
![](http://api.ning.com:80/files/fXUwj8AcBIk4N-wBYGVwVBX3cYgwpkXbsxyPa7VSp246si5t6nzEEj*IMxDfVfOtgE0WqEhQCYWWA35AsVbNDrb1mdUFgDDd/ncwyethcowboy.jpg)
A certain artist dressed as a cowboy in Colorado in 1904
Got to visit his house and studio, which was a thrill:
![](http://api.ning.com:80/files/fXUwj8AcBImzrtTYm*-j*YO4B7grb4ev6jaSqVwUpzyq6*DFW8WoIRygpXlX3eeJrLWdR2j*L*e287Jo2f4Qs1z8Bb0AS64-/ncwyethoutside.jpg)
BBB in front of NC's studio
Great little details, like these death masks:
![](http://api.ning.com:80/files/fXUwj8AcBInwKodjZsHU5rd3nU9OfGl7EVSoNtTxLKAZfpmyhas5w0Ut9fXKzm3gcz9TTi7Lnq5uVwJxCVjc-WzcLSCy7*mS/ncwyethdeathmaks.jpg)
Death masks in NC's studio, bottom one is of Lincoln which had been removed for a display in the museum showing the artist's props.
And here he is painting in his studio:
![](http://api.ning.com:80/files/fXUwj8AcBInPybXhlMb4ds1yxwR4IA2QF96cXj*u8q9Exzup7JssvdHQ8KnJHGkhbyJwM*qqRsg28QHTgEmhYQo7XuX7I7jJ/ncwyethpaintingstudio.jpg)
NC painting in his large studio on a hill in Chadds Hill.
I'm reading "Treasure Island" so it was great to see so many of his original paintings that were created for the book.
![](http://api.ning.com:80/files/fXUwj8AcBIlpyeeu2-vfdXntgjC3hzq2UDrXDfZLHrb-rrUzzpX--XEmE7Z0q1j8btdq2KYEAPqSuR5i5fl3D2kp7VJ68qNb/ncwyethtreasureisland.jpg)
NC Wyeth's most famous work, is probably the paintings for "Treasure Island"
"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest—Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"
—Long John Silver's familiar tune