Joan's randomness: December 2007 Archives

Of the news items I get for the Weekly Record, some of the most common are wish lists - donation requests that local groups have, where they're hoping the community will contribute.

Most of them are pretty similar. Canned foods or snacks. Office supplies. Gift cards. The occasional pool or foosball table (usually for a youth center.)

But I recently received a slightly different request from the Heritage Senior Center, 3700-4 Davidsburg Road, Dover Township. The group recently sent in a list of its "wants" so it can continue its mission of helping area senior citizens.

Reading through the list, it seems pretty standard. A new four-drawer file cabinet. Reams of colored copy paper. Chips and trail mix. A box fan. Oh, and a big-screen TV and Wii gaming system!

This summer, my husband, daughter and I joined his sister, her husband and their son for familly pictures at my sister-in-law's Warrington Township home.

Our photographer, Kristi Eckrich, was great, and we got some really neat shots - the kind you wouldn't find from a studio photographer.

And today, I happened to check out Kristi's Web site and see that we're her home-page photo! From left, it's my daughter, Sarah; my husband, Chris (of gratuitous monkey photo fame); me; my sister-in-law, Adriane; my nephew, Jacob; and Adriane's husband, Jason.

Not a bad-looking crew, if I do say so! And neat to be featured by a local photographer.

Update: Just noticed that the best photo ever of my daughter is the lead-off to Kristi's "bigger ones" kids' photo gallery: Here's Sarah!

One of the neatest things about being an editor for your hometown newspaper is getting a chance to see people you know featured in the paper.

While we don't seek out people we know to use as sources for stories (and, in fact, try not to unless there is no other source), sometimes, as editors, we find that people we know show up in stories our reporters file, and that was the case when I read this week's Suburban Life story on bringing your outdoor plants inside for winter.

Turns out the Master Gardener interviewed (and pictured!) is Linda Silverman, whose son, David, took both karate and music lessons with me when I was in middle school.

I haven't talked with any of the Silvermans in at least 10 years, but it was still neat to see someone I recognized. In fact, one I looked more closely, you can see a family photo of theirs in the background of one of the photos with the story!

So what are your small-town connections stories? Where have you run into or heard about people you grew up with?