226 East 15th Street

Since we were selling the house on Franklin anyway, we leaped at the chance to rent a house from George & Devaun Sheppard, who were preparing to serve an 18-month mission. The house, at 226 East 15th Street, was right behind the Business Administration building on ASU campus, on a quiet street lined with older houses, huge shady trees, and mature neighbors--mostly professors.

We moved in on November 9, 1978, and settled in quickly. The house had some interesting quirks, such as kitchen carpet and a mail slot in the door, but it was comfortable and plenty spacious for a family of three, even though the Sheppards had sealed off a bedroom for their personal storage. The backyard was huge, with a grassy yard, and then a wilder area behind that in springtime hosted a flock of irises.

David rode his bike to school, which took five minutes tops. He often saw one of his professors riding his bike as well, his comb-over flapping in the breeze. I explored the housewifely arts; for example, I devoted a hot summer day to canning the tiny peaches that ripened on our trees. The result, a few desultory bottles of whole peaches whose firmly embedded pits had to be gnawed free, was not encouraging. I decided home canning was not my thing, and from that point on, bought our canned peaches at the grocery store.