A 99th birthday party 07-22-17

A lovely event in Costa Mesa today in honor of Shirley Huffman's 99th birthday, which is Monday, July 24th.   I haven't seen Shirley in a couple years and am impressed at how well she looks, definitely not 99 years old.   Her mother lived well into her 100s and I expect Shirley will also.   We have been friends since the late 70s, but not sure when we first met.  We worked together at the now defunct Textile & Costume Guild at the old Fullerton Museum, and also belonged to the Embroiders Guild of America at that time.  We are both life long stitchers, sew-ers, quilters, textile collectors, and foodies.

We had some great times together.  For several years we drove up to San Francisco in August  to take classes with Constance Howard at the home of Helen Pope, founder of the old Yarn Depot.  We traipsed around San Francisco and Oakland and Berkeley, shopping and dining and viewing textiles wherever we could.   When we were on the road up and back home we talked the entire way and usually had to call each other within a few hours of our arrival home.  What could we have talked about for all those miles?  Everything under the sun.

After my husband died in March 2000 Shirley convinced me it would be good for me to go on a tour of English textiles led by Constance Howard, so only three months into my widowhood I was off on a grand adventure with about sixteen other ladies, all with the common interest of sewing and textiles.  It was a fabulous tour that went to places not normally open to tours and we had a class with Constance along the way.  Too much fun.

Several years later we flew to Virginia to visit Shirley's home town of Staunton and tour around the area, staying at B&Bs and dining on fabulous seafood meals.  It was sort of like a search for the best crab cakes available.  Another great trip.

Lives, interests, and obligations change and Shirley and I have not spent much time together for several years, so it was great to see her and see her looking so young at her 99th birthday party.

Shirley on her 89 birthday and she looks much the same today!

 

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