My Dears,

How I adore the fall! Especially since I have moved back to my beloved Michigan. The leaves are turning gold, red, orange, amber and sienna...it seems almost happen overnight.They flutter from their limbs and rest in a patchwork of stunning color blanketing the ground. The air is crisp in the mornigs. unmistakably fall,offering a bracing nip that is exhilerating. I savor morning walks down the streets of my village. I try, with all my might not to dive into carefully arranged leaf hills that line the yards. The sound of shuffling through them ignites sweet childhood memories. I see columns of white smoke spiraling through not quite bare limbs of sugar maples. My nostrils fill with the glorious scent of slowly burning leaves. All that is nature almost overloads the senses. Such colors! They defy any painter's brush or photographer's eye. Yet here it is in all it's glory...a feast for eyes, symphony for the ears, a haven for the soul. During the summer we celebrated some wonderous events. I would have announced them in my summer news letter, but my summer news letter didn't happen. We had a disasterous office fire on June 6th that destroyed our computer, among other things and virtually shut us down for the summer. As some of you know I bought the old firehouse here in Union City in an effort to save it from a wrecking ball...the architecture alone was stunning and it seemed so terrible to let the glorious old building perish. My children, Traci and Steven and I decided to use this old building as a center in this village devoted to art, music, drama and dance. It was dedicated in the memory of my mother and her two brothers whose lives were dedicated to the appreciation of the arts. We named it the Gaw Center for the Arts. Gaw is the family name on my mother's side. Mary Gaw Barber was a patroness of the dramatic arts and dance, Richard, her brother was a fine concert pianist and patron of music and George Gaw was an inventor and also supported all that is artistic. A piano concert was performed by Virginia Folsum, a former student of my uncle's. It was a glorious afternoon of wine, music, art and drama, Not to mention lots of laughter and a few tears. A string quartet played in the garden and a dramatic reading was performed by Stewart Washington a long time family friend and actor who was coached by my mother Mary Gaw Barber. An art show in the loft featured various pieces by relatives and friends, including my son Steven, Rebekah Barber, Darwin Herman and myself. It is hoped that in the future this center will be used as a reception hall for various occasions as well as a place to view art, hear music and see dramatic productions. Many family members attended from all over the country.Monique Gaw, widow of Richard Gaw, Martha Gaw Dinkle and her son Stephen. Family members who were unable to attend were David Gaw, Richard Barber and his family who currently live in California.