“For whatever reason, I have a profound affinity for alphabet books,” said Rachael Jones of Walla Walla, who has quite a collection of unique, interesting and charming ones, ranging from “P is for Pterodactyl” to “Q is for Quark.”
In particular, she says, “Those books are informational, whimsical and delightful.”
For more than a decade, she mulled over the idea of creating her own informational alphabet book about Quail Run Retirement Community on Plaza Way, where she serves as manager.
“I have kept a document in the computer to record my ideas for each letter,” she said, such as “A is for apples, with which to make pies. Laurie’s are famous; she’s won many a prize.”
P is for Parke
Courtesy
Q is for Quail Run
Courtesy
The Laurie in question is senior cook Laurie Chambers.
“P is for Parke,” Jones writes, “though he’s unknown to some. He was the manager when had first come. We worked in the office; we worked side by side. Oh, how I miss him, since he has died.”
Nearly a lifelong Walla Walla resident, Parke Thomas was a beloved, integral part of the Quail Run community. Jones said when they started there, Parke became manager in February 2010 and she came on board the staff that October. He retired in 2020 and died May 29, 2024.
“I came to this position after 10 years of teaching at various private schools in the Northwest. I graduated with a bachelor’s in education from Walla Walla University in 1993 and earned a master of education in ’97.”
Titled “Q is for Quail Run,” Jones’ book cover uses her employer’s logo of an iconic plump galliforme, a ground-dwelling, short, round-bodied, stubby-tailed game bird with a distinctive, forward-drooping head plume and zippy, erratic flight when startled.
Quail Run resident Therese Falkner alerted the newspaper about the “most lovely A-Z illustrated book (Rachael) has penned over the years, outlining what it’s like to live at Quail Run.”
“It is so engagingly written and beautifully illustrated and so ‘out of the box’ that I thought it should be shared,” Falkner noted.
“I’ve often thought that those who are in the process of making the decision of whether or not they should make the move to a formal retirement setting could use a little help in the types of information available to them — perhaps a little something in addition to all the available literature outlining just the facts,” Falkner added.
Jones tapped into illuminated letters, those decorative, ornate gold- or silver-leafed capital letters found in ancient and medieval manuscripts and books, often embellished with reader-engaging bright colors and intricate designs.
While Jones did not generate the illustrations, she has been successful in drawing in readers with her charming text, 100% her own composition.
“I have always loved writing as a way to process emotion, to convey funny or whimsical messages, or just to play with the interplay of words. Poetry seems to flow fairly naturally with me. I have written collegiate term papers in verse, just because I could,” Jones said
The “Americana” style font she chose for the 26-page book echoes that typeface featured in the Quail Run logo.
A is for apples
Courtesy
She found free graphics, background art and alphabet options through Google searches and chose the ones best suited for each letter. Her photographs are also sprinkled throughout.
“I didn’t think about a target audience in particular; I just wanted to do it for the love of doing it. I am a writer of sorts and find joy in the creative process,” Jones said.
“The impetus for this book coming together at last was a list of our residents’ names in a particular order, starting with the matching, similar, or rhyming pairs of names that we have here. From there, I found the cadence and managed to put all the names together.
“This became the ’N’ page. From there, the book came together in just a couple of weeks. I had one made through Shutterfly and when the residents saw it, they decided they would like copies as well. We are getting some more made through Shutterfly for them.”
Shutterfly, LLC. is a photography, photography products and image-sharing company based in San Jose, California.
“I think she has additional ideas floating around in that creative head of hers about how to share what it’s like living in a formal retirement facility” in this area, said Falkner, who is onto something.
Jones said she’s currently working on “R is for Retirement,” a book about retirement options and resources in the Walla Walla Valley.
“It is not as cute or whimsical as my Quail Run book, but it does condense a lot of information into an approachable format,” Jones said.
Quail Run, which currently has 52 residents, is owned by Mark and Vivianne Lounsbury.