Uncle Henry's Barn SOLD - Culver Train Station on the track!

It's Sunday morning and we are reporting that Uncle Henry's Barn is sold. I'm sorry to disappoint some of you, but happy for the buyer. Do remember to check out our web site, where you may easily purchase some of Ward's poetry books, and select from our signed, limited edition prints and note cards. Free shipping there. Paypal, Visa and MC accepted. For our web site, click: www.painterandpoet.com

Within a few days, I'll be posting a longer blog, and the custom framed original of Culver's Vandalia Train Station will be featured for sale. But today, we will try to reorganize my studio so I can get back to a routine of alternating between producing smaller paintings in our little gallery and concentrating on my larger commissioned watercolors in my studio away from distractions. I just looked and that snazzy "drafting table/easel" is still there, beautifully assembled!! Thank you again, Ward and Beth!

Uncle Henry's Barn

Tis mid March and days are warmer and sunnier. I've been out walking with Maxwell (my walker) so I can speed along the sidewalk pretending I'm a middle-ager. Culver's sidewalks are much improved over former years, but there are still some unexpected cracks and bumps. Using this walker, I can relax and enjoy the sights, and the basket is handy for small purchases. Very enjoyable.
Ward and I like driving along country roads and we usually take our camera. Today's feature is painted using the above reference photo we took late last summer. I am posting that photo and the finished painting, which is called "Uncle Henry's Barn." My father's name was John Henry Scobie so this barn painting is sort of named after him.

This watercolor is 6" x 6". Including a two inch wide light gray alpha mat, the overall size is 10" x 10." The matted print will be placed on a foam core backing, enclosed in a clear plastic envelope and carefully packaged for free shipment inside the U S. Inquire about international shipping costs outside the U S.

This painting will be sold to the first person to contact us with secure payment of its purchase price of $79.00 (including shipping).

To purchase this painting Email us at info@painterandpoet.com or call Esther at 574-842-8888. PayPal and other credit cards and money orders accepted. If desired, we can send you a paypal invoice.

Studio Update:

THE EASEL .... a huge challenge! I was both pleased and disappointed when this thing arrived. I assumed (and you all know the inherent risk) it would be delivered assembled and ready for me to sit down and begin painting. Wrong! All the miscellaneous parts -a pile of (mostly labeled) nuts, bolts, boards, metal pieces, etc. and confusing diagrams! Then we noticed - "Made in China" - Well, Ward with his careful skill and determination tackled the tough job, and made a lot of progress. Then a good friend of ours, Beth Wilkins, an amazing lady, volunteered to help him conquer this monster desk. They worked together and now we have something that miraculously looks almost like the sleek vision in the catalog. Thank you, Beth. We'll post pictures in our next blog.

Currently, I'm working on another country scene, also 6" x 6" which features two large oak trees and a country road. This is fun, and I'm happy with the way it is progressing. It's on my little painting table in our gallery. Remember, you are welcome to visit and watch me paint. Better check first to be sure that we are here. .

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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through our wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web site: www.culverchamber.com

Good Tree for a Bunny

Good Tree for a Bunny is a little piece of whimsy - fun for me to paint and I'm happy to present it for you to bid on. This small painting is 2.5" across and 3.5" high and has a 1.25" off white alpha mat around it, bringing the overall size including the mat, to 5" wide and 6" tall. A nice little interesting watercolor with some pen and ink accents! Bidding on Ebay to start at only $19. Click here to find this item on Ebay!



I've just added one of my signed prints - Crocus, the Butterfly Flower - to this blog and also to Ebay. This is one of our most popular images, and a great reminder that - as the song goes - "Spring is just around the corner!" The image on this print is 6" across and 4" tall. The matted size is a standard 10" x 8" - making it a breeze to frame. The top mat is a soft light gray with a narrow purple mat under, a big favorite of mine. Ward and I have the original of this painting on a small easel atop a little butternut antique chest in our dining room. Bidding on this signed print starts at $10.00. Click here to find Crocus, the Butterfly Flower on EBay.

Am very excited about a new studio easel that should be delivered later today. It looks a like a small drafting table with a built in large adjustable drawing board in the center and a flat working space on each side. This will make it easier for me to paint because I can change the height and angle to what is most comfortable for me.

With our extended family and friends, there are plenty of birthdays to keep track of. Son Michael's is later this week so his card is ready to mail. Ward is finishing the framing on Grandson Michael's painting (shown to you on an earlier blog) and we will ship to to him soon- his birthday is later this month.

Studio Update:

Last night I worked on a small barn painting and hope to finish it within the next week. As soon as my new easel is set up, I'm going to finish work on a commissioned lake home painting and enjoy starting the next one!

The little originals that we are putting on Ebay are stirring up my creative energy and freshening up my painting. And remember, I'll continue to enjoy creating these little gems right here in my gallery. There's pleasant jazz in the background and a chair for you to sit on. You are welcome to watch and chat while I paint. If you want to make a special trip to our gallery, please call first to be sure that we'll be here. We don't want you to be disappointed.

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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through our wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web site: www.culverchamber.com

"Feather", original watercolor by Esther

Esther's original watercolor Feather is custom framed and ready to hang! The image is 8" wide and 3.5" tall. Size including the mat is 11" x 6.5". Top mat is a soft light gray, with a darker gray mat beneath. The brown wood custom frame is a little lighter than it looks here. Special "Tru -Vue" glass helps protect the watercolor from fading. And the matting is Conservation Grade - Museum Quality. A signed certificate of authenticity is on the back of this framed original watercolor. Feather is on Ebay. Click here to find this item on ebay.

We are preparing to upgrade our operating system - and I'm busy backing everything up before the big event! We'll also have My Book added - this is an external hard drive that will automatically backup very frequently. Wow! Maybe I could fool you into thinking that I know what is going on - not true! I understand the general process and am grateful for expert help.

Studio Update:

Have been having fun with more of the small originals, and will post another as soon as it is finished. And I now have a small drawing table in the gallery, so I can work on some of the little paintings there - and as you come in to visit, you can see them evolve from a drawing or photograph, with interpretations and changes from Esther's brain into her fingers and then down on a piece of blank white watercolor paper. The idea, the changes, the drawing, the doodling on scrap paper to test colors and contrast, saving pristine white areas, and finally painting. Then probably some changes - scrub outs, accents, touches of pen and ink. It's almost like carving on a flat piece of paper.

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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through our wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web site: www.culverchamber.com

Brushing with a Pine Tree - First original on blog!!

Hello all of you! Valentine's Day is over and daylight is lasting beyond our evening meal. We hear from friends who have gone "south for the winter" and regret that most of them are not having the warm weather they expected. Ward and I hope you are all happy, cozy and healthy no matter where you are.

Studio Update:

It is a pleasure to finally be sending our very first blog including one of my new small original watercolors. I've talked about this for a long time and it's time to put up or shut up! This watercolor is called BRUSHING WITH A PINE TREE. (To find this original on ebay, go to the link toward the bottom of this page.)

There have been so many things to decide. What to paint? What medium? How big? How to handle the sale - payments, ordering, etc. The answers to many of these questions have already been outlined on this blog, on our web site, and some in my quirky artist's brain.

What to paint? An image or an impression that I find fascinating and want to share with you so you may enjoy viewing it and if you wish - have the opportunity to bid on it.

What medium? Easy choice for me - my art love affair is with watercolor. I'm delighted to be working on them, always striving for that elusive "aha!" with my brush strokes.

How big? Well, we all must face reality, or suffer unpleasant consequences, and my facts are: At 80 years young, I am rather ripe on the vine. And I want to maximize the time left for me. Ward and I have a great life together and taking care of ourselves and each other consumes a lot of time. And I have many commitments for larger commissions. It's very important for me to exercise my ability by trying out new ideas and fresh approaches in painting to maintain and improve my skill . So it's obvious - my little originals have to be small. How small? I've checked out lots of web sites - mostly "daily painters" - the majority produce a new painting several times a week - some more, some less. It seems to me that many manage to be quite consistent with the sizes of their offerings. After working on almost a dozen small paintings, I am forced to confess I cannot comfortably conform to painting within a very specific area, so my paintings will vary in size.

These small paintings are creations of mine, and thus seem like my "babies", and each will be interesting, special and unique in its own way. And since they are my ideas composed with paint and paper, I can easily toss them if they are not up to par. I hear you thinking -" Don't waste that expensive paper!" No danger of that. I'm a depression baby. I'll use the rejects to practice on and reserve the pristine paper for new watercolors.

I promise to try my darndest to do good quality work. As a bonus for you, each painting will be hinged to a simple archival mat - custom cut by Ward. Details on size and matting will be given with each original watercolor offered on our blog. You will then need to take your treasure to a professional framer, or let your resident carpenter complete the job.

So here it is- the first one to meet my standards - Its name is Brushing with a Pine Tree The painting area is 4.75" across and 5.5" high. The almost white archival mat is 1.5" wide, so the overall matted size is 7.75" wide by 8.5" tall. Your painting will be carefully packaged including a foam core backing and a signed certificate of authenticity. It is offered for auction on ebay, with a beginning price of $50.00. Click here to review this ebay listing and bid!

If a painting doesn't sell on EBay, it will be framed and for sale in our Painter and Poet Gallery. Later we may list originals on our web site.

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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through our wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web site: www.culverchamber.com

Cherry Pie and Michael's Watercolor

It is almost Valentine's Day and the time of year to think about cherry pie - partly because it is one of Ward's favorites. So there is one in our oven right now.

In our last blog, I mentioned that I was going to be working on a watercolor for my grandson Michael. The first attempt had a lot of the wonderful yellow color, but did not work out well. After trashing it, I began again and finished the painting above right. I'm going to try again with another version, and we will definitely be sending a painting to him for his 25th birthday. If I decide on a different version, I'll post it for you to see.

Now that the holidays are over, it is time to think about getting ready for "Uncle Sam" and most of my part of gathering information is complete. My son Terry and his sweet wife Dani, sent us a DVD/VCR player for Christmas and now it is hooked up. We will be watching some movies - good winter recreation. I'm stingy with my time and watch very little TV, but I do enjoy movies.

Studio update: In our last blog, I told you about the small originals I will be painting. This is a nice break for me from working on larger commissions. I'm trying to learn to paint on thick 300 pound paper, and it is a challenge. The thicker paper has advantages and disadvantages for me. The paint dries slower, and colors do not seem as brilliant - probably because they tend to soak down into the paper. But it is easier to make corrections - and I'm going to try to get the "hang of it". As I finish these small paintings, they will be shown here and offered for sale on eBay. Six of them are in varying stages. I hope to have another blog out before the end of this month with at least one of these smaller originals posted on it.

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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through our wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web site: www.culverchamber.com

Culver Inn and Lake Commission

This photo of my painting of a Lake Maxinkuckee cottage was displayed here about 6 weeks ago. Soon after I published this blog, I removed the photo because the painting was to be a Christmas surprise and so should have been out of sight. I feel honored to have been asked to paint it, and here it is for you to enjoy.

We have had a most pleasant holiday season, and it's not over yet! We've had nice visits with family and friends, and the hours have flown. We enjoyed our fake Christmas tree with its instant on lights, and our living room seems rather bare without it. Ward took our tree down to the basement, covered it with a sheet and parked it in a corner. A few hours later, I went down there to ride my exercise bike and had a great surprise! He had organized and straightened up much of the clutter down there. How very nice of him.

Here is a photo of our Culver Inn print, one of the most popular of our Culver Academy series listed on our Painter and Poet web site. The Culver Inn was a favorite on campus destination, a restaurant which reminded me of Williamsburg, Virginia - very elegant and charming. It was torn down about 1992 to make way for the "new" Huffington Library. We've partially set up our Painter and Poet ebay store and already have one print on it - Balloons Aloft ebay #250559660146, and have just put a Culver Inn print there for sale. The Culver Inn print is ebay #250562161957. Soon I hope to have links between this blog, our ebay site, and our website. The base prices are lower on ebay than on our web site www.painterandpoet.com so you may be able to get a bargain on ebay. I'm hoping that the mental gymnastics from all of this computerizing will substitute for the crossword puzzles I do not do. Ward is the expert in that department.

Studio Update: Am working now on grandson Michael's watercolor, and will photograph it and show it to you on our next blog. It has been very cold with some deep snow and ice. Last week, we did not open up until the weekend - walks were too treacherous.

I've completed some small drawings on heavy watercolor paper, and will be working on those - between larger paintings. When completed, they will be put on ebay for bidding. These will be one of a kind, no prints. However, we will take careful photos of each, and if you buy an original, it would be possible for you to purchase some custom notecards featuring your painting.

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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through a wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web site: www.culverchamber.com







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Baking cookies & making note cards

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we are enjoying reading through the wonderful notes and cards from family and friends- many whom we have met in our gallery. It is so much fun to recall our connections with all of you. .

Pictured here - The original "Father Christmas" watercolor which is currently hanging in our dining room. After New Year's we will move the jolly old man back to his off season home on the wall of our second bedroom. We have prints and note cards of him on our web site - in the "Christmas series".

My youngest granddaughter, Taylor, loves to draw and paint, and today, I have spent several hours making note cards from one of her paintings - done I think when she was about eight years old. . Several boxes of these note cards will be sent to her in tomorrow's mail. The owl image on these cards is posted here for you to enjoy. Ward is framing the original of Taylor's owl for Taylor and Jennifer (her mother/ my daughter)

Overcome by the Christmas spirit, this evening I mixed up the dough for "peanut butter swirls" and put it in the fridge to chill overnight. Tomorrow, I will roll out the dough and spread melted chocolate chips over the top, then roll it up and chill it again. And about 30 minutes later, I will slice the roll into cookies, and bake them. These cookies are family favorites.

Christmas Eve: It's been a lovely day. We are reminded again of the true meaning of Christmas. For ideas and examples of kindness, check out the following web site: www.actsofkindness.org

The peanut butter cookies have been baked and are tucked into bags in our basement freezer, where they are a lesser temptation than in our kitchen cookie jar. (This is more preparation for my grandson's anticipated arrival).

Studio Update: Web sales have gone smoothly through this holiday season. We've been able to send orders out promptly and even figured out how to handle a duplicate order from the same household - we called the second purchaser and were able to cancel one of the items, - that saved a buyer from needing to return a print. And we remind you - while we do not offer framed prints on our web site, do call us if you would prefer one framed, and if possible, we will try to accommodate you. Just ask - Our motto is to try to please.

Over the next several days I will be working on a painting for my grandson Michael of a wooded scene in Germany (from a photograph he sent to me when he was studying there) Hope to have it finished before he and Kathryn get here. I'll take a picture of it and show you both the painting and the original photo.

The large and complicated watercolor I told you about in my last blog has not yet been picked up, so it will be shown to you later. I'm just starting on another commission and am going to photograph it at different stages, so you can get an idea of how a watercolor.develops.

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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through a wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web site: www.culverchamber.com

Mother's Christmas Cactus

Christmas is arriving in a big hurry. Most of the Christmas notes have been sent to our Painter and Poet collectors. I treasure all the warm connections to family, friends and you who appreciate our painting and poetry. You fill our hearts with gratitude.

Before I was born, and prior to the "great depression" over 80 years ago, my mother grew a Christmas cactus. As a young girl I remember admiring it blooming in the living room of our Ohio farm home. My mother had a "green thumb" and her plants thrived. When I had my own home she gave me cuttings from this cactus and I enjoyed taking care of them, but none of them lived for years and years like hers did, until..... at the age of 95 she came to live with us, and along with her came some of her plants including her cactus pictured above. That was over 25 years ago and Ward and I now still have the same cactus she started so many years ago. Several times it became "sick" but it always "pulled through".

Mother's Christmas Cactuis" seems very happy in my studio, a room with lots of light. And right now, it is blooming. I took this photo several days ago so I could better share its story with you.. "Mother's Christmas Cactus" prints and note cards may be found on our web site in both the Christmas series and the Floral series.

Studio Update: We have just finished installing a new credit card processing program for phone and gallery orders.- now we are fully compliant with upcoming credit card safeguards. In our gallery and over the phone we are now able to accept 4 major cards - Visa, MC, Discover and American Express, as well as personal checks and money orders. While on our web site, we accept PayPal.

Since our last blog, I've finished another large commission and will post a photo after it has been delivered. Within a day or two, I'll be starting another house painting - a cozy fall scene on a brick street.

After Christmas, my oldest grandson, Michael, - and his girlfriend. will be visiting us on their way back to school. Am hoping to find time to paint a small watercolor from an awesome wooded fall scene that Michael photographed in Germany several years ago. When the painting is done, I'll share photos with you. One of my "hopeful" goals for this winter is to work toward painting a small watercolor for each of my grandchildren.

In my life as an artist, the lines between art and family continually blur. And I will be moving back and forth between painting and family life. Probably some paintings won't be done when I had hoped, and some Christmas notes will become New Year's notes. But Ward and I are thrilled to be happily busy - as oldsters "enjoying the journey".

We wish you blessings and peace and joy at this remarkable time of year

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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through a wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web site: www.culverchamber.com

Thanksgiving in just SIX days!

My daughter Susan and her friend Jolene, visited last weekend. The time went too fast, and a special little highlight was the good fudge that Ward whipped up. It just kept beckoning us back to the kitchen counter. On Saturday night, for dinner - Ward and I took them to City Tavern, one of our very excellent restaurants. Suzy and Jolene were pleased with the great food and enjoyed visiting some of the interesting shops here in Culver. Our town has truly "blossomed" in the last 12 to 15 years - not the same town where I moved over 50 years ago. I liked it then and I like it even better now!

About a week from now we will be enjoying and giving thanks at our family gathering - not sure just who will be able to come, but we'll update you in our next blog.

This is our print of the "Dome". the Administration Building at Notre Dame. We offer it in a standard -11" x 14" ivory mat edged with a gold line. Consider this for the Notre Dame fan on your gift list. Go to our website or call us to order.

Studio Update: We are working on our Christmas mailing. Updating addresses and printing labels. The computer and I do not always agree, but the computer ALWAYS wins. The labels are done and I'll work on the rest little by little.


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Visit our web site www.painterandpoet.com to look through a wide variety of prints, note cards and books. We nake it easy for you to purchase with a check or money order - or using our shopping cart and pay/pal or other credit cards. Free shipping within the 48 states - email us for charges outside this area. Phone orders welcome. Ask for Esther at 574-842-8888. Email us at: info@painterandpoet.com

If you subscribe to our blog, it will be sent to you automatically. To go directly to our blog, enter this link: www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com

Painter and Poet Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday 10 till 5. Sunday afternoon 12 till 4. And by appointment or chance.

For awesome and continually updated Culver info go to www.maxinkuckee.com and to Culver's official Chamber of Commerce web ite: www.culverchamber.com