When we were in Washington DC two weeks ago we stayed in Alexandria, VA because Nurit had heard that it was a trendy place and there was a Kimpton Hotel there.  During our short stay the weather was lousy but we really liked Alexandria and on our last morning we went to The Torpedo Factory  It is an artist cooperative with both studio and gallery space. It includes some very good artists and we thought it was the best of the cooperative spaces we have seen in the world.

In one studio we were admiring some pastels of food by “Richmond” when I found a free postcard and noticed the artists full name Cindy Packard Richmond.  A little investigation indicated that this was the Cindy Packard who went to Skidmore who grew up in Greenwich and was in fact one of my very good college friends.  I was excited and left my business card with a cryptic note hoping to make a reconnection with my past.

As we were driving out of the parking lot of the hotel the phone rang.  It was Cindy, we immediately cancelled our plans to go into Washington DC and spent a delightful few hours catching up with her.  She was my friend at Union College in Schenectady, NY before, during and after my time in the army.  I spent my first few days out of the army, Christmas 1970, with her at her parents home in Greenwich.  Cindy has written two published novels and is now a very talented painter in oils and pastels.  Harvey her husband works for the Department of Homeland Security devising ways to make the lines longer at airports.

You can look at Cindy’s work at her very well done web site. Here is a picture that I blatantly lifted from her site.

As soon as our remodel is finished and we have our art rehung I’m going to buy one of her pieces.  I promise.