The Cardplayers

When Harry and I were first married and living in Salt Lake City, our dear friend Ronnie Horton got us a job ushering for the Salt Lake Symphony Orchestra. We got 4 tickets each time - and we loved doing the job - and being able to invite people to join us free of charge!

Those were great years - we did it for 3 or 4 years I think - maybe we quit ushering after Bonny was born and just went to the concerts? I do not recall. Harry had the opportunity to travel with the orchestra on their South American tour in 1971 - and that was an adventure. I stayed home with Bonny and had a couple of adventures on my own - not nearly as memorable as Harry's though!

The concerts for the orchestra were in the Tabernacle then - and we'd drive in and park on West Temple, on the street. As we walked to the Tabernacle, we passed a large cluster of old apartment buildings. They were fairly well cared for, but were old. Harry's great Aunt Vi had lived in them at one time - and we even visited her once.

Whenever we walked along the buildings, we would look down into the basement windows - we saw living rooms, kitchens, laundry rooms - and usually saw people in them. They seldom if ever looked up at us - and we tried not to stare. But it was intriguing to me!

I am not sure when we first noticed this one elderly couple (and what do you suppose - maybe they were all of 60 years old!!) They were always playing cards! It didn't matter what time we came by, they were there playing cards. When we were walking back to our car after the concert was over, their windows were dark. Maybe they really were old and couldn't stay awake past 10:30!

And so when I first found this old photo of my Grandma and Grandpa Stevens and my Aunt Dot and Uncle Steve - playing cards - my first thought was of the card-playing couple on West Temple in Salt Lake City.

Harry and I can be seen playing cards if you came up close to our kitchen or dining room windows - not every night though - and sometimes it's not cards, but Scrabble or Racko!!

What goes around comes around I guess!