It's Been A Long, Long Time!

Phoebe at her opening

Hi everyone - sorry I haven't posted for a while (since Hallowe'en)!  There has been lots of activity around here lately!  Both Charles and Phoebe had gallery openings the First Friday of November and they were busily preparing for their shows.  Both shows were great successes and I was so proud of them!  I made the snacks for the attendees (Mexican wedding cakes, brownie bites, stuffed mini peppers, cheese, crackers and sparkling apple cider) - everything was flying off the table.  We had big crowds, considering the terrible weather!

Grown up ghouls!

We celebrated Hallowe'en as we usually do, over at our friends Pat and Kim's house.  Their three kids are our God children, and the neighborhood they live in is great for trick or treating, so they usually have an open house and offer their place as a home base for their friends to bring their kids for a warm cup of soup or cider between rounds of trick or treating.  Kim had a great costume - folks at her office dressed in sheets, as in "The Sheet Hits the Fan", "Holy Sheet" (Kim) etc.  I wore an orange jacket the exact color of marshmallow circus peanuts, so that was my costume!  

Looking south from the causeway to Shrine Island

On All Souls' Day, there was a noon Mass at the Shrine, where the Bishop intoned all the names of all the people in the Diocese who have died in the past year as Charles lit candles for each of them.  The candles were given to the loved ones present at the Mass and the others will be sent to the pastors of each parish for them to give to those who live in other communities.  A nice new tradition for All Souls' Day.

Last Sunday evening, we attended a fundraiser for our friend Buddy Tabor, who has been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer.  The evening was wonderful - great bands, wonderful food, dancing, auction items (both silent and outcry) and a tremendous outpouring of love for Buddy, who is a great songwriter who has many friends and fans in Juneau.  He took the stage for a short set (all that his limited energy would allow), and it was a bittersweet moment for everyone.  Charles donated an icon for the outcry auction and Phoebe and I baked a chocolate torte and apple pie for the silent auction.

So, as you can see, it has been an action packed couple of weeks.  And I haven't even mentioned the new puppy!

I'll save that for my next post!