Christmas ornaments that my son, Reid, made using my Angel. In the 1970s, I hand-drew, cut out, and hand-painted this Angel for my parent’s Christmas tree.
Singer, performer, and song-writer. Voice, harp, and auto-harp. Painter & sculptor.
Most-at-home walking along the ocean or hiking in the mountains.
Mrs Walley (my Mom; I’m the eldest of Mom’s 2 sons, Reid and Lance) was born and raised in Long Beach, CA, to parents who were both OB/GYNs, Dr. Ted A. Strang and Dr. Pearl M. Sampson.
Ted Strang helped found the Long Beach Symphony after World War II.
As Mom recalls, “While visiting Europe for 6 months with my mother, Dr. Pearl M. Sampson, in 1954, we stayed in Bayreuth, Germany. I watched three operas of Wagner’s, Tannhäuser, Tristan & Isolde, and Lohengrin, over a 5-day period. And was speechless for 3 days afterward. I instantly fell in love with grand opera and studied and performed over the next 4 years.”
Classical music and opera were always played on the record player at Mom’s parent’s home. Mom sang. Her mother sang opera for a bit. Her father played piano and violin and was an avid photographer.
In 1953, Mom and her Mom were learning Hatha Yoga from Indra Devi. Classes were taught at the Masonic Temple in Long Beach, CA.