Chapel bell

Here are a few sketches and drawings from a couple trips to the place where Justin and Stephanie are living. It is south of Eudora on the old place where Richard Knabe grew up. He has turned it in to a museum of sorts. It makes a great place to draw.

The little o'l church building came from just down the road and was moved to its current site on the Knabe place.  I guess the bell did not come with the church building according to Mr. Knabe. Whether it came from a local school building or not, I did not ask. 

There was a hog roast there this evening, and though no one could go with me I decided to make an appearance.  As I was walking up to the party I stopped and did this sketch before the sun got too low in the sky.  Then later I added the bell study below...

Then there is this sketch done on the October trip from the west side of the chapel.

Yup, this is just a quick one, so I could say I had some record of the "chapel".  Can't even find a signature; and the photograph is lousy.  It also shows the bell. 

When I walked into it there was a young couple (German Baptist?) sitting there singing an old classic hymn together a Capella. I had mixed emotions- like I was an intruder on one hand, and like I wanted to add some tenor to the mix on the other....                      

The ethereal nature of the drawing is nothing compared to the ethereal nature of the history of the places and people. Is this really all we have left?   A few museums, some ragtag equipment, a small stack of written memories, written histories?  Fortunately there is someone keeping records who is not limited by time, nor hampered by the distance of age.

This drawing was done in a larger format than the 5 x 9 that was used for the first one.