Charles Murphy's watercolor class at the Traverse City Senior Center is designed for painters of all skill levels.
Although the watercolor class was offered at the Senior Center in the late 1980s, the configuration is different this time around. The cost is pro-rated and the curriculum is put together so people who can only attend periodically aren't left behind.
"I call my tips on watercolor painting 'little victories,' because you need to establish small triumphs over the medium," Murphy said. "It has always been regarded as one of the more, if not the most difficult painting medium — it's very unforgiving "¦
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Kathleen Gest: Senior Focus
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Kathleen Gest
Senior Focus: Watercolor class offers 'little victories'
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Senior Focus: Art class aims to let creativity flow
Tom McClellan has been a "process painting" instructor for seven years. He'll teach classes at the Senior Center Network's Traverse City and Interlochen locations beginning in May.
Continued ... -
Senior Focus: Brush up your Shakespeare
"William Shakespeare" might be two words that make high school students break out in a cold sweat. Appreciation is easier as an older and wiser adult.
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Senior Focus: Tai chi
You may have seen people in parks or on the beach moving in slow, gentle and rhythmic motion and wondered, "What are they doing?" Most often they are practicing the ancient art of tai chi.
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Senior Focus: How you react is most important
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Senior Focus: Make friends, eat worldly food
- Saturday, December 17, 2011
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Senior Focus: Interlochen's own center
- Saturday, November 26, 2011
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Senior Focus: Role reversal
- Saturday, November 5, 2011
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Senior Focus: Celebrate American Indians
- Saturday, October 22, 2011
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Senior Focus: World War II vet to be honored
- Saturday, October 1, 2011
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Senior Focus: Talk about 'what ifs' now
- Saturday, September 17, 2011
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Senior Focus: The knack of using coupons
Seniors on a fixed income need to stretch their money as much as possible and using coupons is one way to do it.
Continued ... - Saturday, August 27, 2011
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Senior Focus: Computer classes this fall
Computers have become an integral part of our lives.
Continued ... - Saturday, July 30, 2011
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Senior Focus: Stay calm in an emergency
Emergencies happen when we least expect them. Are you the kind of person who panics or do you take a deep breath, count to 10 and tell yourself you can handle the situation?
Continued ... - Saturday, July 2, 2011
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Senior Focus: Cruise Europe in spring
The Traverse City Senior Center Travel Alliance is organizing a European cruise in April 2012. \
Continued ... - Saturday, June 18, 2011
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Senior Focus: Thompson made us laugh
Have any of you noticed the bright yellow Volkswagen "bug" scooting around town? It's painted with flowers, ladybugs and has the inscription on the back "May the Lord bless you in a special way." It's usually parked in front of the Traverse City Senior Center. This car should give you some insight behind the personality of the car's owner — dramatic, attractive, friendly, energetic, welcoming, helpful, knowledgeable, good sense of humor, compassionate, outgoing, travel savvy and wisecracking. These are some of the words friends use to describe Pat Thompson, past travel and program coordinator at the Senior Center. Oops, I forgot hard working. Unfortunately for those seniors whose lives she has touched, Pat is no longer at the Senior Center. She left at the beginning of June to spend more time with family and friends. (Pat, I didn't say "retired.")
Continued ... - Saturday, May 28, 2011
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Senior Focus: Y looking into new softball league
In Traverse City, the YMCA and the Senior Center offer adult softball, basketball, soccer, racquetball and Pickleball. "We have the men's senior league going at the Y now, which is 55 years and older," said Barb Beckett, YMCA program director. "However, there are a certain number of the guys that would like to play more than one day a week "¦ and they would like to play in a league for 60 and older men." The YMCA is interested to find out how many men want a new senior men's softball league. Forty men, 60 and over, are needed to start the league; the YMCA would then be the organizer and facilitator for the teams and games.
Continued ... - Saturday, May 7, 2011
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Senior Expo has resources, infos
The 10th Annual Ideas for Life Senior Expo offers some answers. The expo, sponsored by the Bay Area Senior Advocates, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Traverse City Civic Center.
Continued ... - Saturday, April 23, 2011
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Senior Focus: Bowling without a ball
Walk into the Traverse City Senior Center on a Thursday morning and you might hear the sound of bowling pins scattering and shouts of "Come on, get a strike!" For two hours each week, the Walt Room is transformed into a bowling alley — by means of Nintendo's Wii sports gaming system. Besides league play, the Senior Center hosts a night of pizza and Wii bowling Thursdays at 4 p.m. Any Senior Center member is welcome and no experience is necessary; $4 covers the cost of pizza, salad and dessert.
Continued ... - Saturday, April 2, 2011
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Senior Focus: Learn Skype
Some people know what Skype is, some of you may even use it, but if you want to learn more about Skype, you will have the opportunity at a Traverse City Senior Center Lunch and Learn presentation at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 20. Simply put, Skype is an Internet phone. Technically, it is a peer-to-peer communication software application that allows users to make voice and video calls over the Internet. Skype is pretty easy to install and use — depending on your computer experience. In the words of Niklas Zennström, co-founder of Skype, "If you can use a Web browser, you can use Skype."
Continued ... - Saturday, March 19, 2011
- Saturday, February 26, 2011
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Senior Focus: Laugh for no reason
Laughter helps combat stress among other health benefits. A new Laughter Yoga session, at multiple locations the second Monday of each month, helps with breathing, fun and laughter. The leader, E. Gail Robinson, is a certified Laughter Yoga teacher and speaker.
Continued ... - Saturday, January 22, 2011
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Senior Focus: Traveling solo, but not alone
Solo or single travel does not mean you have to go alone. More and more singles are embarking on group travel as a way of benefiting from an organized tour, for safety reasons, sharing their experiences or to meet new people. "We've been matching interested solo travelers together for several years, but this year we took it to the next level," said Pat Thompson, program coordinator. "By having the Solo Traveler group meet four times a year, usually for a luncheon, we actually bring people together; discover where each individual's interests lie and where they might like to travel for the coming year."
Continued ... - Thursday, December 30, 2010
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Lunch and Learn topics cater to seniors
The Lunch and Learn program at the Traverse City Senior Center is tailor-made for seniors, scheduled just before the lunch hour. Lunch and Learn is informal, yet enriching. The timely topics are designed to provide insight into what seniors need or want to know.
Continued ... - Thursday, December 23, 2010
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Senior Focus: Knitting back in vogue
Everyone has a theory about the resurgence of knitting, but according to a national survey, one of knitters' top motivations is relaxation and stress reduction, allowing technology-saturated brains to relax.
Continued ... - Thursday, December 16, 2010
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Senior Focus: Kingsley center opens
A new network is taking senior services and programming into outlying areas — and the first location is already rocking.
Continued ...
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