She even remembers when the Willows Senior Center, 2175 Lincoln Ave., was still Lincoln Glen Elementary. And she can tell you all of this effortlessly, without missing a stitch as she sews, as if telling stories and quilting go hand in hand.

Giannini and four of her friends spend Wednesdays fixing or finishing quilts.

"We work on some real antiques," Giannini said. She and the "Quilters" say they've fixed quilts that are decades old. Last week the Quilters were stitching flowers onto a quilt Gianinni designed to go over her queen-sized bed. They've been working at it since January.

The former elementary school where they gather is now a bustling recreational center for senior citizens that's run by the San Jose Parks and Recreation Department. MetroEd, a career-oriented educational organization in Santa Clara County, also holds classes there for teens and adults after the senior center closes at 4 p.m.

Also, the San Francisco­based SeniorNet teaches classes on computer usage and on using the Internet, just down the hall from where a lip-reading class is in session.

The sharp but subdued sound of billiard balls clacking comes from a classroom that's been converted into a pool hall. On the door is a sign reserving the room on Mondays from 8:30 a.m. until noon for "ladies only." The men have it Tuesdays at the same time.

Hal Barthalamew effortlessly makes a clean break and sinks three solids before turning the table over to Hing Lee, who cleanly sinks two stripes.

"I was playing for about 25 years," Barthalamew said, "but I stopped playing for about two years, and I'm trying to get better at it."

Hing said he's been playing for about two years but his skill appears to have come from more years of playing.

For a recreational center, where leisure and fun prevail, the schedule is packed with classes and activities, many of which overlap their times.

The class for chorus line dancing meets at the same time the chess club meets. The class on word processing conflicts with tennis. The rubber stamp club meets on Wednesdays, which is movie day. Last week was a screening of The Scorpion King, starring The Rock.

The cafeteria still serves lunch, but only for about a half-hour. The room needs to be converted into a dance hall for later.

Other than classes and activities, the center also provides services, such as haircuts, and maintains a boutique run by the Boutique Club.

"I absolutely love it here," said Nita Ericson, who has been a Willow Glen resident for 28 years. She mostly makes the wreaths and tabletop floral arrangements.

The Willows Senior Center, 2175 Lincoln Ave., is open Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Saturday between noon and 4 p.m. Membership is optional, and the cost is $5 for one year. For more information, call 408.448.6400 or visit http://home.earthlink.net/~gaxmda/willows.html.