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Deb, Randy, Chris, & Nicole
   Yesterday I attended (and volunteered a little) a benefit for Deb and Randy, a couple I have known for over a decade.  Randy has been dealing with a long battle with cancer, and some of their friends decided it was time to help.  I was so impressed in how much this group accomplished in such a short time.  Of course I donated a couple of my coin pendants to the silent auction, and I was very pleased and surprised to see the amount of donations by the families circle of friends.  Deb, and her two adult children attended, and there were lots of hugs around.  Live music, wine, snack food, and yummy desserts.  The event was a delight!
    Randy was not up to attending, but at the end of the event Deb managed to get the large banner on the front of the building down, and take it home for Randy to see. 
   I have always appreciated Deb & Randy's warm and giving friendship.  It did my heart good to see so many people supporting them in their time of need.  A truely feel good moment.
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Angel Medal/Token
I painted this and I gave it to Sandy, who is an active member of our local coin club.  She has been valiantly fighting cancer, and still managing to get her teenage son to the meetings.  I have remained a member of this coin club, I think, mostly because there are so many good people there.... and Sandy is one of them. Made me feel good to wish her luck this way, and I hope she enjoys it as much as I did making it for her. 

By the way, the coin club has a member auction at the end of each meeting, and Sandy's Dad has this medal for sale.  I thought it was significant that he put it up for sale about the same time I started painting coins.  And if you are wondering why I called this a "medal" rather than a "coin" that is because for coin collectors, a coin is issued by a government and is legal tender, while a medal is issued by anyone else.

Postscript:  Sandy died the first week of August 2009.  Many of us, including me, were quite stunned that she didn't make it... she was such a fighter and had survived for 4 years after she was given 6 months to live with stage sour colon cancer. My heart goes to her son, Jerry, who is going to now live with his aunt, and to Sandy's father Dan.  As he put it, parents don't expect to outlive their children.  Sandy was 47 years old, and touched many of our lives with her determination and love for life and the people around her.  I will miss her, and will give her son a hug everytime I see him...just for her.
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It seems fitting, somehow, that my first time selling my Animal Coins is in the town of Paradise, California at a Chocolate Festival.  Two of my sisters moved to this pretty town a couple of years ago, and I decided it would be fun to participate in the craft show, do some visiting, and eat some very delicious chocolate.  I must say I was pleased with the reaction and attention I got.  I found it wonderful that people stopped at my booth and spent quite a bit of time exploring the countries and animals I had on display.  I surprised myself and had about 100 different coins on display, most of them as pendants, which gave us plenty to talk about.

I was surprised at the number of people who asked me if I had American coins, in particular the 50 state quarters series.  As a coin club member, I may have understimated how many people have enjoyed collecting and followed this series of coins.  So, for anyone who may have asked, I am going to start working on painting some of these.  My husband, who was a great help at the booth, has quite a few in his collection that he is going to let me have to paint...  it will be interesting to see if we have all 50 states. 

I also wanted to thank my two sisters, Ginny & Corliss, for all their help and support, but most of all for thinking to show up mid-day with a supply of very cold ice tea for me.  I knew there was a reason I loved them!

Things went so well, I will be looking for more events to participate in.  If you have a favorite event that you would like to suggest to me, let me know...  I can always be reached at Ann@AnimalCoin.com

Thanks, Ann

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This weekend they had a fun event in Sonoma County called "Barrell Tasting."  As you would guess, you drive to various wineries in the area and get to taste right out of the barrels.  You also can buy "futures" of the wines you tasted that will be ready for sale in 12-18 months. 

There were over 100 wineries partipating, and we have over 500 in our county alone, believe it or not!  So, we picked some smaller, newer wineries that we had not been to, or hadn't even heard of yet.  I was the designated driver for my group, and had a great time even though my family was getting pretty silly by the end of the day!

The day gave me a chance to relax, talk to people, and observe the wonderful color in nature.  As an artist that is inspired by color, observing the colors around me is a thrill.  Especially in the Northern California Wine Region I live in, which is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  Now keep in mind that it is March, so many of the trees are bare and not much is growing yet.  But yet, wild mustard in brilliant yellow is evident in all the vineyards, and it looks stunning.... 

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