Last night I took Inge Van hook to a musical Soiree at the home of Laura Horn. I don't know Laura. She had an amazing shome. People commented baronial. It looked like a medieval castle. I was invited to go to the last Soiree by Booie Carpenter. I thought it was so nice I wanted to go again. So when the invitation came I accepted. It costs sixty dollars. the money goes to scholarships for needy children The music was superb; a cello and flutist. The flutist, Elizabeth Brightbill was able to make amazing sounds. Inge and I sat on the front row. They serve dinner after the performance. We ate with people we both know from the BHSC from tennis. I learned the couples in this group get together and read plays and then have dinner. I wonder where they get the scripts?
Rick did not want to go because he says he likes to relax on Sunday night.
I play tennis is a couple of hours but want to have a chance to write before I start my day of activities. I don't know how people accomplish what they do. I read some of the Washington Post. I read about Obama firing the president of GM and also about a talk Bill Gates gave about his newest school initiative. I was going to comment to walker about that . Maybe later since I must get my day going. I made broccoli soup for lunch.

I am working on the invitations to the Rehearsal dinner party but I didn't address too many because I keep thinking I have to use blue ink because the ink on the invitation is blue. I did work on Walker's album some although I have not finished that either. I wanted to but cannot come up with any good ideas for words to put on the page. Maybe I will look at a scrapbook blog. I bet their is one. I did a load of laundry earlier. I went to yoga. I think the yoga is good for my arthritis because I have to put weight on my hands and wrists. I use the blocks for Downward Facing dog.
Bradley called and told me she was going to write Kim Innis. I am going to pray that she does. She said her professor ask that she wait until later to finish her paper. I read about how to edit old blogs which is something I want to learn about. I have not read Walker's blog in awhile. I think I will do that.
Yesterday I went to a focus group at the Double tree hotel about aging. There were ten seniors there. They gave us sixty dollars for just talking mostly about Hospice. It was quite interesting.

I just got off the phone with Hillah Francis who talked over an hour about her mother dyeing. Hillah was in her late nineties. I am still feeling a little drained from the talk. She is very meticulous about whatever she says. She was solving some of her problem by talking to me and I will call it a listening experience. If I was a counselor I would get payed to do this exercise. I did not know whether to offer our house for her reception. I did not want to do it without Rick's permission.

I am still working on Walker's picture album. I need to copy some more pictures and also buy more paper from Michael's. I also need to stop at Lime Tree to pick out some low key cards to send to Liz for our invitations for the Rehearsal dinner. I have to write to Ellen Jensen and also LL. Thomas who was Hillah's husband.

Yesterday afternoon was spent with Hallie getting the schedule of events ready for Walker's wedding. I was very bad at the hole punch part of the project. I was very glad when she took that job over and I tied the ribbons.

I put some pictures on the hard drive of the computer and want to add one here.
When looking through my pictures I found one of Rick siting at his desk working with a very relaxed Aiko on the desk. I want to add this one since it was intriguing. I don't remember taking it. I probably got a kick out of seeing Aiko so relaxed. He is Rick's companion and hangs out wherever Rick is.

Rick is in Philadelphia at Walker's bachelor party celebrating with all Walker's friends. I called early this morning well, I called at 6:30 and he had just woken up. He said they were out late last night eating at an Italian restaurant and then drinking at a bar. Billy, Walker's old friend from law school brought t-shirts. I hope someone take pictures. It is chilly in the house. I am going to work on an album for Walker today and listen to music and then later go to the last festival of the book event which Ellen Abbot is participating in. The clock just charmed so it is 7:45.
I was just reading about reflective writing. I want to reflect on what I did this week. I went to four different events for the Festival of the Book. Each one had famous participants talking about their books and why they wrote them. In fact one was called what we write why we write. I don't write enough and this is a good form. Yesterday, I went shopping at Sam's and spent about one hundred and twenty five dollars. I bought mostly supplies for the house like dishwasher soap and toilet paper but I also bought fruit. I splurged on one book for David Quinn which was only six dollars. I guess I should add a picture right here from the Festival but I have not yet perfected that process. I searched for that word. I can tell listening to the authors that they are much more comfortable with words then I am. I am so glad this program has a spell check. I am going to walk Rudy then start my work on albums.

I want to add another picture of David Quinn right now. I am not sure it will work because I have saved it to the home page. This one is really of his second birthday. Bradley and David Quinn are camping right now with her students from College of the Redwoods. Maybe she will take some pictures and I also can add these.

The rain has finally stopped. Looking out the window is very peaceful because the light is so bright and the grass so green. I went to art class this morning at nine. It was one of the few lectures we have ever had. Usually we just draw after she gives us a description of the project she want us to work on. Akemi showed us lots of portraits. She is very soft spoken. I have to get very close to hear her what she is saying. I will try and describe our project. We have to bring in different costumes, (clothes) and use this in our portrait. The clothes were stressed. We actually have to do two different pictures one will be a double portrait and the other is to have background. We do not copy a picture though but we have to look in a mirror and draw ourselves using pastel oil. We are allowed to copy the background.

This class is very difficult for me because so much is taken for granted. I have to read books about drawing and painting to really appreciate what Akemi is talking about. She also had a few slides about color. Teacher always start with primary colors but don't elaborate much after that.
After class I went to North Ridge to have a breast looked at. I have a small purple mole on my right breast and I want to make sure I was okey. The nurse practitioner said I should go to the dermatologist. I also went to the Lime Tree To order the invitations for the Barbecue and then to the Boar's Head and used the exercise machines.

David Quinn's birthday was Wednesday. He turned two. I am going to try and put a picture on this blog. i put them in my documents so it might work. Bradley had a party for him at a Mexican restaurant in Orick which is north of Trinidad. she invited her neighbors her classmates and some of the friends from the Day Care Center at College of the Redwoods.

I just read Walker's post about the Chieftans. Amazing what he observes and remembers. He wrote about the Chieftans. We attended their concert last night at the Paramount. He gave me tickets to the concert as a Christmas gift. I met him in front of the Paramount about six thirty. We went to Fellini's for dinner and then on to their concert. The theater was packed. We sat in the third row with wonderful views of the Chieftans while they sang and danced. I enjoyed it all; the tin whistle, the flute, the harp, the guitar, the fiddle and the banjo. All the songs are haunting. I am still feeling the emotion from the music. It is late at night I couldn't not sleep. I can't decide whether to go to Richmond tomorrow to look at more mother of the groom dresses. I spent this afternoon looking and trying to decide. It is after twelve. I think I will go to sleep and decide when I wake up.

I am going to try and add the screech owl picture that my neighbor Jane Burns sent to me. WE saw the screech owl Saturday morning at the event for the National Parks. I don't think I can do it through the email. I will make it an attachment and do it that way. Instead I will add another picture of Hallie and Walker. It has been unseasonably hot. Yesterday after church Walker came over and had lunch.He told us about setting up a wedding address registry for gifts at the Happy Cook and also told us more of the wedding plans he and Hallie have made. My next job is to order the invitations for the rehearsal dinner barbecue. Last night I could not sleep it was so hot. I am sweating right now. I want to open up old entries and try to add picture to them. That is my next learning experience.

We are home from our event in Staunton. This morning we saw two different owls that live in the Shenandoah National Fores; a barn owl who lives high in the mountains and High in the trees. He was very large with extra large eyes that kept roaming around the room and almost looked straight at us. The screech owl weighed six ounces and had strange plumage down its face. The ranger made the calling sound of both birds. It was a great presentation. We spent a lot of time with the Burns our neighbors and also the Mc Kees. I did a lot of NIA at the Boar's Head with Ginger before the class collapsed. Last night we saw some of Ken Burns movie and heard a very moving personal talk about his new series for Public Radio. I want to go for a walk before long because it is so beautiful outside. Rick is doing something in the yard, I am not sure what. I also want to call Bradley and make sure she is doing okay. This week is David Quinns birthday.

Yesterday I did go to Vito Perriello's funeral mass. There were probably one thousand people there according to Wendall who sat across the church from me. I wonder if he saw me. I also saw Dr. Mike Dickens and Melissa. I said hello to Linda. Perriello. I have always had mixed feelings about her because she is so assertive. I need to be more accepting. " That is just her style" There were lots of people there that we knew from the past because many people had the same age children as our children. the same era. My favorite part of there service was Do na no bis Pacem at the beginning of the service. I think I read the singers were from the UVA choir. Sunday I read the prayers of the People At Christ Church. We pray for Vito Perriello.

We are going to spend the night in Staunton at an event celebrating the National Park system. We attend a dinner with the feature speaker being Ken Burns. He just completed a new film series about the National Parks and will talk about it at the dinner. I am not sure if we get to see any of the movies.
I went to yoga today. It went by fast for some reason. Ray told us to pay attention to our breathing. That is the most important thing. She seems to stress that over getting deeper into the poses although she does talk about form sometime. This class is not as difficult as the Wednesday class.
I am going to take knitting to do in the car.
After yoga I went to Levys and look at very fancy silk dresses but all the sizes were very small; the silk and the colors were gorgeous. I have a hard time with superlatives. I also went to Kinkos and copied pictures. My goal is still to complete and album maybe two by the end of the month. I will complete Rick's album and my album. I need to use the word "I" more. I read in a book about clutter you don't say there is too much clutter you say I have created clutter and I need to clean it up.

Yesterday I went to yoga at the Boar's Head. When I am at yoga I have to use the blocks a lot to get into the poses. I used to be self conscious but now I am not. I just use them. I learn a lot from the teachers who talk about breathing and our bodies and what happens inside our bodies when we do the poses.
After yoga I went to Lime Tree and looked at invitations for the rehearsal barbecue. The man who runs the store is very helpful. I took some samples for Hallie and Walker to look at. I met Walker for lunch. We talked about the samples and also Vito Perriello who died Sunday and whether we would go to the viewing together. He said if he was not too busy he would go with me. He called later and said he was too busy so I am going to go the the service myself at one o' clock. Paige Perriello was Bradley's best friend in middle school but then went to ST. Anne's for high school I always thought this affected Bradly and she did not understand why her best friends moved away. Grandma and Grandpa both died within the next year and I think this also had and affect on Bradley. But this is all speculation; who knows. I am organizing the shelves in my office. I am going to get all the pictures ready to put in albums then put some in if I have time. It is interesting looking at the old pictures. I am also enlarging some of the 4 by 4's that don't show up but do show up when you enlarge the.
Monday and Tuesday I looked at Robert Warren tapes. I am trying hard to pay attention to the colors that he uses. I want to do some of the picture on my own without the help of Dixie. One of my goals is to just journal everyday in my blog. I am making progress on my knitting sweater for David Quinn. I want to finish the front this morning.