P. Buckley Moss e-newsletter

Dear Friends:

My daughter Patty and I had such fun Saturday. We attended the Moss on the James Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society’s annual fundraising tea party. This year it was held at Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Virginia, and the proceeds benefitted the Center. The Chapter raised an outstanding $8,000 for Massey, and $600 of that was from the raffle of the gorgeous quilt made by Martha Williams of Warrenton, Virginia. I shared a picture of it in my April 4, 2012, newsletter. The quilt actually earned a total of $1,200, with one-half of it benefitting the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education.

Moss on the James Chapter’s fundraising tea for VCU’s Massey Cancer Center.

The Massey Cancer Center and its staff are wonderful, and they do an excellent job. When I left the tea, I took a flight from the Richmond Airport to St. Petersburg, Florida, and the woman sitting next to me on the plane mentioned that her father is a leukemia patient at Massey. I told her that I had just left a fundraiser there and what a small world it is. She said that she is very pleased with her father’s care there.

Massey also has a beautiful healing garden, called Becky’s Garden. It’s named after Becky Massey, who is a member of the Center’s advisory board. The hydrangeas are the bluest of blue, and all the plantings are carefully chosen. It was great to see it in person, after having created a painting of it from pictures. The print edition was used by the Moss on the James to raise funds for the Center.

Pictures of Becky’s Garden, like the one above, were my inspiration for Shades of Pink, below.

Shades of Pink was used by the Moss on the James Chapter to help raise funds for Massey Cancer Center.

Another print edition I created for the event is Wings of Change. Becky’s Garden is enclosed by beautiful iron gates that incorporate dragonflies and other designs.

Wings of Change was also released during the fundraising tea party for Massey Cancer Center.

Lots of old friends were there, and it was wonderful to see them and remember the good times we’ve had. I was delighted to see Peggy Goodwin and several members of her family. Peggy is a past Society Board member and is a current member of Moss on the James. Her sister Shirley Wells had served as president of the Society at one time, but she passed away from cancer a few years ago. I got to see Shirley’s husband Al at the tea, and we remembered what a gracious Southern lady Shirley was. Al is also a past Society Board member.

L. to R.: Moss on the James Chapter members Gay Bowman, Donna Cousins, & Marie Ehrlich. What fun! Everyone dressed up in hats and pink.

Bob Almond, past Executive Director of the Foundation for Children’s Education, is also a member of Moss on the James, and he was his usual, cheerful self. He bid against me on everything and kept boosting me to go higher. I love it when he teases; he’s a lot of fun.

When Patty and I left the tea and headed down I-64 toward the airport, we discovered that traffic was backed up for miles and miles; and, I’ve never seen so many police cars in my life! The President had just arrived at the airport in Air Force 1 to give a campaign speech at VCU, which is right next door to where we just came from. I thought I would miss my flight, but we made it in time. I did manage to get a glimpse of Air Force 1 from the airport window; and, I tried to take a picture of it to share with you, but it turned out to be a video instead. This reflects on my photography skills with my iPad, but at least I tried.

It’s great to be back in my big Florida studio and watching people walk by with their dogs from my windows and the building next door being renovated. Right now, it’s a three-story shell. I spent Monday buying a new washer and dryer. The ones I had were so old; I think they were here when I bought the house.

I’ve also started walking again, and I ache all over. I hope by the time I leave I won’t ache anymore. The aching actually started with a yoga class I took in Mathews, Virginia, the day before coming down here. It made me realize that I’m not that flexible anymore, and I need to do it more often. I want to try to find a class down here.

I just found out that we’re up to 64 participants for our Alaska Cruise and land tour this summer. I understand there are only a few spots left for the land portion, so if you’re interested in joining us, please contact Ada at Stacy’s Travel, 12 E. Front St., Monroe, MI 48161; PH: 734-243-6330; or Stacystravel1@hotmail.com. For more information, please visit http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/hal/alaska2012/#/0 to view an on-line brochure, or contact Stacy’s Travel if you would like a copy mailed to you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love,

Pat

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