The Palette Pad was built during a very hot, windy summer in 1969. Mama and daddy had about given up on finding their dream piece of land. My dad wanted fertile land where he could farm; the artist in my mom yearned for a stream and rocks that she loved to paint. On the last day they had to look, they found what is now Scurlock Farms. My dad quit his job and they moved to Georgetown. That summer, they lived in a tent, cooked on a grill while daddy began working on the studio or Palette Pad and my mom painted many paintings.
The plan was to build the Palette Pad as mama's art studio and a place to live while they built the big house, their retirement home. The temperature was over 100 and the wind blew over 30 miles per hour for over 30 days that summer. Mama fought the dust and tried to prevent her easel from blowing over.
They were both thrilled when daddy got the windows up in one corner and she was able to take cover behind them to paint! They had no running water or place to bathe except for the river. Each evening they would take a broom and a bar of soap down to the river. Daddy would sweep any moss of the rocky bottom and they would have their cooling baths!
Mama and daddy hand picked up EVERY rock that is in The Palette Pad walls and fireplace wall, as well as every rock for the big house. They had no idea at the time of the number of rocks that would be required to complete the job!! Every rock was laid by hand by them and you'll notice all the lines of rock are straight.
