Portraits

Portraits

They look just fine - especially the one of Doc. One thing that always puzzled me though - he was pictured like that in the Louisville paper on the '82 race. I'm wondering where he got the real china cup? We didn't use those until the 90s for dinner. Maybe there were some on special for that trip? Looks a little fancy for pilothouse coffee...

Lexie, great prints you got here! I especially like the one of the Belle's Wilde calliope, and then of course the one of Doc with that stacks in the background. Very well done!

So . . . Lexie! Is the possibility of a collection of your river portraits something that might happen in the future? And what about your fantastic group portrait pictured on the DQ of those notables who have graced her decks? Where is that masterpiece . . . and will it ever be available as a print? You've certainly got our attention, and perhaps several of us are even salivating over the possibilities . . . Any plans lurking around in the back of your mind for future publication? Hint. Hint.

I didn't do that many portraits, about 6 or so, but I guess the printing out of them as requested is possible. Except for the one of Doc, they were mostly done from pictures I took, or that someone I know took, or memory. I know Bob Reynolds has one of the group sketches. I will have to go through my photo files and a good bit of that is stored away. Those group portraits are scary. There are always those that are just darn hard to get right.

Maybe he had a private stash. Coffee just seems a lot better in china than in "direform". I didn't drink much coffee back then and found out later that the reason why was because that was awful stuff that was made in the pilot house. Yuck! And we never had china cups. So, I would usually drink Diet Coke, which holds records for how fast it can go through you. Nowadays I would have a veritable Starbucks set up in the PH.

Great Work !

Greetings From New Orleans !
Great work Lexie ! You should be very proud of them and they are certainly not only worthy of this web site but of some steamboat museum as well ! Looking forward to seeing the rest of them !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson

Lexie Palmore;21171 wrote: Maybe he had a private stash. Coffee just seems a lot better in china than in "direform". I didn't drink much coffee back then and found out later that the reason why was because that was awful stuff that was made in the pilot house. Yuck! And we never had china cups. So, I would usually drink Diet Coke, which holds records for how fast it can go through you. Nowadays I would have a veritable Starbucks set up in the PH.

I wish that I could post a photo of it, but my favorite portrait by Lexie is a pastel of one of the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE's crusty ol' engineers out on the BELLE's starboard engineroom guard. Lexie used a photo that she took from the CLARE E. BEATTY during the DQ/BoL race during the first Tall Stacks. Not only is the engineer in exquisite detail, but so is the BELLE's wheel with stirrups, gibs, keys, arms, flanges, pitman, crank, buckets etc. all there.

Hey Lex is that second one of Capt. Carl Shelton? and yeah I dont remember you drinking much coffee back then or any for that matter. And they look really good by the way.

Yes, at the sticks of the MQ.

Well, miracle of miracles! I was going through a dusty file drawer and found the final preliminary sketch for that group portrait you were speaking of. If any of you, except Bob Reynolds, can enlarge my posting, you could win the mother of all gedunks by naming everyone on the drawing. I took 2 half pictures to make it easier. There are some toughies.

In the same file was a cartoon. Only 2 in this one, so it will be a piece of cake (a Twinkie) to identify the participants, even though on of them is drawn from behind.

I'd guess Walt Karnath and Bob Reynolds.

Just off the top of my head...

Lexie Palmore;21189 wrote: Well, miracle of miracles! I was going through a dusty file drawer and found the final preliminary sketch for that group portrait you were speaking of. If any of you, except Bob Reynolds, can enlarge my posting, you could win the mother of all gedunks by naming everyone on the drawing. I took 2 half pictures to make it easier. There are some toughies.

No way can I get all of them, at least not without going through old pix. But here are what I think I know without cogitating much:
to Capt. Wagner's right: Leroy Kelly, Lexie, Dick Weber, Gabe Chengery
to Capt.'s left: Rip Ware, Bill Kelley, Pete Feilhauer, Earl Haskell, Cappy Louden, Ben Bennett, Dave Tschiggfrie, Walter Karnath, Bob Reynolds Is the one in the cap Nero?
Those aren't in order - any of those wrong?

Capt. Walter Karnath and Bob Reynolds.

Leroy's last name isn't Kelly, but I don't remember what it is. Ben Bennett is wrong as is the one in the cap. But you know them, so keep trying.

Guess I'll have to split up a package and give each of you a Twinkie.

Leroy

Lexie Palmore;21196 wrote: Leroy's last name isn't Kelly, but I don't remember what it is. Ben Bennett is wrong as is the one in the cap. But you know them, so keep trying.

Was Leroy's last name a difficult one, like Smith????
And do you remember the unpublishable sketch you did for me entitled "Friends Forever" ?

Lexie,
If you were to make prints, where and how could one order one?
Thank you,
Casey

Lexie, that is an excellent likeness of Carl Shelton and looking at it brought up a lot of memories. Carl was my first boss at ACBL some 40 yrs. ago, he was Vice president of the dispatching department. I don't think Carl ever was on a steam stern wheel towboat but he spent many years on DPC's. There were three Shelton brothers, all pilots and all with ACBL, Carl, Bud and Aubry Claude (AC). They were originally from Mazio, Ky. just up river from Owensboro, their father was a commercial fisherman. Carl was quite a character and more Republican than Sarah Palin.

Carl Shelton

Jim, I agree that Lexie certainly captured a good likenss of Carl Shelton. Did you mean to say Macio, KY instead of Mazio? It is almost across the rive from my home towns of Cannelton and Tell City. Capt. Shelton was the first Master on the MQ but I did not know till just now that we were nearly neighbors. I was the lowly Main Deck Porter when he was high up in the Pilot House. I always liked him as a Captain. I was the first Porter to get the white tile in the Pilot House as clean as he wanted it. He fussed at the Pilot House Porter for weeks to get the scuff marks up. That Porter (don't remember who) went on vacation and I ended up in the Pilot HOuse for one day with a green Scotch Pad on my knees. Next thing you knew, Voila! the floor was white again, Capt. Shelton was thrilled and wanted to know "How did you do that?" Porter magic q:-)x

Spelling was never my strong point....you are correct, the Sheltons were from Macio. Ted, are you going to be cranking out the tunes at Howards again this year? I look forward to seeing you there.

Chautauqua Festival

Yes, I will be there both days this year. Looking forward to another great time at the Howard Steamboat Museum Chautauqua Festival.

Grind with the Wind

Yes, hopefully you'll be at the Howard and can stay for dinner at Kingfish. I'm not intending to have any siding or gutters blow off this year, so I intend to be there too!

Art display

Lexie, too bad you live so far from the Howard. I was just thinking how neat it would be to see some of your work displayed out on the grounds at Chautauqua, like in the old(70s) days of S&D, when we had displays out at the Boat Club during our picnic lunch.