LETTER #11

Marian Westall, artist and my mom's best friend

This card goes out to my mom’s best friend, Marian. I had heard about her for years. My mom and step-dad met her and her husband on a trip down the Colorado River at least thirty years ago. Maybe more.

I was amazed we had never met in person until my step-dad’s Celebration of Life last June. The minute we met, it was clear we were connected. She is sassy, smart, creative, and independent as all get out!

Marian was on my mind as I drove with my mom from Portland, OR to Fiddletown, CA on Memorial Day. Mom and I are on a mission to get her place on the mountain in Amador County ready to be a VRBO as she settles into Portland for this next stage in her life. She’s 83, but you wouldn’t believe it. I think it’s hysterical that we are both now Crones together. I finally caught up.

But back to Marian! She was on my mind because of the ways she has supported my mom over the years through so many transitions in her life. Even though she is not here in the flesh right now, she shows up nearly daily on Zoom providing support and making mom laugh.

That’s just one aspect of the coolness of Marian! She is also an amazing artist. She paints these huge, realistic but somehow dreamy murals for films, cruise ships, and libraries. You can find out more about her at Hot Pepper Studios. My mom has one of her pieces in her apartment in Portland. It’s the one that shows up in the background of my Note from March 12, 2025.

I am grateful for her and how she navigates this planet and the people she connects with. I’m glad that she is now in my life as well.

SIDENOTE: Yes, that is a pee pad for dogs under the card I made. I don’t have my workshop here, so I had to improvise from what I could find and mom has an older dog, thus pee pads are aplenty. I didn’t want to get glue on the table…