Alexandra David-Néel was born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David in Saint-Mandé on 24 October 1868; she died in Digne-les-Bains, on 8 September 1969 at the age of 100.

David-Neel was a Belgian-French explorer, anarchist, spiritualist, Buddhist and writer, most known for her visit to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1924, when it was forbidden to foreigners. She wrote over 30 books about Eastern religion, philosophy, and her travels. 

I do something physical most days: spin on Pinkie Patti's back in the morning while she's still asleep, walk in the afternoon, or  swim in nearby Lake Memphremagog.

Sometimes Pinkie Patti and I play a few holes of golf in the late afternoon (amazingly, she still hits a good ball at 84, despite her Alzheimer's).

Guest blog post by Marcelle Leclerc.

As the owner/manager (as well as chief cook and bottle washer) of a busy B&B in picturesque southeastern Quebec, I don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking breakfasts – I have too many other things to do!

But I also want my guests to have the best of everything, including a delightful start to the day. 

Elly Beinhorn (30 May 1907 – 28 November 2007) was a German aviator and pilot.

She was born in Hannover, Germany on 30 May 1907. In 1928, she attended a lecture by famed aviator Hermann Köhl, who had recently completed a historic East-West Atlantic crossing. This lecture is described as the spark that ignited her interest in aviation.

Abigail Washburn (born November 10, 1979 in Evanston, Illinois, USA) is an American clawhammer banjo player and singer.

She performs and records as a soloist, as well as with the old-time bands Uncle Earl and Sparrow Quartet.

Washburn was born in Evanston, Illinois and spent her elementary and part of her junior high school years in a suburb of Washington, D.C..