All About the People

It was another week and like always, it was all about the people we know and love. On Monday I spent much of the day pricing items to take up to the Grove.  On the way there I ran into Pat and Gene Coleman, who lived in our ward in Cottonwood Heights.  They have two daughters who live in Utah County, so when they wanted to move to a senior community, they did it down here.  How fun to run into them at the DI in AF.  

Then it was off to The Grove, as these two Holly Hobbie girls migrated north.  They had been part of my Pioneer Display at home, that started during out during our Trek mission.  Now they are out there to be sold. Yep, I'm fickle like that.

I also brought in four of the huge 1800's volumes that I got at the PCC Flea Market, a couple of weeks ago.

These Black and White salt and pepper shakers were also added.

We got a fun text from Emily saying that she had fed dinner to these two missionaries (along with the other pair of missionaries assigned to their ward) As it turns out Elder Mangelsen is from West Mountain, (An unincorporated area southwest of Payson from where kids also go to Payson schools.)  She said he remembered seeing our house.  Even more fun is that he is the nephew of President Phillips, who dad works with him in the Stake Presidency.  His wife Cheryl's brother is also the Stake President in the West Mountain Stake and is the father of this young man.  We thought that was a fun people connection. 

And this is the delicious Italian buffet that Emily set up for the missionaries and her family.  How clever is she?

On Tuesday, Dad and I headed north in the midafternoon. We got to Ogden a bit early for Dad's warm up at the Egyptian Theater for a Barbershop show.  I laughed when I saw this little sculpture, on the foot of which, someone had placed a child's rubber clog.

I ran to DI while Dad was practicing, and when I got back to the theater the very closest parking space was open, and I parked in it.  I am standing in front of the theater to take the picture of our car.

Its such a beautiful theater, restored with precision to the mid 1920's.  This is the ticket booth.

Here's a close up of Dad.

There was a lady's quartet.

and several men's quartets.

Here's the whole gang.

Afterwards we went to The Harp and Hound, an English Pub with food.

Here's one table ...

We sat at the other and got to know a few of the men better.  Yep, I was the only girl.  I had no idea and felt bad I had ruined the fun for Dad.

But I was very impressed with their Vegan menu.  I had a Reuben. 

On Wednesday I had a regular workday, and then Dad picked me up for a Senior's Date right after work.  It was a senior's date; because on Wednesday Seniors get 10% off on groceries at the NPS store.  Since I work Wednesdays, we decided to go shopping after work, as they are opened until 7.  

Then we planned to go to dinner at the Motel West Restaurant.  The owner has been in Treasures buying small vintage print platters and silver plate silverware for serving people.  I loved the idea and wanted to support him.  They've been going about a year.  We looked it up, but when we got there the front door was locked, and no one was inside, despite the fact that it has hours listed online until 9 PM. 

 Fortunately for Dad, since his mouth was set for Mexican Food, we were directly across the street from Mi Ranchito, which we love, not just for the food, but because it was Ben's favorite place and we get to remember meals there with him.

On the way home I stopped to pick up a Face Book Marketplace item from a gal in Mapleton.  Imagine

 my surprise when a woman I didn't know opened the door and said, "Paula! What are you doing here?"  I told her I'd come for a Market Place purchase, and she said, "But I'm not selling anything."  I said, "I was buying from a Sarah."  Then she opens a door off the landing and calls downstairs, "Sarah, the lady is here for your Marketplace item."  In the midst of this, she explains that she is the mom of one of our missionaries.  Of course, I realized who she was, as she was very active on the Finnish Missionaries' mom page, that Dad later took over as the administrator and which he still administers.  She had also made Dad a tie, out of material that had bow ties on it as a print, because she'd seen pictures before our mission of him wearing bowties.  By then I recognized her, (She was wearing her hair back in a ponytail) and of course I remember her daughter Katie, and son-in-law, Jackson Casper, both of whom were missionaries with us. Here I am with her daughter Sarah, who sold me the item on Marketplace.  All so fun and all about people again.

Dad traded his temple shift, and I traded my work shift, so that we could go to Art and Soup on Thursday.

One of the artists collected keyboard keys and makes them into art.

How fun is this?

It was super fun to run into Debbie Henderson Koew, who I ran around with in High School.  We had a great reunion. 

And here I am buying more art from Courtney Lunt, I've bought several from her over the years.  I have bought from her at Peteetneet, when she did a show there, from the Hundred Dollar show at the Springville Museum of Art, several times, I bought from her at the show we went to at the Capitol Rotunda last year, and here we are again. I think I have more artwork of hers, than any other single artist, other than my very favorite artist and cousin, Debbie Avati.

And again, buying art is often about people and developing relationships with them.

I loved this garden totem, just not $1400 worth.  I'd worry about it continually.

We also met this man, at the booth with the very best soup. It was called Thai Vegetable and Forbidden Rice Soup.  I love the 60's enameled pins and complimented him. He said he has collected them in all colors.  I told him I work at Treasures in Springville and he said he had bought some there.  I have sold many of them, so we may have a very real people connection too. 

Here is the art that we purchased.  The top two are from a collage artist.  She paints the people parts, and collages the rest.  Her name is Julie Berry. All are paintings, except the print in the lower right corner.  The small portrait is from an artist we bought a larger portrait from two years ago; the camper and cabin painting was by the only new artist to our collection.

After Art and Soup we drove out to see Joyce in Erda.  We brought dinner from Cafe Rio and had an enjoyable visit.  I was also able to hand her a check for the sale of her antique goods I am selling for her in the antique stores where I sell.  That's always fun, because it is all about the people we love.

On Friday I was planning to take Adi to go and see the Alphonse Mucha  Art Exhibit at the UVU Art Museum, I made this Mucha Style Portrait of her, to get her excited, with the help of AI, but in the end she wasn't feeling great and stayed home.

But I got together with my friend Mary and went anyway.  This gal is wearing a dress with Mucha prints all over it.  How fun is that? I think people with flair, are so fun, and so passionate about what they love.  Its always a joy to meet them. I was not allowed to take pictures of the exhibit though, as it belongs to a private party, but Mary and I loved it all. 

Here is the grand entry, and the show was upstairs.  The home originally belonged to the Bastian family, one of the two families that started Word Perfect.  Not sure why they built such a home in a middle-class neighborhood, but after they divorced, they donated it to UVU, and what a great usage.

Here are Mary and I after seeing the exhibit, and after I bought a well-illustrated bio of Mucha in the gift shop.

Here's the book at home on my foot stool with my carpet in the background, I thought it all went together very well. Mary and I finished up the afternoon by going to an antique store in Provo.

Eva got a chance to go and see the temple there in Dominican Republic.  What a beautiful woman.  And interestingly, Mucha first became famous after painting many posters of Sarah Bernhardt in the 1890's.  I was very struck with how much she looks like Eva.  That was sort of fun.  Now I need to find a copy of a print that looks the most like Eva.  There was at least a dozen of her at the exhibit alone.

Other people I love were doing other fun things this week.  Here is Emily with her kids enjoying Spring Break.  Is it possible that petite Bekie is taller than her Mom?

Having fun.

or not.

Sam just loves fishing and is raising some kids who love it too.

Looks like they all had a ball.

On Friday night, Dad and I headed to Kaysville to attend a play in which a friend from my book club, Suzanne's daughter was staring at their local playhouse.  Shirley and Doug invited us to join them for dinner, which was a lot of fun, as always.  I was amazed at the homemade bread my brother Doug makes, and there was a delicious soup and salad too.  Yum

Doug told me that Robin Erickson, who I grew up with, as one of 18 girls in the Val Varda 2nd ward that were my age, is married to David L Beck, a former LDS General Young Men's President.  Who knew.  Debbie Henderson, who I ran into at the Art Show, was in the subgroup of 8 girls that I actually ran around with.  Seems crazy to have run into two of these girls, so to speak, in one week.

Here I am with my best boy, and three of the ladies from my book club in the row behind.  Crazy since we booked our tickets separately, eh.  Still, how fun to see friends, it is, after all, all about the people.  

Here we are with the star, Annie.  They have alternate casts as is common for community theater.  After starting the show she started dating the male lead of the other cast.  This night they got to play the rolls together.  The kissing was definitely real, and really fun to watch.

I also enjoyed the second male lead who was fabulous and oh so fun.  His name is Spencer, so maybe its just part of having that name. 

At home on Saturday, Dad and I had one main goal.  To bring down the Murphy bed that has been living and taking up room in my craft room. After getting down as far as the landing on the staircase twice he started to take it apart.  Then Dad ran off to get our every other week order of Indian food.   

While he was gone, I got a food order of my own.  It was Pi Day, and our favorite Realtor and his son came and brought us a sugar free apple pie.  Oh my.  I can't believe how tall Titan is, and somehow, he managed to grow into his adult face since I saw him last at Mac's baptism.  What a shock.  But such a handsome young man he is.  Thanks so much to Seasons Realty for your Monthly Club 92 treats.

When Dad got home we had apple pie alamode.  Yum.

Dad also managed to take the bed apart so he could bring down three separate parts, four if you count the feather bed itself separately.

And here he is in the parlor putting it back together again.  Yep, he's amazing like that. 

This little guy turned two last Saturday.  How time flies.  He's so much fun and so adored.

Around 5 I headed to Treasures to reorganize and prepare to bring home two pieces that will take the footprint of the Murphy bed, when stacked together as a cupboard for storage there.  I am emptying this locked cupboard to allow us to take the cupboard its sitting on home.  You'll see it soon in its new incarnation.

Dad came in time to take the lower cupboard shown in the previous picture, and the green upper cupboard that used to display my wedding cake topper collection.  After he left, I replaced the cake topper collection into another booth in the mall as shown here.

Here's the new, more open view of the booth. I'd been dreading the whole musical chairs thing, but in the end it took just over two hours to do it.  Yeah!

Today I got to teach one of my favorite stories in Primary. 

 Dad has now gone off to Bountiful to Sister Wade's house for what he hopes will be his last planning meeting for the Finnish Reunion, and a book this committee is putting together to remember their missions.  Dad loves working with all these men, and his mission Mom, so these meetings go on and on.  I don't mind, he loves time spent with these people and as always, it's all about the people. If he brings home a picture, I will add it later.

Hope you had a great week too.