Even though I won't be able to really post about my party until later in the week, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to the 145 people who came to the Tex and Sugar Hoedown at the Johansen Newman Ranch on Saturday night to help me celebrate my various and sundry milestones, along with Tex and Sugar's book release. You came, you really dressed in cowboy style, you brought gifts even (pictured above is a super cool gift from Liz Goulet Dubois ), and you were all so wonderfully enthusiastic. It's a night I will never forget. Thank you, thank you.
Some of you I only knew online before the party, so it was a genuine thrill to meet you in person, like Vivian AKA Hip Writer Mama and her wonderful family and Kathy Weller of Weller Wishes.
Some of you are colleagues, family, friends and relatives I see often, but often not often enough.
And here is a picture of the first friends I made when we moved to Boston in 1981: Maria Fang and Joanna Kao. This party was our chance to reconnect after many years. The first shot is Saturday night, with my husband Phil (can you believe I got him to wear the shirt I bought for him?).
The second picture, is as we were when we first met as a bunch of artists who got together to paint several days a week. I am with my dear grandfather, my old doggie Otto, artists Joanna Kao, Maria Fang and with the late artist Pacita Abad, whom we all wish could have been here to complete the picture on Saturday night. The four of us would get together for long days to paint together. I was still working in fabric and Pacita wanted to learn trapunto.
As I said, this party was more than about the book. It was a celebration of the passing of time, in a way, and life's journeys. Joanna, Maria and Pacita knew me when I was first trying to make the transition from puppeteer and dollmaker to illustrator. They listened to me groan on and on about the frustrations of the illustration business, compared to the ease of the dollmaking business.
I'll be blogging with lots of pictures about the party as soon as I catch up with a few other things that were woefully neglected the past few months due to kids, book work, and party planning. First up is an interview of Kim Norman, on Thursday.
Before I post my own pictures, please check out some pictures here:
Liz Goulet DuBois' blog, Chat Rabbit
Wahoo!
What a great party! The kids are still talking about it and were in total awe of your koi fish. Plus they couldn't wait to show their friends the magnets and cute buttons. They are fans for life.
Thank you so much for inviting us to your celebration. We had a great time!
Posted by: Vivian | June 19, 2007 at 09:58 PM
Aww, I'm so sorry we missed it, I'm glad it was a huge success. :)
-Casey G.
Posted by: Casey | June 20, 2007 at 12:43 AM
You sure do know how to throw a party!! I would have loved to have been there and met you'all. Great now and then pictures, and story! You've got some great friends. Congrats on a successful book launch.
gail
Posted by: gail | June 20, 2007 at 12:27 PM
Was WONDERFUL to meet you, Barbara!!! The pleasure was all mine!!! What a great party!!! :)
Posted by: kathy weller | June 21, 2007 at 12:35 PM