Thursday, July 14, 2011

July/August 2011 - Anne Feeney's Fellow Travelers' Advisory - VOLUME SEVEN, #4

Hi Folks!          


  
Dan nuzzles Sebastian
College pal Shirley Myers decorates her daughter Hannah's 18th birthday cake

My son Daniel Berlin, my husband, Julie Leonardsson, and the fabulous Susan Lewis

Me with Julie!

Adam Moss arrives fiddle-in-hand -- ready to play!

My nephew Casey goes for the big one from the dock!

Janet Stecher enjoying the natural beauty

Weldon cousins enjoying a day with us....




My sister Kate got in the vacation spirit immediately!


Kimberly is about to give Whitey Bulger a swimming lesson!

Where did my grandson get these gorgeous blue eyes?

Saoirse, Erin and Evan

Hannah's 18th birthday!

Nice undies, Leila!

Chatting on the porch!

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain!

Sweethearts Amy Berlin and Mike Meadows

Leila Rovics broke hearts all week!

Music in the big room nightly....

14 July 2011
Portland, OR
Woody Guthrie's Hundredth Birthday/Bastille Day...


Well, it looks like I'm doing a summer 2011 issue of the Fellow Travelers' Advisory... It's too late to call this the July issue... and by the end of the month I'll be driving across the northern tier of the US back to Pittsburgh to start a new round of radiation treatments.  They've found another brain tumor and suspect that there are many more getting ready to hatch.  I asked them what would happen if I skipped this round of radiation and they said I'd probably be dead in two months.  It's hard to believe that when I look and feel so good.  But they say I've been overly fearful of the side effects of this treatment, and that if I get this radiation that I will feel good and last a good while longer... They are still talking about a cure, and haven't used the words "palliative" or "hospice" yet, so I'm happy for now.  I will lose my hair again (dammit!) ... I've been coming up with more reasons that it's good to be bald...

1.  That's not *my* hair in the salad!
2.  Less hair in the hot tub filter
3.  No "bed-head"
4.  Lighter pack - no comb, brush, hair care products...
5.  Hats fit better, stay on...
6.  More places to kiss..

Feel free to send me your top ten reasons that it's good to be bald...

The rainbow photo at the top of this was taken outside of Costco where we stocked up before heading up to my big birthday party celebration..
The view from the deck at our cottage....



What a serene and beautiful spot... and just off to the right was a babbling waterfall that fed into the lake!

My niece Kimberly enjoying a rare few days off from her hi-tech job at Bloomberg in New Jersey

Saoirse gives some mandolin tips to Sebastian....

My dear dear old friends Bill Deegan and Rosanna Lane preparing to fish off our dock...

Saoirse loved the baby pool!

David Rovics joined us all week providing great music and documenting it, too!

Jan Boyd and her husband Bill Erickson enjoying the music!

Amy and her dad, Ron Berlin, stalking the wily bass!

Now I'm on the west coast until the end of the month.  I was thrilled to see my friends Harry and Holly at the Oregon Country Fair...

Harry and Holly Stamper - Oregon Country Fair 2011
Brian QTN, me, Amy and Mike
After Fair we went to Pyx - my favorite Portland dessert spot!
I set off from Pittsburgh on the 4th of July with my pal Jimmy Kelly (on the right) and we spent our first night on the road in St Louis with Doug and Sandy Riggs and their wonderful family.  Doug's had an interesting adventure lately... He and Sandy discovered two honey bee nests inside the walls of their homes.  If you want a glimpse of what 20,000 bees in your walls might look like http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/263576/3/20000-bees-invade-Kirkwood-home

Just before I left I was treated to a lovely birthday season kick-off dinner hosted by my friends Irene and Bob McTiernan.  They gifted me with these lovely wind chimes, which adorn my deck now.


July/August Birthdays & Family News...

Birthday Girl, Monique Murad - July 23rd


Belated happy birthdays to Suzanne Beers (July 3), Michael Grefenstette (July 8), Kristen Grefenstette (July 9), Judy Lane McCahill (July 10th..   Happy happy birthday to the Duncan triplets (July 16th) and Erin Grefenstette Henninger (July 18th) and Emily DeFerrari (July 18th), Hilary Chiz (July 23rd), Jim McCahill AND Karen McCahill (July 25)  - I know Joanne Metcalfe is in there somewhere... just not sure of the date ... Susan Lewis (July 27th) and Marlo Mary Henninger (July 30th).  Then in August - Happy Birthday to Jeanne Clark (August 4), Steffi Domike (August 4), Cathy Weldon (August 7), Judy Wolfson (August 10), Janet Stecher (August 12), Gun Magnusson Forsberg (August 16th), Windy Cooler (August 28th), and Jonas Engstrom (August 31st).

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Curt DeBor, who died suddenly and too young at the end of May.  He was a very talented actor in Pittsburgh, and a friend for almost 50 years.  Also, my pal Laurie Postans from Victoria, BC passed quietly in his sleep on Sunday, July 10th.  He and his wife, Nell, joined me on the first tour of Ireland that I led.in 2009.  He was a very charming man, and he'll be missed by all who knew him.


Dan and Monique and Sebastian leave for Zimbabwe on August 9th from New York.  They'll be with me a couple days in Pittsburgh before they go.  I've sure gotten used to our near-daily visits.  We're already starting to plan a "Christmas in Zimbabwe" adventure.

My sister Kathleen has sold her house in New Jersey and she'll be hanging with me for a while in Pittsburgh.  I'm so happy and excited.  This also means I get Whitey Bulger the wonderdog in residence too!

Breaking medical news will appear at http://caringbridge.org/visit/annefeeney
You can buy my CDs and download full albums or single songs at http://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid

See you in September!