What will be in my suitcase when I go back to Mexico

I bought these four black plaques many years ago at a yard sale in Portland. The woman selling them had brought them back from her trip to Vietnam. They are very heavy, inlaid with abalone shells. They are 15 inches wide by 31 inches long. They barely fit into my suitcase and they must weigh about fifteen pounds each. Looks like I won't be bringing back much else and I sure hope they don't want to charge me duty on them in Mexico.

My family never liked them. My son said, "They look like things that hang on Chinese restaurant walls."  My daughter-in-law agreed with him.

But I have always loved them. I am now in the process of trying to wrap them so they won't break on the airplane..... My family gave me permission to have them back.

One lesson I have learned from this experience is, Never give anything to a loved one if you value it far more than the loved one does.....  It isn't appreciated and just gets stuffed in a garage somewhere.

Now that I think about it, I bought them from the son of the woman who brought them from Vietnam. I remember him yelling in the house asking if she would take my lower offer...... (She refused. I bought them at her price because I loved them so much.)  Maybe he didn't like them either. Maybe he had them stored in his garage and was cleaning it out in that sale.  I wonder what the mother thought about bringing them all the way back from Vietnam and then selling them cheaply at a yard sale.

These photos aren't very good but you can see a little bit of what they look like. These are things you either love or hate.  Certainly not typical yard sale items. I am going to hang them up in my pretend kitchen when I get back. If they make it back in good shape.