Posts Tagged Grampa

Spencer home at Spencer’s Corner (Division Rd at Shippeetown & Crompton Roads junction)

Audrey: Grandpa (William J.B. Spencer) worked and lived in Crompton. He stayed in a room over the barn at Uncle Ern’s (Alfred Earnest Spencer) house. Grandpa was a very good housekeeper. He took care of himself. Grandpa was a carpenter! He had quite a business just doing the neighbors’ jobs, (such as) wanting a window fixed, small jobs like that. Kept him busy.

Audrey: The painting of the blue teapot and the pink rose.  Elise Gardner was the teacher when I painted the teapot and pink rose (watercolor).  She kept one picture of every artist that she had as a student.  She would have Exhibitions of Elise Gardner’s Student Artists.  She asked me if she could keep my drawing of a calf.  Of course, I said yes.

I had drawn a calf from the farm. I remember my father was standing there. The calf was sleeping, a little calf, all curled up and sleeps.  She liked my calf because it was different.  It was different because as a farmer then there were no artists.  Everybody (students at RISD) was from Providence. There were no farmers there.  They were all from Providence.  The little calf was just lying there. Grandpa was there looking at the calf.

Audrey: Well, Grandpa wore overalls on the farm and all the farmers wore overalls (because of their cloth endurance during all that strenuous farm work). Now anyone with overalls on is stylish. Then it was only the farmers.

Audrey: I swan but very funny. I’d keep my head above water. I can’t stand my face in water. We swan in Carr’s pond. We used to walk up to Carr’s Pond. Edith, Ed and I used to go there. I was under ten years. I would sit on a big stone in the middle of the sand. I watched Ed and Edith swim. I went with them. They went swimming and I sat there. I didn’t learn to swim. I don’t think they ever offered to teach me. Dad could swim and I think Grampa did, but I don’t think Grandma liked the water.