Deciding that we needed a new entry rug in our Vancouver condo, and convincing L that if he could retire, his work shirts could retire, too, J ripped them up into strips and wove the strips into this rug. The shirts were all a heavy cotton fabric in a range of drab solid colors. The rug turned out to be much more stylish than the professor ever was.
L gave the shirt off his back for J's weaving project
News & Notes
At the end of January the members of our bookclub all happened to be in Vancouver BC at the same time. So, we had our first international meeting. Unlike most bookclubs, we all read different books. Each time, we describe the books that we're recommending. And, we take home books that were recommended or sounded interesting. It REALLY expands the range of literature one tries.
The Readers: Mari, J, Bryan, Sarah, Lynn, Dennis, Hyer, L
We were delighted to attend a performance of the classic Broadway musical "Bye Bye, Birdie" starring our grandniece Devin in the female lead. She has a beautiful voice. The production, which requires a multitude of screaming girls enamored of an Elvis-like teen idol, included all of the students at Devin's K-8 Montessori school. It was a blast!
Devin after her performance in "Bye Bye, Birdie"
We scored a trip to Libby MT to visit Jim and Julie, to revel in crisp winter weather with sustained snowfall, to see our Montana friends and to enjoy the Met's simulcast of La Bohème in Kalispel. It perked up February!
Incidentally, when we last visited Libby (November) we brought home three kinds of apples from Jim's orchard: Macs, Red Delicious and Honey Crisp. Cool through the winter in our garage, they've lasted well. Here are the Red Delicious as a tatin helping to celebrate Pi Day.The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver has an exhibit now of twelve blankets by Salish weavers illustrating traditional techniques. (The Salish Nations were the original inhabitants of coastal Washington and BC.) On loan from museum collections, the blankets are between 120-200 years old. Most use fibers from the Wooly Dog, a now extinct breed of spitz-size dog the Salish raised for its wool. Other fibers include mountain goat and bird down. One rug's weft is made entirely of extremely thin strips of mallard duck hide with fine down still attached. The dozen blankets were beyond amazing in materials, design, ingenuity and craftsmanship!
We attended the final performance of Seattle's story-telling organization, "A Guide To Visitors." Started 15 years ago by our son Dave and his dear friend Jeannie Yandel, AGTV quickly gained a reputation for presenting fascinating, well-curated stories told by locals. As Dave once described it, "imagine the guy on the next barstool telling the best personal story you ever heard." Today, there are storytelling sponsors throughout the Puget Sound area. AGTV's work is done. Congratulations, Dave and Jeannie. It was a fantastic run!
Jeannie Yandel (slightly visible) as the curtain closes on AGTV
L and his friend John Lewis have been lunching with some frequency, recently. This photo from March is included because it documents how old retired guys spend their time. As if anybody was wondering!
L and lunch and John
