A California man said an envelope of pictures his mother mailed shortly before her death 28 years ago has been returned to him.

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John Mead of Placerville said his mother sent the envelope, postmarked Aug. 13, 1983, to her cousins in Washington state, but the letter recently arrived back at the Davis, Calif., home where his family resided at the time, KOVR-TV, Sacramento, reported Tuesday.

"I was really shocked because it's been a long time coming back," Mead said.

Mead said the envelope contained several family pictures he had never before seen. He said he plans to distribute the pictures among his family and attempt to track down the intended recipients.

Mead said the letter's 28-year journey may be attributed to a note on the envelope from the post office claiming the letter had been damaged. However, he said the envelope and its contents appeared to be in perfect shape.