#judith blalock

[desertdollranch]

Judith as a Viking girl, daydreaming about her next adventure..... The beads on her apron are my favorite part of her outfit. I used some tiny human skull beads and metal beads for the lower string, and some fancy glass beads for the upper string. There are three amber-colored beads that remind are meant to represent Baltic Sea amber. 

#judith blalock #handmade doll clothes

[longlistshort]

Mike Krol- What's The Rhythm

Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (2/15- 2/17/19)-

Friday

Hauser & Wirth is hosting the world premiere of CSSC - It Begins - The Coach The Skull and the US premiere of DADDA - Poodle House Saloon, two new films by Los Angeles artist Paul McCarthy, at The Montalbán Theater in Hollywood (free)

LACMA will be running artist Martha Fiennes moving-image artwork Yugen free all day in the Bing Theater with a discussion at 6pm with the artist and actor Julian Sands

Art Buzz returns to ICA LA with a happy hour tour of Maryam Jafri's I Drank the Kool-Aid But I Didn't Inhale led by curator Jamillah James and Director of Learning and Engagement Asuka Hisa, followed by refreshments (free)

Miya Folick is playing at the Lodge Room with Barrie and Kingsbury opening

The 6th Annual Dre Day Los Angeles is taking place at the Echoplex with special guests Battlecat and DJ Melo-D of The Beat Junkies and an evening of Dre-related music

Marc Almond of Soft Cell will be performing a "best of” set at the Globe Theatre along with a DJ set by Hercules & Love Affair, a performance by The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black and more for Sex Cells 2 year anniversary

Storefront Church, Orchin, Harrison Whitford, and Michael Vidal are playing at the Bootleg Theater

Saturday

Mike Krol is playing at the Bootleg Theater with Vertical Scratchers and Heflin opening

In conjunction with Frieze Art Fair and Art Los Angeles Contemporary, Bergamot Station is hosting Art + Brunch, 20+ gallery exhibitions and brunch bites throughout the complex (free)

Or get up early (7am!) and have breakfast at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA as part of their collaboration with Frieze Los Angeles. It will be followed by conversations between MOCA Director Klaus Biesenbach, Hans Ulrich Obrist and artists Lauren Halsey, Korakrit Arunanondchai, and Luchita Hurtado plus free admission to their current exhibitions

At Hammer Museum, artists Kandis Williams and Devin Troy Strother join gallery director Ebony L. Haynes for a discussion about "the contemporary tensions of presenting the black body as it relates to sexuality, politics, and history" (free)

Writer Doreen St. Felix will be speaking with Amandla Stenberg at The Underground Museum and it's the last weekend to see Deana Lawson: Planes

Broncho are playing at the Lodge Room with Pinky Pinky opening

Facial and SLUGS are opening for JR Slayer at The Hi Hat

Sunday

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA is hosting a free panel discussion on Zoe Leonard's fictional work The Fae Richard Photo Archive. The history, form and content of the work as well as its current relevance will be discussed by a panel that includes filmmaker Garrett Bradley, noted art historian Huey Copeland, and MOCA Associate Curator Lanka Tattersall with former MOCA Assistant Curator Rebecca Matalon moderating. The work is part of the current exhibition Zoe Leonard:Survey and can be seen at the museum as part of their free weekend admission.

LACMA is hosting a discussion of the legacy of artist Charles White in conjunction with the exhibition Charles White: A Retrospective, with Ilene Susan Fort, the museum's curator emeritus of American art and curator of the Los Angeles venue of the exhibition; Ian White, son of Charles White, an artist in his own right and archivist of his father's work; Judithe Hernández, renown contemporary artist and one of Charles White's students; Kellie Jones, Associate Professor of Art History and Archaeology in African American Studies at Columbia University; and Peter Clothier, noted writer and art critic. (free but tickets required)

At ICA LA, photographer Lucas Blalock and ICA Curator Jamillah James will be discussing his work in conjunction with his solo exhibition at the museum

Mikey Carnevale of The Frights is playing at The Roxy with The Grinns

Milk. are playing at the Bootleg Theater with Andy Fonda and Superbloom opening

Art Fairs running all weekend

Art Los Angeles Contemporary is at the Barkar Hangar ($29 + fees) and there will be a free shuttle to the stARTup Art Fair ($15 + fees online) at The Kinney Hotel if you want to do both in the same day

Frieze Los Angeles is taking place at Paramount Pictures Studios but there are currently only tickets available for the Curated Program which includes the outdoor Studios backlot, artist projects, film and talks but not the indoors gallery section ($20 and only available on Sunday as of this writing)

At The Stalls at Skylight ROW DTLA is the inaugural SPRING/BREAK Art Show ($20 + fees)

Superfine! Art Fair is taking place at DTLA's Magic Box at The Reef with 90% of the artwork ranging from $100- $5000 ($10 entrance fee if purchased online)

Felix LA is a new free contemporary art fair taking place at The Hollywood Roosevelt

#mike krol #deana lawson #lucas blalock #ica la #lacma #zoe leonard #moca #los angeles art fairs #doreen st.felix #broncho #the underground museum #luchita hurtado #lauren halsey #Korakrit Arunanondchai #maryam jafri #hauser and wirth #paul mccarthy #vertical scratchers #los angeles events #los angeles #music #playlist

[full-imagination]

John Wesley McBrayer

John Wesley McBrayer, 78, of Spartanburg, SC, died Thursday, May 11, 2017, at his home. Born October 9, 1938, in Tuscaloosa, AL, he was the son of the late Alfred F. and Rosie Mae Franklin McBrayer. Mr. McBrayer was a 26 year veteran of both the U. S. Army and the U. S Air Force. He was a graduate of Spartanburg Community College, a city letter carrier for the U. S. Postal Service, a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Spartan Masonic Lodge, and Southside Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon, and was a member of the Layman’s Sunday School Class. Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Mary June Blalock McBrayer; children, John W. McBrayer II of Vance, SC, Angela M. Hood (Steve) of Germany, and Deborah M. Jones, of Spartanburg, SC; 10 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; and sister, Judith M. Downey of Section, AL. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a daughter, Rebecca M. Andrews; and grandson, A. J. McBrayer. Visitation will be 3:00-3:45 PM Sunday, May 14, 2017, at Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel, 2075 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29307. Funeral services will follow at 4:00 PM, at the Chapel, conducted by the Rev. Dr. Schuyler Peterson and the Rev. David Blanton. Entombment, with military rites, will be in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens Heritage Chapel Mausoleum, 1300 Fernwood-Glendale Rd., Spartanburg, SC 29307. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, PO Box 1178, Greenwood, SC 29648-1178. Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel from The JF Floyd Mortuary Crematory & Cemeteries via Spartanburg Funeral

#Spartanburg Funeral #Funeral Consultant #The JF Floyd Mortuary Crematory & Cemeteries

[desertdollranch]

Judith as an ancient Minoan girl, on the island of Crete. She’s standing atop a high cliff that overlooks the Mediterranean sea, and watching the rainclouds slowly approach.

#judith blalock

[desertdollranch]

I’m really enjoying Judith as a Viking girl. The clothes suit her well. Here she is tending her sheep on a pleasant winter day.

#judith blalock #create your own #doll pets

[desertdollranch]

Judith is still traveling through time and space, and learning so much about European history. For the past few months she has been living in Scandanavia at the time of the Vikings. She isn’t sure where exactly she is, nor what year it is, but it would be some time in the 8th through the 11th century. Her clothing is both practical and pretty. She wears a pumpkin-colored long dress called a særk with embroidery at the neckline and wrists, a kerchief over her hair, an overdress called a hangerock, a leather belt, and jeweled brooches holding up two strings of colorful beads. 

I made this for Judith using Read Creations’ Viking Dress pattern. This was a very easy project, since all the pieces are rectangles and triangles, and all seams are sewn using straight lines. I highly recommend this for beginners to sewing doll clothes. I used an embroidery stitch on my sewing machine to add some decoration on her head scarf and dress; for the green embroidery on the hangerock, I used transfer paper to iron on the designs I found with a web search. The brooches are made from various plastic gemstones, and the rows of beads are from my bead stash. She’s got one strand of skull beads and another of pretty glass beads. 

#judith blalock #historicaloc #handmade doll clothes

[desertdollranch]

May I have your attention please: 

The sword known as Excalibur has been pulled out of the magical stone by none other than Judith, and so that means she is now Queen of all Britain! 

That is all. 

#(it may have started its life as a letter opener but you didn't hear that from me) #judith blalock #historicaloc

[desertdollranch]

Judith’s travels in time and space have taken her to the island of Crete. She must have traveled back to some time between 3000 and 1400 BCE, since all around her is the vibrant and thriving Minoan civilization. Judith is fascinated by their colorful clothing, busy sea ports, and beautifully painted frescoes that adorn the palace walls. She even tries an elaborate Minoan hairstyle with six intertwined braids. She’s in no hurry to find the portal to her next time travel--this is certainly an interesting place to explore for a while! 

I made Judith’s two-piece outfit using the Thimbles and Acorns Minoan wrap skirt and blouse pattern. This was so easy to put together, and was a good way to use up some of my smaller cuts of fabric that have been waiting to be used. The last three picturess are examples of Minoan fashion included with the pattern. Here’s the description of this outfit written by the pattern’s creator: 

As seafarers and merchants, the Minoans imported a wide variety of tradegoods from all over the world which led them to develop a very eclectic culture. Nowhere is this more apparent than in their bright and vibrant clothing. While the rest of the ancient world was wearing simple draped robes, the Minoans introduced the world to brightly colored layered skirts with well defined waistlines and blouses with vibrant trims. This wrap skirt and blouse is based on a design found in an ancient Minoan wall mural, and although it is more than 4000 years old, the timeless design is just as stylish today as it was then.

#judith blalock #create your own #historicaloc #handmade doll clothes #patterns

[desertdollranch]

Judith’s travels take her once again through another enchanted fairy ring. She’s trying to get back to the year 1587 to be with her family, but so far she has only gone back in time! 

The year is now 1103. Judith wears a purple gown of luxurious fabric and gold trim, with sleeves so long that they must be tied into knots to keep them from dragging on the ground. She wears a jeweled belt called a double girdle around her waist; attached to the girdle is a chatelaine, a clasp of keys that was worn by the lady of the house or the head housekeeper. 

I based Judith’s dress on one that was included with the paper dolls in American Girl Magazine. The girl featured in the paper dolls had traced her family lineage all the way back to her 26th great grandmother, who lived in England in 1103! The pattern I used is Lee and Pearl’s A Late Medieval Lady’s Wardrobe. I can’t find any other patterns that are more period accurate, so I had to modify this one. I gave this dress a wider neckline, and sewed braided gold trim along it. I also made the sleeves long and drapey, although not as long as the sleeves in the paper doll depiction, since I wasn’t sure I’d have enough fabric. I used jeweled ribbon for her girdle, and my mom found these little keys in the charms and beads section of her local craft store. 

#judith blalock #historicaloc #create your own #handmade doll clothes

[desertdollranch]

Judith’s travels through time and space have again taken her into the past, all the way back to ancient Greece! She arrives dressed in loose linen robes and leather sandals. She doesn’t speak Greek and isn’t sure exactly what year it is, but she figures that it’s at a thousand years earlier than her time. She’ll need to figure out on her own how to find the next fairy ring that may carry her far into the future. 

This was an easy outfit to make for Judith, since it didn’t require a single stitch sewn. Her chiton is made from a rectangle of fabric folded and arranged over her body and pinned at the shoulders. Her belt is made from braided gold trim, and she’s wearing sandals from Saige’s collection. The instructions for this outfit are from a Pixie Faire tutorial. Chitons were made of wool or linen; Judith’s is a synthetic fabric that has the perfect flowy drape, and the ends don’t fray. 

I don’t think this shade of blue would be very accurate to the time and place, but I may have also taken a tiny bit of inspiration from the “Grecian Princess” Halloween costume that American Girl released in the early 2000′s: 

It’s expensive secondhand, so I didn’t seek it out. And anyway I prefer making all of Judith’s wardrobe, because I always learn something new and interesting about the historical clothing she wears! 

#judith blalock #historicaloc #create your own #handmade doll clothes

[desertdollranch]

When Judith travels back in time to 1517, she gets dressed up in a wine-colored velvet gown with gold trim, and a snood woven with sparkling pearls. 

I made this dress for Judith from a velvet shirt I found at the thrift store. I modified a Renaissance kirtle pattern to make the bodice and sleeves. The gauntlets are just rectangles of fabric gathered at the top and bottom, and attach to the bodice with matching embroidery thread. 

Her snood started out as a mesh bag that clementines are sold inside. I cut out a circle from the mesh, painted it with gold metallic paint, then used glittery puff paint to make the pearls. I wove a ribbon through the ends as a drawstring and fit it onto her head. 

Judith’s outfit was made to look like the one worn by Danielle in the movie Ever After:

It’s not shown on screen for more than a few minutes and not at all in a full-body shot, but I did my best to make it a close match! 

#judith blalock #historicaloc #1587 #create your own #handmade doll clothes

[desertdollranch]

For Judith’s journey into the year 1439, she wears a lace-front blue gown called a cotehardie, a red velvet and fur sideless garment called a surcote, jeweled belt, necklace, veil, and circlet. She passes very well for a noble-born medieval lady! 

I based Judith’s outfit on the one seen in the last picture, which is from the paper dolls in American Girl Magazine in 1996. A girl had traced her family back to 15th century England. I remember getting the magazine back then and being fascinated with this particular dress. It was the oldest paper doll outfit ever published at the time! It was only last year that I got the idea to recreate it for Judith. 

I’m not sure that it’s completely historically accurate, though. I couldn’t find any other source that showed a surcote that is just two circles of fur joined by buttons. All of them that I’ve seen, both from recreations and period images, were much wider across the torso, and with not much gathering of the surcote’s skirt. So I adjusted Judith’s to account for that, while still keeping some elements from the paper doll outfit, like the gold buttons and the necklace. 

To make the blue cotehardie, I used Lee & Pearl’s A Medieval Lady’s Wardrobe Pattern. That was definitely the easiest part of Judith’s outfit; it was pretty simple to put together. I highly recommend the pattern. For the surcote, I basically just traced the cotehardie pattern and modified it. I added white faux fur around the sides and shoulders, and gold buttons to one side; the other side has some glittery embroidery, because this red velvet came from a shirt I found at a thrift store. Her belt is sparkly ribbon, her veil is a piece of tulle, and the circlet is an old necklace of mine. I’m not sure how accurate the veil is, but I really just liked the look of it. 

#judith blalock #create your own #historicaloc #handmade doll clothes #paper dolls

[desertdollranch]

May photo challenge, day 22: Time travel into the future. 

Judith has been traveling through time ever since she found a fairy ring on Roanoke Island. In each new space and time that she explores, she must find the ring of wild mushrooms that will take her either back or forward in time, as she tries to return to the year 1587. By now, she has figured out that portals made of white mushrooms send her back, and rings of brown mushrooms send her forward. In 12th century England, she was lucky to find a brown ring. She hoped that this would be the one to take her home. But instead, she has ended up in the year 2587--one thousand years after her journey began!

The world is almost unrecognizable to Judith. She’s surprised to find herself wearing a fringed sleeveless tunic, belt, and leggings, and most everyone else is dressed the same. The English that people here are speaking is just barely similar enough to her own for her to understand, although they sometimes use words that Judith has never heard. They explain to her that a few centuries earlier, the planet’s air and water was poisoned so badly that many of the plants and animals went extinct, causing a collapse of all the natural world. The polar ice melted as the seas warmed, and drought was widespread as the rain disappeared. The few descendants of the people who did that have come to live in the far northern and southern latitudes of Earth, where the climate is less harsh.

There is no England, nor kings and queens, nor colonies of a British empire that Judith knew. Nobody has heard the name “England” or the word “country”. Instead, everyone in the world lives in small, self-contained and self-governed city states. Their stone and earth homes are built encircling the common areas, and are surrounded by pastures and croplands. Technology is solar-powered, although it’s used only sparingly, and mostly for communication, travel, and medicine. Beyond that, daily life appears quite primitive: people spend the day working in the fields, tending to animals, raising children, cooking, sewing clothes, spinning wool and cotton, healing the sick, making art, singing songs, and sharing stories.

Judith notices right away and appreciates that the most respected elders in the community are old women. She loves the freedom of not wearing skirts or a corset, of not being scolded for acting unladylike, or having her devotion to God and church constantly questioned. Nobody here is scarred by smallpox or limping on a poorly-healed broken foot. Girls are given an extensive education, and their contributions to society are just as valued as that of boys and men. 

Maybe this time, she’ll stay here for a while before seeking out the next fairy right and moving on. She misses her family and knows they must be inconsolable with worry about where she is, but the world of the future is such a comforting change from the world she has known....   

#Daisies and DaffoDolls #judith blalock #historicaloc #create your own

[desertdollranch]

I am pleased to finally introduce to you Judith Blalock! 

Judith is twelve years old in 1587 when she, her parents, and her two brothers leave England and settle on Roanoke Island, at the time a part of the colony of Virginia. Life on the island is sometimes difficult, and many of the colonists are beginning to regret their decision to settle there. But Judith never expected everyone to suddenly leave without her one morning. She then must embark on a daring and fantastical adventure as she tries to reunite with her family and return home, wherever--and whenever--that may be.

Judith is my Create Your Own doll that I introduced on Monday. She is named after the ancient heroine who beheaded Holofernes. That event was a frequent subject of painters and sculptors from the medieval to the modern age, including the Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith is also the name of one of William Shakespeare’s two daughters. 

Her backstory is based on the very real mystery of the English colonists who disappeared from Roanoke Island in the 1580′s. Read it about it here or watch a video about it here. There’s no way to know for sure what happened to the colonists, although historians have a few ideas of what could have befallen them. 

Judith is wearing three period-appropriate gowns that I made for her using the Renaissance Side-Laced Kirtle pattern. These are by no means the only clothes she’ll be wearing; her story involves some time travel into the past, which gives me an excuse to sew her dresses from several different centuries prior to the 16th. I’ll talk more about her wardrobe in another post. 

#judith blalock #create your own #american girl dolls #historicaloc

[desertdollranch]

I spent yesterday evening working on some cloaks for my custom historical girls. Susanna’s brown cloak and Eleanor’s plaid were made from thrift store skirts. Judith’s flannel cloak is lined in forest green cotton. All three have hoods with a gathered back. I used the Ivy Cape pattern by Melody Valerie Couture. 

#judith blalock #eleanor shaw #susanna hanchett #handmade doll clothes

[desertdollranch]

Meet Judith, Chapter 1: The Island

Judith Blalock’s story begins in London, England.

It was in the early springtime in the year 1587 when twelve-year-old Judith first heard the word spoken: Virginia. 

After the first time she encountered it, she began seeing and hearing that name almost everywhere around London. And every time she heard it, she understood more about what it meant.

Virginia was not only a name, but the name of a place. A colony across the ocean, in the new world called America. Two years ago, settlers led by Governor Ralph Lane had tried to establish the first English village on the island of Roanoke. Difficult circumstances had quickly forced the settlers to abandon their colony and leave England without a permanent presence in the colony. Now a man named John White was determined to do it right this time--and he needed people willing to sail to Virginia and help him establish that new settlement. If it was successful, middle class families like Judith’s would have the opportunity to become landed gentry.

Judith’s parents were glad of the chance to leave London. The constant outbreaks of the plague had taken Judith’s three older brothers, all one after the other. She was her parents’ only surviving child, and they were willing to go to great lengths to protect her. 

Judith felt apprehensive about leaving England forever. She had never been more than a few miles from the place she was born. What would it be like in this new world? What new dangers and adventures awaited her? 

The Blalock family boarded the ship to Virginia on May 8th. Judith turned around one more time to look back at England. She wondered if she would ever see her homeland again. 

All of Judith’s fears were immediately swept away by the wind and the waves. This was the most fun she had ever had in her life! She spent all day above deck, reveling in the sunshine and fresh air. 

After nearly three months at sea, the ship arrived at Roanoke island. It was much smaller than she had imagined. The air was hot and humid, and warm summer rains had made the ground muddy. 

This would be Judith’s new home. 

......

Life on Roanoke island was difficult. Growing and making enough food for everyone was a constant hardship. The Secotan people, native to the island, had often been frustrated by how much the previous colonists had relied on their generosity to stay fed. They simply could not, and would not, produce enough food to sustain this new community of immigrants. 

Governor White left the island a few weeks after landing, intending to return from England as soon as possible with more food supplies.

Judith felt as if she were tired and exhausted all the time. With so little to eat, she never had enough energy to finish her chores. 

Supper most nights was always a small slice of bread. Wheat was difficult to grow on the island, and so it had to be rationed until Governor White brought more. 

Winter came quickly and harshly.

December was cold and wet, with rain and snow. The cows stopped producing milk and the chickens stopped laying eggs. Judith was able to gather a few mushrooms that the Secotan had designated as safe to eat.  

Quickly enough, all the mushrooms close by the house had been eaten, and so  on one cold and cloudy morning, Judith had to venture farther into the trees to find more. She followed as much dry land as she could, avoiding the marshy and muddy areas.

Soon, she came upon a clearing. In the clearing was a circle of mushrooms.

How strange, Judith thought. She remembered hearing stories about mushroom rings in England. Some people thought they were portals to the fairy world. Others thought they were gateways into the past that would let one rectify the mistakes one made long ago. 

But Judith remembered that she wasn’t in England any more. There were no fairies here. And if the Secotan thought that mushroom rings were significant, they certainly hadn’t shared any knowledge with the colonists.

Besides, she was was hungry, and she knew these would make a delicious stew. She picked all twelve mushrooms and put them in her basket. 

As she turned to follow the path she had made in the forest, she noticed something else that was very odd. 

Her footprints in the snow were gone. 

She was sure that she had walked here coming in to the forest. No snow had fallen in the short time that she was gathering the mushrooms. She began to worry that she was lost. She tried to put the missing footprints out of her mind and just head back home going the direction she knew that it was. 

But something was wrong in the village. 

It was empty.

There were no people, no animals.

All the houses were overgrown with weeds and vines. Roofs had collapsed and walls had crumbled.

Her own family’s home was in ruins. 

Judith began to panic. Had everyone left the island without her? But how could they have done that in the short time she had been away? 

She walked from house to house, trying to find any clues to explain what had happened. 

All she found was one fencepost with the word “CROATOAN” carved into it.

Croatoan was the island south of Roanoke island. She knew that. But how could they have left so quickly? And why were all the houses in ruins?

She thought perhaps it would be best to visit the Secotan village and ask what they knew. But she didn’t know their language, and she wasn’t sure if any of them spoke English. 

Judith dragged a small rowboat down to the shore. She would have to get to Croatoan on her own. Whatever had happened while she was gone..... the answer must be there. But her efforts at that quickly failed. No matter how hard she rowed the boat, it just kept getting pulled back to shore by the tide. 

She didn’t what to do next. There was no food here, and nothing to keep her warm at night. Leaving the island was impossible. Maybe she would have to beg the Secotan to take her in. 

She began to cry. She wished she had never left England at all. She stared out at the eastern horizon, wishing she could at least see her home from here. Maybe that would be enough to give her hope.

Through her tears, she thought she could see something that might be England. 

But was that--a ship? Approaching the island? 

It was a ship! Had her family and the other settlers returned to find her? 

Or was it a different ship entirely? Judith ran back to the village to gather some dry wood from the crumbled houses. She quickly made a fire on the shore in view of the ship, hoping to get their attention. 

Soon she was on board the new ship, and in the hands of a team of pirates. Most of them were girls not much older than her.

“How did you get to Roanoke island?” the captain asked her.

“With the other colonists from England,” Judith said. 

“Is that true? There haven’t been any colonists living there for seven years,” said the captain. “They left in 1587. I don’t know where they went after that. Maybe back to England.”

Judith explained what had happened to her. The ring of mushrooms, her absence from home for only an hour, and how everyone had disappeared while she was gone.

The captain nodded then shrugged. “Maybe when you stood in the mushroom ring, you entered a doorway leading to seven years in the future,” she said. “I’ve heard of that happening sometimes, especially in the Bermuda triangle. The closer we are to that area, time behaves more strangely.” 

“How do I go back to my time?” asked Judith.

“I’m not sure,” the captain replied. “Why don’t we take you to Croatoan and see what you can find out there?”

The ship turned course and began to head south. The islands were only 60 miles apart. The voyage there wouldn’t be long. Judith stood and watched Roanoke island get smaller and smaller, and then disappear.

In the open water, there was a sudden crash of thunder and lightning. 

The waves rose up and tossed the ship around. Judith was swept overboard. She watched the pirate ship sink as she clung to a piece of wooden debris. 

All through the night, she was carried by the waves. She didn’t know which direction she was going. 

When she woke, the sun was shining down upon her.

She was lying on a sandy seashore. 

She stood up and looked around. Was this Croatoan? 

Looking inland away from the shore, she beheld an enormous mountain in the distance. Around it were scattered quaint villages with houses, and farms, and animals. She could see smoke arising from chimneys, and hear the sound of children playing.

No, this couldn’t be Croatoan island. Was it England? Had she been carried back home? It couldn’t be England, either. That mountain was taller than any she had ever seen. 

She shook the sand from her shoes and her skirts, and began to walk toward the village, finding a narrow winding road leading away from the shore. She was terribly thirsty, and her stomach felt empty. 

A young girl passed her on the road, going the other way. 

“Good morning,” said the girl. 

“Good morning,” Judith replied. “Begging your pardon, but what is the date today?” 

“Today is the 23rd day of April, the feast day of Saint George, who slayed the dragon.”

“And what year, may I ask?”

“The year is 1517.” The girl looked at Judith with a kind smile, and glanced at her wet shoes and skirts. “But I’m sure it’s different where you come from, isn’t it?” 

Judith did not reply. She looked again upon the tall mountain that had not gotten any closer in the hour that she had walked. 

She had traveled back in time, that much was certain. She wasn’t sure how, or when, that had happened. 

But she had gone much too far back. 70 years. Not 7 years! 

What would become of her in this strange place? 

How would she ever find her family now?

.......

#judith blalock #create your own #1587 #historicaloc #long post