My apologies to the members here for my absence for several months. As you may know my husband, Norm Darwish died in early May. Since then I've been preoccupied with so many things. I won't list them, as you are all creative people with fine imaginations.
On Sunday, July 19, we held a Memorial Open House for Norm at our home in Southern Michigan. Many thanks to everyone who attended: friends, family from out of state and the artists who were our friends and booth neighbors for many years.
Jack (Hippie Jack) and Lynne Stoddart came in from Tennessee. Their goat curry was a hit, especially as most of the food was vegetarian and Lebanese cuisine. Sara Shambarger (from the Krasl Art Fair) and her ebullient husband, George Barfield (who got stung by bees) came over from Lake Michigan. Okay, can't tell stories about them all, but thanks for coming Barry Bernstein, Walt and Ruth Pinkus, David Bigelow, Kathleen and Jim Eaton, Annette Morrin and Chris Maher, Allan Teger and Barbara Krupp, Carol and Michael Weber. Thanks for the flowers and your presence Leslie Emery!
Thanks for all the great messages from Ann Arbor.
Here is more about Norm and an artist's journey: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/what-norm-darwish-mean-t-to-me
Comments
Connie, I am so very sorry for your loss. It is wonderful that you have such a strong network of supportive friends and family. Thoughts are with you.
Sorry we couldn't make it, Connie. I've been wiped out all week from my Ann Arbor hangover, and hosting a houseful of my own. We finally have the house to ourselves again, and it's... quiet. Equilibrium will assert itself soon enough!
No need to apologize, Connie, we all know what you've been going through and we've been hanging in here by way of support. Hope things are becoming less hectic for you now so that you can get back to doing what you love and are so good at. We certainly appreciate everything you do to maintain this site and we are thankful to you for that and for your generous spirit.
Thought I was going to have to drag you out of that chair. With six teenage grandchildren in the house needing a place to sleep (they got the floor, the sofas and that chair) I thought you would be in trouble.
People still stopping by and we still have some of those brownies if you're passing this way to a show.
No need to apologize. Everyone understands and is with you, Connie.
I think your house is haunted. Even Norm's kids were saying that he has been messing with their phones, their lights. It's hard to describe what I was feeling except that I wasn't my normal self. It could have been the fact that I just did the Ann Arbor torturefest and was totally wiped out. It could have been Jack's deserts. I was saying things I don't normally say. I, also, sunk into that chair for a while. Connie said some things to me that made me think, "Wow, did she really say that?" I seemed to snap out of it on Monday morning. When I got back home I had some weird things happen. Both my phone and my computer was disconnected from the internet. I had to re-enter my password and restart my phone. That's never happened before. Tell Norm to cut it out.
Arabic food...WOOHOO! Wish we could have been there with you folks, but we might have eaten more than our fair share. I would have certainly helped with cooking. Anyway, it appears you had a pleasant weekend. Glad to hear it. Love, Barrie.