Snowboarding

Ben on the south side of the Mendon house, trying out the track.

Tree from the Yard

             We left our tree up into January when Salem and Megan came.  It's definitely more fun to decorate if you have family and everyone to share it with.

1989

Christmas "Bush" on Christmas Eve 

This belongs to:

     While sorting things at GG's I came across this box on a closet shelf, a Halloween ceramic neatly packed, labeled and taped in her careful style. 

     The box inside had been stamped with purple ink in the corner, but the writing was illegible.     Mom, knowing we would be dividing up her things, had put this one away with an inscription. Over the smeared stamp, in purple marker she wrote, "This belongs to..."

     When I found it I had to stop working to laugh out loud.  Then I cried a little, knowing she was thinking of us.  : )

Sorting

My mother used to talk about her friends who had the task of sorting a loved ones' belongings and how they often got a laugh out of what their dear departed had saved.

In her case, she thought ahead.  As we opened cupboards and closets, whether it was a neatly packed box of dishes or a drawer of towels, she made sure there was a Christmas item or similar trinket tucked in--to entertain us when this day came.  : )

In this small box, neatly labeled, were pieces of Fostoria glassware...

...along with the tiny figurine.

Wallpaper

While going through cupboards at my mother's last week, I found old letters I had sent.  Two were written on the backs of wallpaper we used in our little Gallup house on Hill St., fall 1969.  The blue went on one wall of the bathroom--it had blue fixtures--and the yellow went in the room for our new baby.  Her bedroom was finished with a yellow, deep-shag rug.
 
The blue paper is Marimekko, I think, and was my introduction to their design.

Stanley Ladies

I miss the Provo Stanleys

October 16, 2012

My mother is gone.  I'm happy for her--and thankful for her. You can read about her here. As people have sent cards and condolences, my favorite is the gift Josh received from his in-laws, Brian and Petrea: a large book, The Complete Shakespeare.

Lucille Evans Pack, with a book

Fall in Northern Utah

Downtown Logan

Sardine Canyon

Four-wheeling with Terry Godfrey on Mt. Logan

Shanghai>LAX

HOME

What I noticed immediately--on our layover at the LA airport--was the clean air. A palm tree glistened in the blue sky. China is still tackling their pollution issues so we rarely saw blue sky, clean vegetation. We miss China and such amazing people, but we return home with a new appreciation for our ease of life, our wealth. It's not just the five flights of stairs, but all the conveniences: clothes dryers, cars, etc.

photo: superstock

NEW BLOG

Hey! We moved all our posts over here.
We've intended to write a China-only blog but we've been a little slow at it.
Orient Express - Xi'an, China is our new location: http://chinamcevoys.blogspot.com/