Hi Sue:

That is a shame someone took those paintings. I don't get that. It wasn't even someone in their family who painted them. I know you must have been disappointed.

The artist is question was my grandmother's father (Dorothy Downing-Shaw-Labonne) His name was William Downing; he was an English sailor who immigrated to the US around the turn of the century 1900 or right before. He married an Irish immigrant named Anna Mariah Jordon who came to the US upon a ship; to pay for her passage she worked as an indentured servant for seven years. When her servitude was up she married William. She had Grandma, Aunt Beatrice (she married Charles Kennedy of The Kennedys), Aunt Majorie and some other children who's names escape me at the moment.

William from what I remember took up art full time and had a very cool studio. I remember he took me there by myself. I was his first born great-grandchild. I remember so many canvases stacked against the walls; paint spots everywhere, a bathroom with a sink and toilet no hot water, skylight, and coffee cans full of brushes. He was an oil painter from what I remember seeing of the canvases and the jars of turpentine. I told him he had a great view and he agreed but let me know in the summer the Charles River stunk to high heaven.

Did anyone else get to see this studio or remember meeting William? I remember his wife. I think she survived him by a few years. I remember Mom and Grandma taking us to visit her in a nursing home. I was nine. She died shortly after that.

She was alive and attended Mom's second wedding. If I remember correctly. Grandma was there along with Aunt Majorie and her two kids Sandy and I don't remember the boy's name. Aunt Rosemarie (really just a good good friend of Momma's) was there with Tommy and Aileen.

Eric, could you either scan or take photos of those paintings and post them here? That would be so cool to see them. I think one of them is oil on a small canvas of a windmill in Holland.

Susan, the new anti-depressant is helping. I think.

Thanks for your offer. Very much. I will let you know when it gets closer to the time.

I am concerned about having to pay for the fees to camp on Cumberland Island up front and soon. Now a days $37 bucks is a lot of money to me. My hot water heater broke when Beth and Jimmy were here a few weeks ago and I am still taking cold baths just like my great-grandfather William Downing.

Love,

Nancy