Thom Courcelle's packet of goodies

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Opening Thom's envelope was a bit like opening a CARE package, filled with uplifting and unexpected things.  First, there was Thom's envelope itself, painted beautifully in watercolor:

It's lovelier in person because my Mac Image Capture does a rotten job with orange.  The starfish's markings are more a burnt orange on top with lighter and brighter orange underneath.  Isn't Thom's handwriting nice?  I like its combination of a bit of scratchiness and an appealing flow; now that I think of it, you could see the flow part more easily in the not one but two letters he wrote and included.  Other miscellaneous goodies fell out, including air mail labels in a variety of languages, a street clock (flat, on paper, of course!), and a souvenir postcard with beautiful picture of Hurricane Ridge from Thom's beloved Olympian Peninsula.

Last but certainly not least is a copy of his folded-booklet illustrated story "Super Heroes vs. Peter Rabbit," a whimsical tale of a true time spent with his little niece and nephew.  It's a great story, a witty and quite heartwarming story, and the very well done illustrations fit right in.  Someone (I think Winged Heart?) already posted every page of this booklet in Photos last week, so I will include here just my very favorite page, which is the one on the left in the image below.  Who could resist the drawing/painting of Thom's niece's starfish draped so picturesquely in and over a folding box?  I can't stop looking at it.  And Thom's annotation, "how'd she do that?!!"  Here it is:

Thank you very much for everything, Thom!  It was a lovely hour I spent looking at all you sent (initially, since I'm still looking at it), and I'll answer your letter soon.