Penpals

Wood Dolls and Pressed Leaf Bookmarks

When I was in high school, I had a Japanese penpal named Keiko. She was a friend of my best friend's penpal. This was back in the '60s, when people actually wrote letters on paper, mailed them, then waited weeks for a reply. Keiko and I exchanged gifts. As you can see in the photo, I asked for things I could add to my collections and I still have them. There's a set of postcards, too, as I used to collect postcards and still buy them every now and then. All Keiko wanted were teen magazines, Tiger Beat and 16, because they were full of photos and articles of the latest teen heart throbs, especially the Beatles. So I would send her the magazines. I doubt she still has them, wherever she is now, but I've still got my pressed leaf bookmarks and their paper holder, my pair of handpainted wood dolls, and my postcards of the Japanese mountains. And oddly enough, I still remember Keiko's full name and address.

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