SOLD!!

**Warning** This next posting is mainly for the interest and benefit of my Mom, Dad and sisters. And it's quite lengthy.

Well, as we all know, Grandma and Grandpa Ashton's house, the one Dad grew up in, has been sold. It is bitter-sweet for Dad, I'm sure, but sad for the rest of us. Dad and his siblings have all been working hard to clean and fix it up to have it ready to sell by this summer, and it was obviously a job well done. It stayed on the market, for a long ... 4 days? They had 3 quick offers, one being the listed price, and it was a done-deal. (Is that right Dad?) It's good, because Dad had been working so many hours up there doing plumbing, painting, sprinklers, mowing, baseboards, flooring....everything! And now he is done.... But at the same time, it is sad to see it see it go.

We had some really good memories... So I decided to go up and take the boys to see it... and to take a bunch of pictures (because I have such a terrible memory!) I wanted to preserve what I could. Plus I thought Julianne and Kare (and maybe Alli, if she hasn't gone already) would be interested in seeing it one last time...

(I'll number them so that if anyone wants to comment on any of them, it will be easy to refer to the right picture)

1. We'll start with the backyard because even thought it was the back of the house, it was always the front to us. This was the image we looked forward to on our LONG 12 hour trips. Grandma and Grandpa sitting on the porch waiting. Grandma in her house dress and Grandpa in his brown slacks and thin white button-up shirt...


2. The driveway. No garage... but a carport! Remember those steps behind the shed?


3. The lawn... it seemed so much bigger when we were little! I never realized how enclosed the trees could make you feel. (Hey Jules, remember those weird leaves that would fall on the grass and we could split open part of it and it was stick inside... then we could stick them on our nose and call ourselves Pinocchio?)


4. More of the backyard... Where the raspberry bushes used to be. The Laundry drying line thing is still there. (Remember pretending it was an uneven bar and doing shooting stars off of it? Mom and Dad, you guys were crazy! I would never let my kids swing off that thing!)


5. The side yard. We always loved opening and closing the gate... and running up and down those stairs.


6. The front... notice the SOLD sign.


7. The front... I caught Dad as he was mowing... what a job on such a steep hill!


8. More Front

9. Even more Front... I'm not sure I ever appreciated how much sunlight was able to reach through the basement on that side... (Dad, your Dad and Grandpa did a great designing job!)


10. Front again


11. And again


12. Address


13. Oh, the kitchen... wasn't there a built-in bench? Hard to believe that was once seating for 8!


14. Kitchen... Hey, where's the chalkboard! FUDGE!!


15. Formal Dining. Remember trying to name all our cousins that were up on that wall? Notice the hard wood floors...


16. Living Room


17. Grandma's room


18. Hallway looking at... garbage closet... next to the laundry chute. Oh the Laundry chute... good times. :)


19. The pink bathroom! Dad did great work in here.


20. I remember this room as Grandpa's, but Dad would probably say Cathy and Janie's.


21. The steep stairway (which now has carpet)


22. Dad and ...Ron's (?) old bedroom




23. The downstairs bathroom which turned out quite nice thanks to Dad!


24. The storage/music room. Also where Dad would talk on the phone to Mom in "private." :)


25. (Dennis and Dave's Room) All I remember about this room is Grandpa exercise bike that we used to play on, and the picture of the boat... "Someday my ship will come in... and with my luck I'll be at the airport."




26. The totally old school laundry room... love the piping through the window!


27. The Family room. Remember spending lots of time playing Atari in here? And sleeping on foam pads, and listening to Julianne play the piano....


28. The listing... Should have added "Laundry Chute,"... but I guess this place had no trouble selling anyway.


Well, since I was in a nostalgic mood, I decided to add a few more pictures of the house and Grandma... I wish I had some of Grandpa...

29. Grandma's famous picture for the Ensign



30. Bryce and Jules' wedding


31. I think these were at my wedding...




32. A nice 4 generation shot at the baby blessings...


33. These are the last pictures I have of Grandma actually AT her house. This was during general conference... it was a family meeting.





34. Here is another General Conference/ family meeting but at Ron's house.



35. We snuck in for the family meeting... Hey was this when Dad was living in Magna?