A Fun Little Ditty ‘bout a Girl from Surf City
By Andrew Flack
Not everyone can remember such a fateful day
When an experience so monumental swept them away
But Carol (Smith) Freas has found a way
To reimagine the wahoo and whoopee she was given that day
Her 1st grade teacher, the kindest, Miss Knoll
Saw something in the child when she called the Art roll
She spotted a sparkle in the young girl’s eye
Gave her the chance for her imagination to fly
Carol remembers, “I fell in love on that day.”
Drawing and painting became more than just play
Before very long it was Southern Regional High
Under Tom Regan’s direction her dreams touched the sky
And teacher Pat Vanella, played a part, too,
Her encouragement key as Carol’s confidence grew
It was just what she needed at a difficult time
Perhaps teaching would become her professional line
To Philadelphia’s Museum School she proudly went next
At Kutztown State College her creative muscles were flexed
With marriage to Ray and two children in tow
She continued her teaching and went along with the flow
Her approach relied always on support and compassion
The care she’d received she returned double, with passion
Florida, Virginia, then even New York
Wherever they moved she kept up with her art
Painting in watercolors was her métier from the start
A way of connecting her brush to her heart
Back home on the island, life settling down
The more Carol painted the more recognition she found
In big juried shows and small exhibitions
Her reputation was burnished by winning competitions
Invited to join the National Watercolor Society
This wider acclaim hatched a local celebrity
So many front covers of Pooch’s Beachcomber
The perfect showcase for this prodigal “homer”
The Shack, the Lighthouse, fishes and ducks
Kids eating ice cream by a big Millside truck
Ring-around-the-rosy down by the bay
Dancers in motion just this side of risqué
Her friends do insist she’s got pizzaz and real spunk
Since there’s always an easel thrown into her trunk
She captures her subjects out-of-doors en plein air
With an authentic, decidedly Carol Freas flair
When calm is called for by her creative community
She’s the go-to girl to supply positive unity!
After three decades of teaching she’s still going strong
Whether at Pine Shores, or The Foundation, “It’s where I belong.”
Her tool box chock full, other talents surprising
Like Tuesdays at The Gateway karaoke rhapsodizing!
Her works of art you can’t ever resist
Either just for you or as a gift
Always on view in that Ship Bottom store
At Things-a-Drift there’s Carol, and more.
