It has been a year

And oh my what a year. Our son in law passed away totally unexpectedly one year ago today. Proof that heart disease does not discriminate by age. His son's, our grandsons, are now 6 and 8. They miss their Dad. Our daughter misses him too and she has done everything she possibly can for the boys often at her own expense. Sometimes we wish we lived a little closer but we are content where we are and the boys seem to be happy to spend time with us here.
I hope to get back to some quilting soon. It provides a very real therapeutic outlet. Piecefully, Joanne

Thank you Laura Robinson

We have had a busy summer in our small town. The tourists are here in full force and with the weather we have had they are probably wishing they were some where else. I have had the good fortune to attend a couple of events organized by Laura Robinson, a local resident. Laura is a free lance journalist and is currently being sued by the former organizer of the Vancouver Olympic Games (2010) because of an article she published about his background. Information that was brought to her attention by First Nations individuals in the British Columbia interior. This legal action has involved HUGE costs and to help off set these costs Laura has arranged for some speaker events. Early in July I attended a evening talk by Charlie Wilkins about his most recent book Little Ship of Fools. He described in detail how he prepared for and then accomplished a voyage that involved 16 individuals rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. Charlie is a Canadian author who writes non-fiction books. I have read a couple of his other books and found them very interesting so what a treat to be able to sit in the same room and then to ask questions. I always wondered how he remembered so much detail and he had his actual moleskin diary with him at the talk. Last week Elaine Tanner (www.elainetanner.ca)  was the speaker. She was a standout swimmer in the late 60's and still holds a number of Canadian medal records for swimming. She is still a petite person but her story is anything but small. What an interesting speaker and the stories she had to share were so fascinating! It probably helped that I could well remember the time when she was in the headlines as a standout Canadian swimmer.
For more information on Laura's legal situation and the efforts she is making to off set some of her costs please visit her web site (here).  Instead of throwing up her hands, Laura is finding innovative ways to raise funds to help off-set her mounting legal costs. She is a lively, energetic and passionate woman and I am pleased to be able to support her efforts.
And on the quilty front I have been doing some pattern testing and having so much fun with Fandom patterns. Piecefully, Joanne

Some say three peas in a pod

My sister and I traveled to the Cleveland area to visit our brother who is a resident in an Assisted Living Facility. It is a long drive for me (9+ hours) so we don't make it often. Bill seemed to know who we were and we had a nice visit. He has good people looking after him and we are thankful for that. I am back home and am anticipating a busy family weekend. My son is coming for a visit and then my daughter is coming up, the boys are here already. Wonder if they will all be in the same place at the same time to sing Happy Birthday to me? Piecefully, Joanne