Deanie is one of the people I have enjoyed getting to know most this year. She is the events manager at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden in Pasadena and coordinates all the wedding ceremonies, receptions and other events held at the garden with grace, intelligence, and a dry sense of humor.

She has been working at the garden with Connie and Jim for a few years now and has been a key player in the evolution of the garden from a private entity to an increasingly public, non-profit cultural organization. She is also a professional photographer and has spent much of her career in the world of architecture so has a broad knowledge of the artistry in the realm of structures and gardens. She is a huge asset to the garden and has been very helpful and supportive to me as I try to figure out how best I can help there.

Today, when we met at the garden to discuss our programming for the coming year, I gave her a gift that I think is well suited to her – a ceramic rice bowl from Japan. It is simply thrown with a white interior and an iron-black glaze on the exterior. It is elegant and understated, but around the outer rim, extra glaze has been applied and allowed to dribble downwards to create a gorgeous, fiery effect. Deanie too is elegant and understated, but has great depth, talent and spirit that I am learning more about as I get to know her better in this beautiful garden setting.