The Lucky Lady II crew posed for a USAAF photographer at the Royal Air Force Base Snetterton Heath in Norfolk, England, on July 4, 1943 (National Archive) Staff Sgt. Donald W. Ross U.S. Army Air Corps Donald W. Ross was a World War II hero whose story got lost in a mix of family drama, estrangement, distance, and time. About 40 years ago, my grandfather Vance Ross mentioned that he hadn’t seen his younger brother since 1944. As he sat at his kitchen table in Clarksville, he talked about his little brother who had been a Prisoner of War who was eventually released from a German prison camp as part of a prisoner exchange. Don soon returned to Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he visited with some of his family members, including my grandfather. After the reunion, Don left and never contacted his family again. It has been said that Don was upset over family issues that occurred after his parents separated when he was a young boy. My grandfather asked me to help him find his brother, bu...
I started this blog several years ago and I named it Mountain Laurel & Coal to honor my farming ancestors from the hills of Southwestern Pennsylvania and the coal miners from the valleys. Since then I have used it to share family photos and stories. Recently, I decided that I would like to share my cross stitch and embroidery, but I didn't want to create another blog for that. So, I decided to mix the two and switch the name of the blog to Tapestry. After all, our families and our lives are like tapestries... filed with lots of little details, memories, and love. With that said, if you are here for the stitching you will have to weed through some family stories, and vise versa. As far as stitching goes, I have been using a needle and thread for many years and I'm looking forward to writing about this journey, sharing tips, patterns, and inspiration. The cross stitch sampler pictured here is My Little Sampler by Running with Needles and Scissors. I stitched t...