Portraits of Special People

My Grandmother
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Wood, my grandmother, died many years ago, but she is still one of my favorite people. Althought she was too strict, she had many good qualities. One of these is her love of learning. She had little money and lived on a farm, but she wanted to learn as much as possible. For examble, after she finished all eight grades of her rural school, she took a one-month course in teacher training. It was the maximum education available for her. When she was old, she often took out her world globe after dinner and studies the countries on it. Another of Lizzie's good qualities was she ability to cook everything well. Without written recipes, she made delicious bread and desserts, such as fruit pies. She turned ordinary potatoes into tasty soup and ordinary apples into wonderful jelly. Still another of her good qualities was that she was helpful to everyone. One time she organized a drama production for kids in her community. Another time she was the president of a service organization. Many times she helped her neighbors with the hard parts of their sewing. Grandma Wood was a strict person, but her good qualities made her one of my favorite people.

A Great Friend
Kyle Robertson, my best friend from childhood, has three good qualities that I admire. His sister's name is Emily. The first quality is his energy and sense of adventure. We visited his grandparents in Georgia. His granfather dirves a Volvo. We went to see my uncle in San Francisco. We went skiing, backpacking, or rock climbing together. A second quality is his technical skills. In junior high, we spent hours at the computer as "pilots" of simulated planes and, in high school, flew remote-controlled planes. Now we enjoy different activities. We like building Web sites and editing wideos together. A third good quality is that he is loyal. He is always there for me, no matter when or where. I recently needed last-minute help at 4 A.M. with an important Java assignment. I love computers. There was no problem when I telephoned and woke him up, and he had an answer to my question, as always. In short, Kyle has many good qualities and is really a special friend.