Romance on a Toboggan

Toboggan Party, glass negative, ca 1910-1915. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The social aspect of tobogganing with friends is an enjoyment that can be experienced on snow or in water. Today's post shows images of winter tobogganing, with water tobogganing images to follow at a later date.

In today's modern world the sport of tobogganing might be considered too childish for adults with hectic lives, but a century ago, it was used as a social event for all ages, and especially as a romantic pursuit at a time when chivalry, chaperones and decorum often stood between two interested parties. 

In Sketches from America published in 1870, John White states "...a toboggin is made to hold at least two persons, as in the practice of the sport these two persons are usually of different sexes..." He goes on to explain that the person who steers the toboggan is at the back and can choose the snowbank he wishes to end up in when he upsets the craft and tumbles into the snow with his seat mate of choice. How clever.

Tobogganing, Quebec, 1863. Credit: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. R9266-919 Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana

Tobogganing certainly was an event enjoyed by all levels of society, including Lady Dufferin, viceregal consort of the 1872-1878 Governor General of Canada, who held toboggan parties on the grounds of Rideau Hall. (For more on composite photography, see my post here.)

"The Toboggan Party", Rideau Hall. This illuminated composite photograph is from Lady Dufferin's personal album. c 1872-1875. Source: Credit: William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada/PA-008492

Around the same period, Outing: The Gentleman's Magazine of Sport, Travel and Outdoor Life, Vol IX Oct 1886-1887 states that, "At present every Canadian city has its toboggan clubs with their elaborately built and prepared slides." The article, Snow-shoe and Toboggan by Newell B. Woodworth, goes on to say that in November 1884, the Saratoga Toboggan Club in New York had the first designated slide in the United States, as opposed to untended natural hills and slopes. 

Saratoga Toboggan Club at their custom-built, members-only toboggan slide, ca 1884-1885. Courtesy of the Saratoga Springs Public Library

By 1886, the Saratoga club slide had been moved to the Glen Mitchell Hotel where it became the longest in the nation running with almost 2,000 feet of iced surface.

Boston, Mass. had an informal toboggan run in Franklin Park prior to 1904 when a large slide was created to provide the public with an alternative sport to ice skating.

Toboganning [sic] scene at Franklin Park, Boston, Mass. C1904 Panoramic. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

In Burlington, Vermont, the Charles H. Emerson & Co. manufactured wood products including his patented STAR toboggans, promoted as being, "The Best Flat Toboggans Made". 

[Advertisement for Star toboggans, showing people sledding in daylight] / Phoenix Litho. Co., Chicago. C1886. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Near Wilmington, Delaware, the Winterthur Museum is a good place to look for snow images, including these next two showing the social aspects of tobogganing.

[Tobogganing for all ages, undated.] Courtesy, the Winterthur Library, Winterthur Archives

[Tobogganing by horse, undated.] Courtesy, the Winterthur Library, Winterthur Archives

Since I've shown you enough photos of the bottom of a toboggan slide, what about one from the top? Taken during the 1922 Ottawa Winter Carnival, the toboggan slide ran alongside the drained Rideau Canal locks and down to the Ottawa River. If not a participant, the best vantage point was on the stone terrace of the Chateau Laurier which was also the launch point of the slide. 

Rideau Canal Toboggan run, Ottawa Winter Carnival, 1922. Credit: Canadian National Railways/Library and Archives Canada

Tobogganing on an iced slide of this magnitude would be exhilarating, don't you think? 

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Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are written under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details. Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Her novellas are included in Austen in Austin Volume 1, The American Heiress Brides Collection, andThe Secret Admirer Romance Collection. Readers can check out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories to enrich their reading experience. Discover more at:
Website - www.anitamaedraper.com
Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper/

Alberta Ranch Winter Photos

While searching for winter ranch images, I came across the wonderful collection of Hugh Beynon Biggs, an Alberta rancher who took hundreds of photographs of his family and their Drumheller area ranch. Born in India in 1875, Hugh immigrated to Canada in 1893 and shortly afterward bought the Springfield ranch.

I found Hugh B. Biggs on a 1901 Canada census record for The Territories in the district of Alberta. (Alberta wouldn't become an official province until 1905.) At the time, Hugh was single and living on a ranch along with 3 bachelors. It's interesting to note that their names, ages, occupations and annual income were recorded as:
Hugh, 26, Rancher, 1000
James, 20, Cow boy, 60
Harold, 20, Ranch hand, 60
Francis, 34, Farm Labourer, 300

Although many of the photographs in this post show ca1900, I suspect the ones with people in them were actually 1910 since Hugh didn't marry until 1906, and his first of 4 daughters wasn't born until 1909. However, I'm leaving the official photograph captions as I found them at the Glenbow Archives. 

This first photograph shows the Biggs ranch as it would look in the summer. Such a pastoral setting.

Springfield [Biggs] ranch near Beynon, Alberta ca. 1900, Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

And this is what it looked like in winter when everything was slapped by the snowy force of the prairie wind.

Springfield [Biggs] ranch in winter, near Beynon, Alberta ca. 1900. Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

I suspect digging coal may have been a winter chore, much like logging, as there usually wasn't time for such things during the rest of the year.

Coal being dug from bank, Beynon area, Alberta ca. 1909. Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

Sometimes logging with the family was a great way to spend a winter day. That's probably Hugh's wife, Mabel Florence James, and their first two daughters enjoying the ride on the logging sleigh.

Woman and children on sleigh with load of logs, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta.  ca. 1900. Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives

Ranching in winter is no fun, as can be seen here where one of the guys is loading up a hay sleigh from a huge hay stack. (I'll be showing summer pics of this in a few months.)

Haystack, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. ca. 1900. Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

From other photos of the Biggs ranch, I can tell you that the horses and hay sleigh are travelling on the frozen river, which is the easiest way to get back to the ranch.

Hay on sleigh, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. ca. 1900. Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

Whoopsie! He's definitely tipped, however, I don't know if he was trying to pass, or if it's an easy way to unload some hay into the other sleigh. It doesn't look like fun either way.

Tipped hay sleigh, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta ca. 1900. Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

Here they are pitching hay off the sleigh to feed the cattle that stay on the range through the winter.

Cattle in winter, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. ca. 1900. Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

This next photo of the cattle grazing on the snow could have been taken in fall, after the first snowfall, or it could be in spring after an light snow year, but after the feed has run out.

Cattle, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. ca. 1900 Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives. 

The caption for this next one simply says, cattle, but from the geography, as well as the shiny surface on the bottom right, I'd guess the cattle are standing on ice and trying to get a good lick or two.

Cattle, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. ca. 1900 Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

And now for some fun. I don't know if these are the four Biggs daughters, because their ages don't match what is recorded at Alberta on Record, and I couldn't find any other census records for them, so they could be visiting children out for a day of sledding. Whoever they are, the seem to be enjoying themselves. 

I'm posting these in order of sequence as to tell the story of their day's adventure.

Children playing with sleds on hillside in winter, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

Children playing on hillside in winter, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. ca. 1910-1915 Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

One thing I love about snow in the country is that when it covers everything, it dulls sound. Without leaves rustling in the trees, and other sounds of summer nature, you can hear cows bawling, dogs barking, and coyotes howling over a mile away. And looking at the happy faces in these pictures, I believe I can hear them. Listen...

"Look at me Dad! Look at meeeeeeee..."

Children playing on hillside in winter, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. ca. 1910-1915 Photographer Biggs, H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

Children playing in winter, Springfield [Biggs] ranch, near Beynon, Alberta. ca. 1910-1915 Photographer Biggs H. B, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

I am grateful to Hugh Beynon Biggs, rancher and photographer, for his images of life, work, and play on an Alberta ranch. I'm especially thankful to the people who saved his life's work, and to the Glenbow Archives for posting it online and thereby making it available to everyone. 

Would you like to see another post or two on the work of H. B. Biggs including photographs of cowboys, summer chores, and women on the ranch? 

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Anita Mae Draper's stories are written under the western skies where she lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. When she's not writing, Anita enjoys photography, research, and travel, and is especially happy when she can combine the three in one trip. Anita's current release is Romantic Refinements, a novella in Austen in Austin Volume 1, WhiteFire Publishing, January 2016.  Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com

Historic Winter Sports - Women's Hockey & Giveaway

As a historic winter sport, women's hockey fascinates me for the fashion as well as the skill of the women and the mark they made on history. However, in researching for this post, I was discouraged by the lack of material proving that women played hockey in the first decades of the 20th century in the USA, and not just in the past few decades. Hence, this post appears biased on Canadian women's hockey, and considering that hockey began in Canada, that seems appropriate, but I have included whatever material I could uncover and legally post without breaking copyright restrictions.

Join me for a photographic journey back into the teams who made hockey history, although for the most part, they have never been considered worthy of induction into any hockey Hall of Fame.

The following 1907 backyard image of a girl on skates holding a hockey stick reminds me of the great hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, who started his career as a boy on his Ontario family's backyard rink.

 ca 1907, Edward T. Curlette and friend skating in flooded backyard, Calgary, Alberta. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives

The earliest known photograph of a women's hockey game is this one taken at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, home of the Governor General, the official regal representative in Canada. The Rideau Skating Club in Ottawa is recognized by both the National Hockey League (NHL) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) as being the March 1889 location of the first women's hockey game on record. 

ca 1890 - Women playing hockey, at Rideau Hall, Ottawa. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada

2015 Stanley Cup, wikipedia photo

In the above photo, it is interesting to know that the woman in white is Isobel Stanley, daughter of the then Governor General, Lord Stanley of Preston.

Lord Stanley and his family were so enamoured with the sport that he donated a silver decorative punch bowl to encourage competition between clubs. Originally called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, it has grown over the years with every new victory and is now known simply as the Stanley Cup.

By the early 1900's, women were playing hockey in indoor and outdoor rinks across Canada. 

Even in the Yukon where the focus had been on the recent heady gold rush, pursuits changed to more leisurely past times like skating and hockey. This next image shows a 1904 match between the Dawsons and the Victorias.

Apr 13, 1904 - Ladies Hockey Match, Dawson, Yukon Territory, Canada

Calgary's Glenbow Museum Archives has several photographs showing western women as members of hockey teams, and also ones like this early one showing the 1909 Girls High School hockey team of Olds, Alberta. Not only are the hair styles different, but so are the quality of skates. 

1909 Girls' high school hockey team, Olds, Alberta.

The best known skates in the late 19th century were manufactured in the Halifax-Dartmouth area of Nova Scotia by the John Starr manufacturing company. Known as block or stock skates, they were strapped to the boot, and although thousands were sold, skatists complained of feeling insecure while wearing them as they often came loose.

John Forbes, foreman of John Starr, developed a self-fastening skate that could be attached to the skate boot with a spring lever. Called the Star Acme Club skate, it became the favorite of skatists and hockeyists of the time. (Yes, hockey players were known as hockeyists.)

In one of the first marketing brainwaves ever, the Starr manufacturing company paid the 1899 Ladies Hockey Club of Edmonton, Alberta, to be photographed putting on their Starr Acme club skates. 

1899 Edmonton Ladies Hockey Team putting on their Starr Acme Club skates

By 1907, several ladies teams in Saskatchewan, then known as the "Breadbasket of the Prairies" had joined the fun. Several teams existed with exciting names like the Biggar Floradoras, the Saskatchewan Prairie Lillies, the Snowflakes, the Golden Girls and the Old Hens, but I was only able to find a photograph showing the 1907 Prince Albert Tumblers. Although their name is whimsical, they look like serious opponents.

1907 Prince Albert Tumblers, Prince Albert Saskatchewan.  

More information about women's hockey in Saskatchewan can be found in the book, Hockey Heritage: 88 Years of Puck Chasing in Saskatchewan, Brenda Zeman, and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, 1983

In the early 1900's, Banff in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia, was trying to build its reputation as a place of winter fun. It's annual winter festival brought outdoor enthusiasts from all over to compete in a variety of events. Ladies hockey was one of the first to be included as shown in this next 1911 outdoor rink photo with Mount Rundle in the background.

1911 Women's Hockey Match in Banff, Alberta

In 1916, two owners of men's teams in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association spoke of organizing an international women's league. It didn't come into fruition until Feb 1921 when 3 teams competed. My research dug up images of the Vancouver Amazons, but not on the other 2 teams: the Seattle Vamps, nor the Victoria Kewpies. For more information on these teams, check out the webpage, Women and Hockey Post War.

These next two images of the Vancouver Amazons shows the difference a successful year can make in the world of sports, especially when men buy the uniforms.

1920 Vanouver Amazons Ladies Hockey Team

1921 Vancouver Amazons Ladies Hockey Team at Banff Winter Festival

Meanwhile in the east, ladies' colleges had been in training and playing hockey for years on both inside and outside rinks.

March 1906, Ottawa Ladies' College hockey group, Ottawa, Ontario. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada

Queen's University hockey team, Kingston, Ontario, 1917

One important fact to note about the women's hockey team from Queen's University is that it is the birthplace of the hockey goalie face mask. 

Although many attribute Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens as being the one who made wearing a face mask trendy, and others go back earlier to 1930 when Clint Benedict of the Montreal Maroons wore a mask to cover up a broken nose, the truth is that a woman beat them both to the mark. 

Queen's University goalie, Elizabeth Graham, first wore a fencing mask to protect her dental work in 1927. This is corroborated by an article by Elizabeth's grandson, reporter Stewart Bell, who wrote a National Post article on Dec 14, 2008 which states, 

"I picked up a copy of The Hockey News the other day and there, on page 25, was an old black-and-white photograph of my grandmother, wearing goalie pads and a striped hockey sweater.

It described how, while playing for Queen's University in 1927, grandmother shocked fans by wearing a mask.

"The first hockey netminder interested in saving face looks to have been Elizabeth Graham," the (Hockey News) article reads. "It would appear the father of the goalie mask was in fact a woman."

1926 Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. Courtesy of www.hockeygods.com

Accordingly, there are several other accounts such as this one... "The Montreal Daily Star reported : "The Queen's goaler gave the fans a surprise when she stepped into the nets and then donned a fencing mask. It was safety-first with her and even at that she can't be blamed for her precautionary methods."

But not all hockey was played as part of college or other organized teams. Sometimes, teams played for fun such as this last photo involving a 1921 game of shinny at Dufferin Park in Toronto. 

1921 Shinny at Dufferin Park, Toronto, Ontario

According to the Team USA History of Women's Hockey page, the first instance of American women playing hockey is the entry:
"1920s - College teams form in both the U.S. and Canada."

Unfortunately, there are no links for further information.

As with everything else, the years of the second world war took its toll on sports and leisure. Women were needed to replace the men who were off fighting for freedom. And when the men returned, they needed the support of their wives and families at home. Although men's hockey returned to a schedule, it would be decades before women's hockey returned as a valued place in not only sports history, but also that of leisure and recreation.

I welcome you to share your views and links concerning the early history of women's hockey. 

Giveaway: 

As for the giveaway, we're leaving the land of frozen water and heading down to Austin, Texas for the January 15th release of Austen in Austin Volume One.

You might want to leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Austen in Austin if the thought of four novellas set in historical Austin, Texas, and based on Jane Austen's novels appeals to you. Yes, that would be Jane Austen, Texas-style. Yeehaw!!!

For extra chances of winning this giveaway, share this post on Facebook or Twitter and let me know in the comments below.

Please include your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you're the winner.

The winner will receive the digital copy upon release. 

Deadline to enter this draw - Sunday midnight, January 10th.

Check here for info on the novellas included in the Austen in Austin collection. 

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Anita Mae Draper's stories are written under the western skies where she lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. Anita's first novella, Romantic Refinements, will be released January 2016 in Austen in Austin Volume 1, WhiteFire Publishing. Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com

Is it Real or Composite?

Molson Wedding, St. George's Church, 
Montreal, QC, 1878 Notman & Sandham 
© McCord Museum

My last post, Composite Photography of William Notman, introduced you to the world of William Notman, his use of composite photography, and touched on some 19th century photograph techniques. As a very brief recap, I'll say that photography gave people a physical image of something they wanted to remember, and even pass on down through the years. But often it wasn't feasible - for reasons stated in my last post.

For an example, I'll use the Molson family. As a politician, philanthropist, and businessman, John Molson (1763 - 1836) played a large role in Montreal history. In 1786 he formed the Molson Brewery which is presently the 2nd oldest company in Canada. (Only the Hudson's Bay Company is older.)  So when John's son, William Alexander Molson, married Esther Shepherd, daughter of R.W. Shepherd, owner of the Ottawa Navigation Company steamship line, the wedding was a big deal. With Bishop William Bond presiding, the ceremony was performed on October 10, 1877 in St. George's Anglican Church, Montreal. The photograph of the huge social event was a composite made possible by the artwork of the Notman & Sandham Studio.

The Bounce, Montreal Snowshoe Club, QC, 1886, 

Wm. Notman & Son © McCord Museum

A famous Notman photograph shows the Governor General of Canada Lord Stanley de Preston, namesake of the Stanley Cup, being "bounced" by members of Montreal Snow Shoe Club (MSSC) in 1886. Wearing outfits reminiscent of the original voyageurs, the MSSC members performed a unique activity called bouncing to show respect and camaraderie to new members, race/tramp winners, and special guests. 

You can find information about MSSC being the first snowshoe club in North America, a detailed description of their outfits, and more at the Montreal Snow Shoe Club wiki page.

And yes, The Bounce is a composite created by individual photographs of the members standing, and one with Lord Stanley de Preston lying on a table. 





The Montreal Snow Shoe Club participated in races of all kinds including this hurdle race. Wait - a hurdle race on snow shoes? Look close - is this photograph real or a composite? 

Hurdle Race on Snowshoes, Montreal, QC, 1892 Wm. Notman & Son © McCord Museum

I have to admit that I thought Hurdle Race on Snowshoes was a real photo when I added it to one of my Historic Winter Sports posts on another group blog. And then I discovered that it was a real photograph after all, and taken in 1892 no less. I wonder what type of camera they used, because clearly, the detail of the racers is wonderful.

J. Beattie's Snowshoeing Group, Montreal, QC,
1869-70 William Notman © McCord Museum

On the right, you see J. Beattie's Snowshoeing Group which I had also added to the Historic Winter Sports post thinking it was real. I mean, it looks like a typical eastern Canada setting in the foreground as well as the background. And the falling snow adds such a wintery effect.  

Similar sets were also used in photographs of people on snowshoes or on toboggans, like this one...

R. Stevenson and Friends on Toboggan, Montreal, 

QC, 1870 William Notman © McCord Museum

But are these real photographs or composites? 

They are real studio photographs taken of posed people using props to hold their positions. The effect of the falling snow was done by the art department before releasing the photograph. 

Many families wanted a group photograph taken in their own home, like this 1904 photograph showing the Phillip Simpson Ross family of Montreal in their own living room. What do you think?

Philip Simpson Ross family group, Montreal, QC, 1904 William Notman (1826-1891)© McCord Museum

According to the McCord Museum's online exhibition, The Photographic Studio of William Notman, "...where each person was photographed individually with a posing stand at the head to prevent movement, a clear portrait with a pleasing expression and a good pose was guaranteed. Photographing even a small group, such as a family, indoors in a single picture was impossible. Most families wanted their own living-room or parlour as a setting for the family group, but the exposure to record the room would have been up to an hour long at least. Therefore a photograph of the room only was taken, enlarged, and the figures added later."

This next photograph shows the children of W. Birks of Montreal. I suspect they are talking about William Birks, son of Henry Birks who started the Birks jewellry enterprise back in 1879 and soon renamed the store, Birks and Sons, in 1893 after going into partnership with sons William, John, and Gerald. Not only is the Birks name synonymous with jewelry here in Canada, but in 2005 they expanded into the US after a merger with Mayors Jewelers Inc. 

Children and Snow Bank for Mr. W. Birks, Montreal, QC, 1896

Wm. Notman & Son © McCord Museum

But is the photograph of W. Birks' children real or composite? Actually, I thought it was real until I looked at the shadows. The hem of the boy's coat is a sharp angle which should have shown as such in the shadow, but it doesn't. Also, the shadow doesn't show the runners or rope of the sleigh. But other than those small details, there's not much to show that this is indeed a composite. 

Miss Allan and Mrs. Stephenson curling, 1876

William Notman, © McCord Museum

And finally, I'll leave you with one of my favourite photographs, that of Miss V. Allan and Mrs. Russell Stephenson enjoying the winter sport of curling. 

This is the photograph that introduced me to the composite world because it was when I accidentally found a photograph showing an individual pose used in this image that I started on the quest that led to William Notman and his studio work. 

At the McCord Museum website, I found the following 6 individual poses that I've placed in a montage for comparison purposes. Although not shown here, there is one more photograph showing a different background, but with Miss Allan bent over preparing to throw the stone instead of Mrs. Stephenson as shown on the right.

This series of images shows how props were used to pose the ladies for the long exposure time. Note also, the skillful artwork necessary to show the reflective ice surface. 

Copies of Individual curling poses of Miss Allan and Mrs. Stephenson, 1876 William Notman (1826-1891) Silver salts on paper mounted on paper - Albumen process, for composite photograph © McCord Museum

Notman's World is a 29 minute film put out by the National Film Board of Canada which shows a wealth of information about the Notman Studio, the maple box created for royalty (mentioned in my previous post), life in early Canada, Kodak cameras, and more. If I've captured your interest in any way, you may want to grab a coffee and take a break to watch it. 

Have you played along with me in this post concerning real and composite photographs? How did you do? If you were living in the late 19th century, is there an image you would have wanted preserved as a composite?



I know it isn't Christmas, but in honour of my short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, being shortlisted for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards, I'm holding a giveaway for the 2-book set my story is found in. 

To enter, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 EDT Sunday, May 10, 2015 with a way of contacting you. One person will receive a copy of A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume 3&4, published by Guideposts Books, Oct 2014.


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Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. Anita is pleased to announce that her short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, published in A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume 4, Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Present, Guideposts Books, October 2014, is a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com