Half a Lifetime

Hello from Atlanta, where my husband Charlie and I are visiting my twin sister Diane and her husband Ed. It’s our annual Thanksgiving trip. We arrived earlier than usual this year for a special reason: Diane and I turned 70 on November 16th and we wanted to celebrate the big 7-0 together. We weren’t going to let Covid keep us apart.

Charlie and I took extreme precautions on the trip here from Oregon, including wearing safety goggles in transit that made us look like very large insects. Two days after we left Portland the governor of Oregon announced new statewide restrictions because of the alarming increase of Covid cases. We will self-quarantine for two weeks on our return.

In the interim, we are having an absolutely wonderful time doing not very much at all. Lots of Scrabble games, brisk walks outdoors in the fresh air, reading, watching movies, making favorite recipes and trying out new ones. On our actual birthday we got all dressed up — Diane and I in our Little Black Dresses — and went to an early and very properly socially distanced dinner at a lovely French restaurant.

As fraternal twins Diane and I were never dressed alike by our mother but half a lifetime ago, when we turned 35, we bought matching sweaters and posed for this photo:

Fast forward another 35 years. We decided to recreate the photo with new matching sweaters:

Who says you can’t be silly at 70? Of course we can never go out in public wearing these outfits at the same time!

Here’s Diane in her Little Black Dress (which is actually midnight blue) . . .

. . . and here I am in mine:

I whipped up masks for us to wear with our LBDs:

I’ve taken to adding neck straps to my masks after hearing from a fellow quilter, Linda B. No more needing to stuff a mask into a pocket or leave it dangling on one ear. (Thanks so much for the idea, Linda!)

That’s the extent of my sewing on this trip to date but I hauled a bunch of fabric all the way from Portland to start on a new quilt. Here’s hoping I have a couple of test blocks — Quatrefoil blocks, in fact! — to show you real soon.

 

 

 

 

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12 Responses to Half a Lifetime

  1. Melody Wilson says:

    Happy Birthday!

  2. Kristi says:

    I’m glad you and your sister (and husbands) are having a good time. Happy 70th birthday!
    (You haven’t changed at all except for your hair color!)
    I’ll be interested in your Quatrefoil quilt. You always give your quilts an interesting twist!

  3. Carolyn Browning says:

    Hi Dawn,
    I enjoyed reading about you and your sister and seeing the pictures. What fun. I’m glad you are having a nice long visit. Carolyn Browning

  4. Arden says:

    You two are adorable and I’m glad you’re having fun. Congrats….you’re only 3 years behind me. Say hi to Dr. White!

  5. Anne ODonnell says:

    How fun!
    So happy for you that you were able to get out and about and enjoy your big 70!
    You and your sister are beautiful.

  6. Barbara says:

    Delightful post! Happy birthday to you and your twin. Enjoy having a new view and surroundings for a bit.

  7. Anna says:

    I’ve been unusually weepy during this Covid time, and this post brought tears to my eyes. Good tears of joy for you and Diane, Charlie and Ed. You two look fabulous in your matching outfits, both “then” and “now.” And stunning in your little black and midnight blue dresses. Hopefully, we will be able to actually meet Diane some day. Maybe at Charlie’s 100th birthday! Or someday in France?
    Lots of love to you all.

  8. Vickie Rooks says:

    Happy belated birthday! So glad you and Charlie were able to make your annual trek to Atlanta. Have the best of time!

  9. Char says:

    What fun! And, congratulations and happy birthday to you both!

  10. Sandy Pruss says:

    Two lovely ladies! Fun post, Dawn!

  11. Virginia says:

    Just getting caught up on emails, so belated Happy Birthday wishes. What a wonderful treat to spend all that family time. …and love the pictures!

  12. Jennifer Gwyn says:

    Happy belated birthday, Dawn! I loved reading the post and am glad you were able to visit each other safely. All the best for a continued safe and healthy holiday season.

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