Patsy Ghazarosian, Jane Gold, Joan Brown, Marina Nelson, Judi White, Christy Caldwell, Cyndee Bruns, Mercedes Mangarpan, Trisha Tubbs, Suzan Bryceland, Ellen Entwistle, and Pam Hartwell-James (photo by Jim James)
Inna Shames
Wow, what an Independence Day event it was!
In July of 2021 The Women of Quail Creek formed a new group called In My Kitchen, led by Pam Hartwell-James. And four years later, here they are, still enjoying the fun, the food, and the fellowship.
On July 3 Pam hosted the 31st In My Kitchen event featuring Hawaiian roll ham and cheese sliders and an avocado and orange salad. Patriotic cherry dump cake with vanilla ice cream was the perfect dessert to cap off the afternoon!
But here’s what made this event particularly unique: Along with the festive place settings, Pam had placed a question about the 4th of July under each plate asking, “What has this holiday meant to you?”
This prompted attendees to share some incredibly moving stories of how they celebrated the 4th of July growing up and what this holiday has meant to them and to their families over the years. Several women spoke of families who had arrived in the United States from other counties through Ellis Island. One woman shared the story of a family member who had fought overseas in World War II and spent 21 days in a concentration camp. They each learned so much about the history of the other ladies in this small group of 12!
“I thought the questions by each plate were a terrific way to start the conversations and to know more about each participant,” said Suzan Bryceland, one of the happy attendees. “It was a fun, fun time. Thanks, Pam, for all the planning you do for this event.”
And at the end, Pam announced to the group that as the new Honor Flight coordinator for TWOQC, she was hoping for volunteers to help write letters for our veterans who will be taking the flight in November. “It was humbling to realize that almost everyone said they would very much like to help in this effort.” said Pam gratefully.
Wow indeed!