SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 31, 2023 CCS staff to publish children’s book -Continued from PAGE ONE For Thornton, that meant a nostalgic ‘90s look. He said his goal was a style that was very simple but that still showed the effort that went into it. He says the most difficult part was trying to capture the image Faber had in her head. “Leilani had been thinking about this for a really long time and had an image built up in her head,” he says. “It was a lot of back and forth. Eventually we worked it down to where we did.” Faber mentions that most of the illustrations in the book only show the little girl from the back. Her face is finally shown in the last picture. That was one place the two of them struggled. “I said ‘Think Peanuts. Think Peppermint Patty.’ He said, ‘Yes, I can do that.’ That’s when it all came to- gether,” Faber recalls. Thornton says he likes the finished product though, of course, he looks back and sees how he could have done better. “But that’s only be- cause I now have the expe- rience of the book behind me,” he admits. “For a first attempt, it worked out well. But I definitely have some things I could do in the fu- ture to make it better.” And Thornton says he does want to illustrate more books in the future. “I had a lot of fun with it,” he says. “She had a special connection with the book for a lot of years, and to help bring that to life was an awesome experience.” “Matthew’s wonder- ful,” adds Faber. “People have bought the book ad brought it in for his auto- graph, and he turns all red.” Angel Kisses isn’t the only book Faber has writ- American Legion restores memorial -Continued from PAGE ONE Row of flags - Photo by Brian Reitmann One of the inside pages of Angel Kisses. -Contributed photo The last page of Angel Kisses shows the red-haired, freck- le-faced girl with angels kissing her cheeks. -Contributed ten. She says she wrote a short story for that same class, which also got pub- lished. She has also pub- lished Vision of Hope: Re- building a Life Destroyed by Drugs and Alcohol, now in a second edition. She is currently working on a cof- fee table book called Color- ful Colloquials, which she hopes to have out this fall. “I just think it would be a fun little conversation piece,” she says. She is also working on a screenplay for the autobi- ographical Vision of Hope, as well as un unnamed psychological thriller. Angel Kisses just came out in March, and she’s doing all she can to pro- mote the book, including an interview on This Week in America with Ric Brat- ton las Thursday. Angel Kisses is available at major book retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and even The Next Chapter Bookstore in Hermiston. “I’m really hoping An- gel Kisses takes off,” she says. “There’ a much wider audience than my previous books. “It’s a children’s book. It applies to anybody.” The permanent flag pole at High View Cemetery - Photo by Brian Reitmann cleaning and restoring the plaque beneath the flagpole. It took around four hours to scrub, clean and remove rust from the plaque. Re- cently, post members have also built a new ramp, over- hang, gutter and steps, and have put up lights for the building. Rietmann served in the U.S. Army from 1981-1988 and joined the American Legion a few years after he left the Army. Every Memorial Day, Rietmann and other American Legion members, along with com- munity members, raise flags at multiple cemeteries in the area, including Morgan, High View, Petteys, Wells Spring and Ellis cemeteries. The Legion was con- tacted in 2011 by Mrs. Ruby Ann Rohde, who wanted to fly her late husband’s casket flag up at the Ione High View Cemetery on Memo- rial Day. The Rohde family offered a large donation to jump-start the project. This year marked the 13 th consecutive year the large flags were displayed at the cemetery on Memorial Day weekend. The program con- tinues to honor the Rohde family legacy as well as the memory of Bob Baker. American Legion Hall Post 95 Ione, Oregon - Photo by Chris Sykes American Legion and community membembers put up flags for Memorial Day. - Photo by Brian Reitmann Restored American Legion Logo - Photo by Brian Reitmann