AZ to GA and back...(and "Ted?")

I just flew back into Tucson after spending eight days in GA,
visiting family and friends...and packing.
My mother is planning to move back out west next year; 
it's been thirty years that she's been in the South, now...
The process of sorting and storing is just starting...

It's a curious thing, boxing up the china, crystal, and curios that, for an entire childhood, constituted the 'do not touch' section of the living and dining rooms. Pieces collected from Germany, England, Korea...gifts from friends and family, platters rarely used and teapots reserved for 'special company'...And deciding what furniture to keep, what to sell or give away...

Things that remind of places changed and people gone...

...and that's how 2012 is ending.

But it wasn't as if every item I wrapped made me pensive;
some things were just puzzling.
Take, for example, "Ted."
Yes, look carefully:

Why is this German tennis-playing-gnome named "Ted?" And why is he posing Asian-style? And WHY does my mother want to keep him?! Creepy...but 'collectible'...and a gift from a dear friend. So. Ted will make the move. (My conscience wouldn't allow me to 'disappear him'...)

On another visual note: 
for twelve scenes of the past year, 
one shot per month--
mostly landscapes, all iPhone photos--
I've updated the other blog.