Mosaic No. 2 . . .

I tried the mosaic again today . . . it's so interesting how it comes out differently each time . . . depending on your mood at the time I guess . . .

I love the tugboat photo of the "Cheryl Ann" . . . my father actually chose my name from a program he loved and watched every evening after the news . . . about a tugboat called the "Cheryl Ann" . . . I would sit with him and we would watch it together when I was a little girl . . .

I loved finding that photo . . . it reminded me of him . . .

A Young Girl's Poem

I just read this poem written by a co-worker's daughter, Maxine Melnick . . . she is 12 years old now but wrote this poem when she was only 10 !! . . . it's beautiful . . .

“My Silver Seagull”

Silver seagull, Gliding like a Little motorboat,
In his lonely, sparkling Lake.

Watching, staring at his Reflection, two of him
I can see, but he Can see only me.

No one with him Except for me,
His reflection too, But that is all. Empty.

One small thing, in Such a big, big world.
Him and me in perfect Harmony.

Now me, just Watching, staring, as quiet
As can be, at silver seagull, My silver seagull.

My Mosaic

Trying this mosaic idea was suggested by my daughter-in-law, Isis, several weeks ago on her blog . . . so I decided today I would give it a try . . . she said it was a nice way to unwind . . .

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I found myself thinking of a lot of different things from my life as I chose the photos . . . it was really interesting . . .

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Here's my mosaic . . . I have a feeling it would turn out differently if I did it again another day . . . somehow I think it tunes in to your mood as you do it . . .

Neil Diamond at Fenway - "What a Night" !!

Dick and I went to the Neil Diamond concert at Fenway Park last night . . . it was absolutely wonderful . . . great weather . . . fun people sitting around us . . . and Neil . . . great of course !
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here is the review from Christopher John Treacy of the Boston Herald . . . it says it all . . .
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"Neil Diamond’s heart may belong to the Yankees, but last night he loaned his soul to Fenway Park.
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It wasn’t exactly a “Hot August Night.” But things have changed in the 36 years since Diamond released that landmark live recording: His hair’s more under control, his shirts remain buttoned, the collars are unobtrusive and, perhaps most important, his oft-parodied dramatic performances are now tempered with smart restraint.
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In front of some 37,000 fans jamming the beloved ballpark, Diamond took Boston on a two-hour tour of his catalogue, touching old, touching new, touching me, touching you.
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In fact, good sport that he is, theRed Sox anthem “Sweet Caroline” got played a total of three times - first as the opener, then twice more in succession two-thirds through the evening.
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After “Holly Holy” and the urban celebration “Beautiful Noise,” Diamond removed his guitar for a subdued but no less convincing “Love On the Rocks.” “Cherry Cherry” was just as jubilant 42 years on and got the largely sit-down crowd up on its feet.
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Following “Thank the Lord for the Nighttime,” he said, “But that was yesterday,” and launched into a trio of tunes from his new Rick Rubin-produced CD, “Home Before Dark.” In particular, the title track lent credence to the widespread perception of the disc as an introspective collection.
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But he followed with “Brooklyn Roads,” “Done Too Soon,” “I Am, I Said” and “Solitary Man” - all heavily self-reflective songs written prior to 1971. So it’s safe to say that Diamond’s always been stuck in his own head.
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With the same 14-piece band he’s used for three decades, the sound was big but the volume remained tasteful - safe enough for non-earplug listening. If ever Diamond’s authoritative strumming grew tiresome, backup gal Maxine Waters put on a worthwhile sideshow (along with sister Julia Waters and Linda Press, who belted Streisand’s portion of “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”), brandishing her tambourine and maracas like weaponry.
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And the four-man brass section and King Errisson’s congas elevated the arrangements beyond the run of the mill.
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Diamond grew a little hoarse toward the show’s end, closing with another pair of contemplative numbers, “Man of God” and “Hell Yeah” from 2005’s “12 Songs,” before returning for “Cracklin’ Rosie,” and the immigration anthem “America.”
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Reflecting on the breadth of material performed, it’s plain that he’s always taken chances and almost always won - the last time he released an album that failed to go gold in the United States was prior to 1968. And while he’s never been cool enough to be embraced by subculture, he’s maintained a consistent edge over everyone else in the middle of the road, where he continues shining bright at 67. "
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By Christopher John Treacy (Boston Herald)

Truro . . . Peace, Peace, Peace . . .

Mom and I just got back from Truro . . . we had a great time ! !

there's Mom sitting on the deck . . . she so enjoyed the peace of being there . . . just listening to the ocean while sitting on the deck . . . reading and talking . . . I had such a good time just spending some special time with her . . . it was wonderful . . .

. . . we had a great dinner at Montano's . . . went into P-town for a bit to see the sights . . . but mostly just sat and listened to the peace of the ocean . . .

. . . and the sunset was incredible ! !

On My Way to Truro

YEAHHHHHHHHHHH . . . I'm on my way to Truro . . . one of my favorite places in the whole world . . . if I can't be at the Pacific Ocean . . . then give me Truro ! ! !

Taking Mom down for a couple of days . . . just to relax and soak in the ocean . . . AHHHHHHH . . . sleep listening to the waves . . . so so good for the Soul !!

Birthday No. 61 . . . "oh no"

I had a terrific birthday . . . Dick picked some beautiful hydrangeas for me from his garden . . . I love hydrangeas ! ! !

I came home from work to the most gorgeous fruit bouquet . . . with yummy chocolate dipped pineapple and strawberry flowers ( I wish I had thought to take a picture of it before Dick and I started to eat ! ! ! . . . thank you Rick, Tracy, Ben, and Peter . . .

While we were busy eating these delicious treats . . . the UPS man came . . . with several dozen roses . . . absolutely beautiful . . . thank you Adam, Isis, Sienna, and Olivia . . .

On Friday evening we went to dinner with Todd and Andrea to celebrate . . . they gave me a birthday card to open . . . and out fell 2 tickets to "Neil Diamond at Fenway Park" ! ! ! . . . incredible . . . I could NOT believe it . . . that is going to be an awesome evening . . . thank you Todd & Andrea . . .

Mom came with us . . . and gave me a nice $$ birthday gift . . . to buy whatever I want . . . so now I am trying to decide . . . going to wait for a while . . . and come up with something really good . . .

Also received lots of cards and well wishes from other family and friends . . . thank you all so much . . . for helping to make my birthday a great day !!

The "Last" Phil Craig Book

Well, I just finished the last Phil Craig book . . . it was wonderful . . . as always !!
I first discovered Phil's books in 1995 . . . I think there were 5 out then . . . and I read through them all right away . . .
Then every spring I looked forward to the new one coming out . . . and that was usually the first book I read every year in June . . . I would always try to make them last . . . tried to read very slowly . . . but each one was so good I just couldn't put it down until it was finished . . . and usually read it in one day !
Last May . . . Phil passed away . . . I had met him a few times at different author events . . . and he was one of the nicest people I have ever met . . . so so kind . . . one of my favorite authors . . .
It makes me sad to think I will never get to speak with him again . . . or to be able to look forward to another one of his books in the Spring . . . June reading will never be the same.

One Week from Today

here is a photo of my FIRST finished English paper pieced quilt . . . it's out at the quilter's right now . . . so she can work her magical stitching on it . . . it will be ready when I return from my trip . . . I can't wait to get it back . . . put the binding on . . . and hang it over my fireplace . . . it's going to look so good there . . .

just one more week . . . and I'll be leaving with Sandy for California . . . I can't wait . . . we are going to have a great time ! ! !

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I sure can't wait to see my two little cuties . . . I'm sure we will have a wonderful time with them both . . . probably will be quite tired at the end of the days that "Daddy & Mommy" are gone . . . but it will be a good tired . . . just being with them is going to be soooooooooooo terrific . . .

I've been busy getting my English paper pieces cut and basted . . . so I can take them with me to work on on the plane . . . I will be able to get a lot of blocks sewed together . . . if I can just get all these pieces ready . . .

this weekend I cut and basted 676 pieces . . . I have 91 to go . . . ! ! !

Sarah's Confirmation Quilt

Today was Sarah's Confirmation . . . I can't believe she is already 16 years old . . . getting ready to get her license . . . wow !!

this is the quilt I made for her . . . it's called "Patience Corner" . . . I thought the name was appropriate for a confirmation gift . . .

I hope she likes it !!!

Quilting Friday

Today was terrific . . . I was with my quilting buddies all day . . . Peggy, Judy, and Sandy . . .

I love being with these women . . . they are fun to be with . . . we laugh . . . we cry (from laughing) . . . we lose our breath (from laughing) . . . and we laugh some more . . . so good for the spirit . . .

and we even get a lot of sewing done . . . imagine that ! ! !

Glorious Day ! ! !

Quilting Buddies

Saturday was such a wonderful day! . . . I spent it with my "quilting buddies" at Cathy's quilt shop . . . learning to make the "Star of Hope" quilt . . . what a wonderful time we had . . . we just sewed the whole day . . .

Lorna "Treadlefoot" . . . Sandy "Talktoherself" . . . Mary "Britecolor"
. . . Judy "Spasmfinger" . . . Peggy "Quivering" . . . Cheryl "Pinpress"
. . . and Cathy "Pressno" . . .

we even got a lot done on our quilts . . . amidst all the laughter . . . we always have a fun time together . . . and I so look forward to our next class together . . .

at one point Cathy said she thought she was Amish in a past life . . . maybe we all were . . . I can see why the Amish women sew together . . . not just to get more done . . . but the fun we have being together is just so uplifting . . .

I thank God for bringing these ladies into my life . . . I love being with them . . . thank you all for your friendship! ! !

42 Years !!!

Today . . . Dick and I celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary . . . sounds like such a long time . . . but yet, it feels like only a short time ago . . . on a cold and snowy February day . . . that we made our vows to each other . . .

God has been really good to us . . . we have four wonderful sons to be so proud of . . . Rick, Todd, Bryan, and Adam . . . they’ve all grown into terrific men . . . each contributing to our society in their own way . . . they have each found a special woman to be their life partner . . . Tracy, Andrea, Ileana, and Isis . . . and have built lives together that make them happy . . .

In some ways, time has really flown by . . . the years the boys were growing up . . . watching them advance in school . . . attending their sports and music events . . . and all the other things they were involved in . . . helping to make them the men they are today . . . there are still times that I miss all of that . . .

We may not have accomplished a lot in material things in 42 years . . . don’t have a huge gorgeous house . . . or fancy cars . . . or any of that kind of stuff . . . but we have so much more . . .

A family that is wonderful . . . and grandchildren that are the best . . . Benjamin, Peter, Danielle, Kassie, Sienna, and Olivia . . . who could ask for anything more . . .

We’ve seen a lot of places in our life together . . . we both love to travel and have had vacations in Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, California and Canada . . . and there are so many more places we hope to visit together . . .

We’ve lost people who meant a lot to us over the years . . . Aunt Flo and my father, Howard . . . but we’ve also been blessed to have my mother, Rita . . . now almost 80 . . . to be with us for so many happy family occasions . . . and also for guidance and love . . .

I pray our sons will also have long lives together with their wives and families . . . and many many blessings . . .