Local Characters

We went bird watching last week and Paul got some great pictures. Winter isn't a great time to catch perching birds, but the water fowl are plentiful on the Bay!

For Claire Cooke, Love Mimi....

A Quilt for Claire

Two Great Movies...

OK, these are both older movies so they have been around awhile, but I have been watching "based on a true story" movies lately, and both of these were excellent!


I'm not much of a Ted Danson fan, but this story of an inner city teacher, who is inspired to teach students how to play Chess, is really the kind of story that makes you realize that there is a place for everyone when it comes to helping kids find the best in themselves.
Here is more information on the Scholastic Chess program and it's founder. David MacEnulty.




Last week I watched "Freedom Writers". Another great story of a rookie teacher that encourages teens on the edge in a brutal environment, to journal about their lives. The journals and the book "The Diary of Anne Frank" are keys to turning the kids toward understanding themselves, their challenges, and ways to move forward and beat the horrible statistics of the streets.
I am going to see if the diary is at the library.

You can read more about the "Freedom Writers Foundation" here.