Bette Faye! and Fishing with Friends!

Fishing with Friends, including Mike and new friend, Todd, at Watermen's Museum on Thursday.

We had a great week filled with many fun activities.  We kicked off June with bowling and pizza on Tuesday, and volunteered at Grove and arranged flowers for CSL on Wednesday, AND welcomed our sweet friend, Bette Faye, for a visit!  Thursday was a highlight as it was our annual fishing day at the Watermen's Museum with Mike.  Lots of smiles as little fishies were caught!  We finished the week with a work day at Eaton, where we proudly and efficiently got the job done!  Check out our photos and enjoy the first week of June with us!

Tuesday, June 3

One of our favorite outings is bowling, which we usually do on the first Tuesday of the month.  We had a full house today, plus Cameron joined us, so we went with team pictures to make sure we captured all the bright smiles.  We want to thank Cameron's parents, Stacey and Brian, for sponsoring bowling for us today!  We appreciate their generosity very much.  We look forward to Cameron's monthly visits, and are so happy he's remained a part of the AoA family. 🎳💖

Cameron, Liz, Xavier, Laura, and Bryan rocked and rolled on Lane 1.

Devin, Annmarie, Kevin, Kate, and Emma kept the balls rolling on Lane 2.

Over on Lane 3, Abraham, Patrick, Alexis, and Drew scored quite a few points between them.

Gail held her own with Erik, Sam, and Thomas on Lane 4!

Michelle missed a group bowling shot, but here's a pretty picture of her beside our June wall!

Snagged a few high fives today!  Always celebrating each other!!

Laura's parents, Tom and Lisa, and Grandma Palmer stopped by for a visit while we were bowling, and then met us at Kiwanis Park where they treated us to hot, tasty pizza from Domino's!  We're not sure what happened, but the photo of us enjoying the pizza was very grainy, and not suitable for the blog. 😢  The pizza was delicious, and we thank Tom and Lisa for providing it for us today.  We are grateful for their generosity!  It was also a pleasure to meet Grandma Palmer, who is 92 years young and a joy to chat with!  It was a perfect lunch treat!  🍕💖

All of the other photos from today were fine, including this one of a group that was very happy with their bellies full of pizza!

It had warmed up nicely by the time we finished lunch, and there were no tykes on the playground, so we had a little fun there before taking a walk.  By the time we returned to the vans, we were convinced summer is coming!  Haha!  Today was not really that bad...weatherwise, and it was great, otherwise!!

Wednesday, June 4

It's our service day, and we got right to work getting the flowers for our CSL arrangements.  The morning van riders are always available to help load and unload whatever we are schlepping to the center.  Today, it was the flowers donated by Trader Joe's.  Pam gets the flowers on Tuesdays and leaves them downstairs at the office for us to get on Wednesday mornings.

Liz and Patrick helped load the van when we picked up flowers from the Arc office.

One of the first things we did after arrival at the center was gather up a group to volunteer in the JRES Library.  Today was the last day of the 2024-25 school year that we will be needed.  Thank you so much Mr. Nonnemacher and Ms. Ortega for giving us this wonderful opportunity to work in the library each week.  We have learned good skills!  Have a great summer break!

While flower arrangements were being made, we had a dedicated crew working on welcome decorations for our special guest's visit later this afternoon.  We couldn't wait to see Bette Faye!

Devin, Cameron, Annmarie, Xavier, Bryan, and Sean, who was visiting the program today and tomorrow, created colorful letters and cute duck pictures to welcome Bette Faye.  Sean is in the green shirt, sitting with Bryan.  If he enjoys time with us today and tomorrow, he will join the waitlist for the day program.  He's a quiet, but friendly guy, and did a great job helping with decorations!

Meanwhile, our GCOC group was busy on the food packing assembly line.  We helped unload and set up the cans, and then steadily filled the bags until almost 150 bags were ready to go on the shelf to await distribution to the community.

Michelle and Drew placed full bags on the shelves.  Tom, Peggy, Joel, and Ursula worked the assembly line with Alexis, Gail, Erik, Thomas, Abraham, Patrick, and Sam.  Thom helped us too, but he was missing when we grabbed these photos.  He can be seen in the next photo, in the dark blue shirt!  Altogether, we're a great team!

This week we thank Peggy for a delicious lemon-blueberry pound cake that really hit the spot after lunch!  We are very blessed by the kindness of Peggy and Ursula.  They truly spoil us with the delicious treats they make! 💝💝💝

After lunch we delighted in visiting with Bette Faye, and were happy that Tracy and Katrina could join us, too.  Bette Faye was beloved for many years at the Arc, where she was responsible for planning SO MANY FUN AND AMAZING programs and activities for our members!  She worked closely with Tracy (before Katrina joined the team) to coordinate countless arts and crafts activities, Bingo games, yoga nights, field days, movie nights, wonderful events with guest speakers, DANCES, and many, many more.  Bette Faye is enjoying her very well-deserved retirement (going on 3 years), but we sure do miss her smiling face and warm hugs!  

Gail has known Bette Faye longer than the rest of us, because Gail has been an Arc member for decades!  She was so happy to give Bette Faye one of today's flower arrangements, which just so happened to contain Bette Faye's favorite...yellow roses!

It was heartwarming to catch up with you Bette Faye!  Thank you so much for visiting, and please, don't be a stranger!  We miss you!

On our way to deliver the flower arrangements to CSL, we stopped to bring some cheer to our friends Randy and Sally.  Randy's sister, Nancy, was in the Arc of Abilities for many years before relocating to Kentucky in 2021.  We have stayed in touch with Nancy, and Randy and Sally have remained close friends with us over the years, often bringing us special treats "just because."  

Nancy visiting Williamsburg in December, 2024.

So, when we learned that Sally recently took a fall, and had to have hip replacement surgery, we knew what to do.  We made a fresh Casear Chicken and Pasta salad for them, along with a frozen fruity yogurt dessert, and our afternoon vanpool crew delivered it, on behalf of all of us.  We're happy to report that Sally is doing very well!  We're so proud of her for persevering through her rehab sessions, and learning new (and better?!) ways to stand, walk, and move.  She'll be dancing around the house any day now!  Take care, Sally, and keep up the good work.  Randy, you're a great nurse and we know Sally is in good hands!  

The final stop of the "Good Deed Van" was to drop off the flower arrangements at CSL, where they are very happy to have these cheery touches of love to brighten the dining room!  

Thursday, June 5

It was warm today, but there was (thankfully) plenty of cloud cover as we headed to see Mike at the Watermen's Museum for our annual celebration of Virginia's Free Fishing Days!

Mike explained to us that we wouldn't get to work with his (and our) friends from the National Park Service this year due to federal workforce reductions.  We missed Remy, Kalen, and other NPS friends we enjoyed fishing and doing educational activities with on past fishing days. 😞

We did meet another new friend, though!  This is Todd, one of Mike's buddies, who came out to help today and we enjoyed getting to know him!

Pat's family recently donated a number of fishing rods to Mike to use with his fishing programs.  Pat's mom, Sue, and his stepdad, Kevin, are avid fisher-people, so they were thrilled for some of their used rods to find a good home!

Our morning was divided into two parts:  crafting and fishing.  We split into two groups and enjoyed both activities.  At the craft area, we decorated big cutout fishes, and learned how to attach them so they would pop off the mural, which we decorated to look like the ocean.  We named our mural to represent our theme for the day:  Fishing with Friends!

We spread out on the pier and Mike and Todd helped us attach shrimp for bait on our hooks.  Kevin met us here, and his mom Debbie joined us for a while.  We knew we had to be patient, but it seemed the fish either weren't in the area or they weren't hungry today!  

Eventually our patience paid off and a few fish were caught!  Here's Thomas bringing in a wiggly one!  

Everyone persevered, and as always, they were supportive and happy for each other.  At the end of the morning, we had caught 4 fish.  Alexis, Liz, Thomas, and Drew were the lucky ones, and their smiles can barely contain their excitement!

Thank you, Mike, for continuing the Free Fishing Days experience with us.  It's always fun to spend time on the pier with you in pursuit of the catch!  Thanks for introducing us to Todd, and to both of you for your guidance, support, and encouragement this morning!

After fishing, our tummies were rumbling so we went down to our favorite lunch spot on the York River only to find it packed with others who were also enjoying the nice day.  There was a group at the picnic shelter, so we made a quick adjustment and ended up at Newport News Park, which we enjoy almost as much as eating by the river!  (Hi, Drew!)

Sean had a nice 2 day visit with us, and expressed interest in joining our waitlist.  We enjoyed having him, and getting to know him a little better.  Here, we encouraged him during his turn at corn hole.

We play corn hole often, as it's a game our guys have come to enjoy very much.  Each of them strives to improve at every game, and now we hear them coaching each other!  Today, it was nice to see Erik make an adjustment in his position to improve his aim.  Abraham was told by someone on the sidelines to "throw it in the hole," and look at his reaction when he did!  We're proud of Liz for working on tossing the bag a little higher (check out her follow through), and our apologies for snapping the pic just as the bag flew level with her focused face!

Our teams were the Croakers and the Spots today!  By a score of 21-19, the Spots reeled in a victory!

Friday, June 6

Our week came to a quick end as we worked at Eaton this morning, returned to AFCC for lunch (too warm and muggy for the park), and worked on creating an over-sized birthday card commissioned by Pam for a special someone at Williamsburg Landing who has helped ensure our successful 5k races since 2009.  We were busy, but it wasn't too hectic!

First, thanks to early birds Bryan and Gail for washing some of the Mason jars we use for the CSL flower arrangements.  A fresh batch, all sparkly clean, and ready for next week!  

Before leaving for Eaton at 9:15, we had a quick observation of National Donut Day.  We celebrated with minis and juice.  Yum!

Once at Eaton, we settled into several work stations.  There was something for everyone, and we were buzzing with productivity!

Kevin, Patrick, Drew, Abraham, and Michelle worked on transferring hundreds of small metal parts into gray tubs.  They first had to stack, or "nest" the pieces, which was challenging at first because they fit best together when all turned in the same direction.  Once the team on the floor got the hang of it, they passed their stacks to Patrick, who fit them neatly into the gray tubs.

Later, we moved Drew to a table where he could more easily work on stacking the parts.  He stuck with it, and mastered the correct orientation for stacking the parts before we finished!

Xavier, Devin, and Thomas transferred the yellow square "thingies" to the blue bin, and made sure Laura and Gail got the papers from in between the parts so they could fold and box them to be reused for another packing time.

The gasketing team consisted of Bryan, Erik, Liz, Kate, Carol, Nan, Emma, and Alexis.  They had several types of parts to gasket and pack neatly into tubs.

By the time we finished at Eaton, there had been a quick burst of rain which left it very muggy outside.  We decided to return to the center for lunch and Choice Time, instead of heading to the park.  

Pam asked us to make one of our over-sized birthday cards for Britnee, an Arc friend who works at Williamsburg Landing and is an integral part of our successful 5k team.  We were happy to oblige, so after Choice Time we colored lots of pictures and letters.  It will all come together on Tuesday morning.  Pam will pick it up on Tuesday afternoon, and we can't wait to thank her for trusting us with this task!

We wrapped up the afternoon by reading to chapter 81 in our book, The Wild Robot Escapes.  Today was the first time all week that we had time for read-aloud!  Only 9 short chapters to go, so we might finish it next week.  For now, we are calling it a week and looking forward to the weekend!

Here are our plans for next week:

Tuesday:  We're hanging out with our MG friends today and meeting Luke, from the Virginia Cooperative Extension, who will teach us about bugs!  We will return to AFCC for lunch and a lesson for Herbs and Spices Day!  Lunch on your own.  It's the last week to order from JRES Cafeteria.  Today you can order Beef Soft Taco, Taco Salad, or Pizza.

Wednesday:  We will volunteer at Grove today and work on the flower arrangements for CSL, so please wear Arc shirts.  We will put the finishing touches on our Father's Day gifts and have a belated celebration for Donald Duck Day, which is June 9th.  Moose Patti and our friends at the Williamsburg Moose Lodge recently gave us a donation to use for a "fun treat" so we'll have a surprise this afternoon!  Lunch on your own.  It's the last day of school, and the last day to order lunch from JRES Cafeteria.  Your choices are Popcorn Chicken Bowl, Yogurt Combo, or Manager's Choice!?!?

Thursday:  We're going to have group cooking challenges this morning and celebrate Peanut Butter Cookie Day with a baking challenge!  In the afternoon we'll play games in the gym to celebrate having the use of it for the summer!  Breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, and peanut butter cookies for lunch.

Friday:  It's PSP Work Day so please wear PSP shirts.  You also need to bring lunch, even though we are eating at the center.  Remember, JRES Cafeteria is closed for the summer!  The crew that remains at AFCC will pack up and move supplies to Room 142 on the school side, because we will relocate there from the 17th-27th while AFCC is being deep cleaned and having the floors refinished.  After lunch, we will enjoy a visit with Christina at The Art Museums of CW!

A few updates...

 #1:  The Arc office and the Arc of Abilities day program will be closed in observance of the Juneteenth Holiday on Thursday, June 19.

 #2:  The Arc of Abilities will be closed the week of July 1- 4 for Summer Break.  We will reopen on Tuesday, July 8.

 #3:  The WOTM Golf Tournament is coming on August 2nd at Williamsburg National Golf Club.  Please consider supporting us with a Hole Sponsorship ($50), or more!  The course always looks great with all our friends' pictures on the hole sponsor signs!  We also need AoA members to volunteer that morning.  Touch base with Lisa about these opportunities!  (Checks can be made payable to WOTM 1755.)  THANK YOU!!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang