gifts from thailand & vietnam

We got a package yesterday from Jeff & Vanessa that was full of gifts from Thailand and Vietnam!

I (the dishaholic) got  two beautiful bowls, a blue wooden one made by the Hmong tribe in northern Vietnam and a blue & white ceramic bowl made by a disabled person through the Reaching Out program in Hoi An, Vietnam. The bowl is the second handmade Hmong item that I have. Years ago I bought a little lizard, made by a Hmong woman, that was being sold at the Peace Corps Convention for Returned Volunteers in Chicago. Makes me want to watch Gran Torino again (for the umpteenth time). I saved the notes about the origin of each of my bowls and the newspaper they were wrapped in.

Mike got an elephant t-shirt from the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where Jeff & Vanessa have both volunteered.

There were also gifts for Steve, Karina, Leslie and Steven in the package. Steve got a bird-on-a-wire t-shirt, Karina got a purse made by the Hmong tribe, Leslie got a bracelet made by the Hmong tribe and Steven got a Technics t-shirt. It was like Christmas all over again… in January.

And, of course, the stamps on the package were a gift in themselves. I saved them (did anyone think I wouldn’t?), along with the postal receipt.

Then… the box became a new toy for Max.

Looks like Max is checking to see if it’s addressed to him. Later on Alma took a turn poking around the box, but I didn’t get a photo before she wandered off. Happy day for everyone.

I doubt that any package – contents as well as the package itself – has been enjoyed more.

One last thing….

Steve gets into trouble even when he’s in his own house. Don’t know what we’re going to do with him.

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