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Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)
Hi! It's me! After many long months, I finally obtained access to the TJ Website again! The Internet has cursed me over the years by forcing me to change ALL my Passwords for my email, my Facebook, my TJ Website, and even the Arizona State University Online page, every single time I visit Joel in Phoenix or go on a trip out-of-town! I think I have had about 10 different Passwords during 2016, but Mike Floyd finally helped out! Thanks,Mike! I feel like I am "home again!"
I just read about Russell's Article in Mike's Forum comment andn rushed to find it and to read it!!! Great story, Russell ! I am SO happy that you are obtaining recognition for all your hard work! I am very far away from lots of people in my class, but it is exciting to read all the stories about my classmates' families and activities, and when something BIG happens like a newspaper article about one of our classmates, I am SO PROUD!!! Way to go, Russell !!! We appreciate all that you do!!!
We are now in Florida for 2 weeks, if anyone wants to get in touch with us! We usually come here every January to visit old friends who live here, old friends who visit here during the Winter like we do, and Joel's cousin, the professional Artist who paints phenomenal canvases and has had huge exhibits on the West Coast of Florida, but this year, there is even more excitement:
Joel Retired from his last Partnership as a C.P. A. last December, and the folks in his office had heard him talking a lot about how he wanted to see the new Panama Canal. Quite by surprise, they gave him a check to cover the cost of a Cruise to that very location, by way of the Bahamas, Colombia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Cabo San Lucas, all the way to San Diego. We will be in Florida for the next 2 weeks and on the Cruise Ship from mid-January to the end of the month! He is very excited about this! This and Alaska (which we cruised 3 years ago) were on his "Bucket List," as he calls it! The fact that we don't have to pay for anything but Souvenirs we buy is exciting too! He is still working with clients that he did not sell to his former Partners, so we can live on something besides Social Security, but this is a nice break from "The Real World." This year has been a "humdinger!" I will try to send photos of interesting places we visit during the Cruise!
My daughters are both happily married now and my Granddaughter is preparing for College in 1 1/2 years. She is a beautiful and bright young lady with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and with her grades and school activities, she will have no trouble being accepted at any College or University she chooses. She wants to study somewhere in California, but she has not made her selection yet. I imagine she will send out many applications during the next calendar year!!! She is still Cheerleading for Football and Basketball teams at her High School, and she is a fantastic dancer !!! Linda Salsbury, you should see her do the Salsa!!! The students in that number were dressed in gorgeous red dresses at the December Dance Program, and she looked like a Professional Dancer on Stage!!! Wow!!!
What else is new? Well, I finished my course on "Art of Asia" with the grade of A ! (Shocker!) My Professor was a woman from Japan, who invited me to the Phoenix Museum of Art to see the unrolling of the Chinese Scrolls. It was so exciting, Joel and I bought an Art Museum Membership, and we have been back to see exhibits on Fashion, Art from India, and last week, a series by Kehinde Wiley, an Afro-American Artist who has taken the Art World by storm, coast to coast! He paints giant canvases that cover the wall from floor to ceiling! The characters are Afro-American; the costumes or uniforms are European. The best ones were of Michael Jackson and also his portraits of women. It was a stunning collection of about 50-100 paintings which took up the entire first floor gallery of the Phoenix Art Museum!
I also attended a conference of the Arizona Art Educators and made some excellent contacts in Phoenix. Most of those programs were not in existence when I lived there from l989-99; they are rather new. There were Speakers, Workshops, and a Networking Luncheon.
Moving along, after my first course at Arizona State University Online, I took the 2nd required course, which was "Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas." The latter refers to Mexico and South America, and the history was rather gory! - Child Sacrifice, Enemy Sacrifice, etc. The headhunters of New Guinea were next. The best part of the course was learning about Africa and Hawaii. They are light years ahead of the Americas in preserving their culture globally and without malice. I found that to be very comforting!!!
In the Fall, I took "Art of the Comic," and I was ecstatic to elarn that the "Superhero" comics like "Batman," "Superman," "Wonder Woman," and even "Captain America" were ALL drawn by Jewish men who changed their last names!!! (I have been wondering ever since if my Mom knew this when she threw away or gave away my comic book collection!) So I spent a lot of time this past year tracking down comic books like "Little Nemo" and "Classics Illustrated," "Tweety & Sylvester," and "Disney Comics." My professor for this class was a Retired Navy Officer who had posted Comics on the wall over her desk while she was in the Service! She went back to college after serving in Japan, and earned her Ph.D. in Art History and there were over l65 students enrolled in her class this past fall, about the same number as those in "Art in Asia." It was a fascinating class!
I was Registered for a course called "Renaissance Portraits" for January, but Joel so much wanted the Panama Cruise, I had to drop it, and will search for it again next year. In late February, I will take "Art of the Television." That should be interesting, because "The Old TV Shows" we grew up with were l00 times better than what is offered today! I love to watch the re-runs, and I think the scriptwriters then were very clever!!! I wish we had as much talent in that industry now as we had then!!!
Nothing else to add besides,"Happy New Year!" I am glad 2016 is over and I am hoping that 2017 will be a good challenge for all of us in pursuing whatever we choose to make us happy! Politics aside, we are in our prime, and we have the energy to be as active as we can possibly manage to be!!! Take care, all ! I am really looking forward to the 2017 Tee Jay Reunion!!!
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