October 23, 1977 (Letter from Kathy and Gary)

Are you still out there somewhere??

Received a letter from Dody and Wendy in Tenn.  In case she didn't write:
5652 Hinton Place
Memphis 38117

Dody decided to give up teaching in February for a career in the Coast Guard.

Gary is off to Bend, Oregon, to a 100 mile motorcycle race.  I would have gone except I felt I should to go a dental hygiene meeting in Pocatello yesterday.

Rick & Linda had a baby girl in late July, early August and ours is due the end of February.  We felt things were stable enough now to do such a foolish thing.

Any progress in the wife search for you?  Just married off the perfect girl for you.  We were just in L.A. visiting them.  We decided to get a good vacation in so Disneyland became our destination. We traveled down on our 1000-cc Honda motorcycle.  Came back through Sequoia and Yosemite National Forests and snow!  We had fun at Harrah's Antique Car Collection in Reno for 2 1/2 hours -- could have stayed much longer.  Anyway, that strikes out something that Gary has always wanted to do (bike to Cal. & the car collection) and Disneyland for me.  It was beautiful weather and a delightful trip.

We do plan to make our migration east for our 10 year reunion this summer.

Anxious to hear where you are and if you are happy.

Gary has a new accomplishment -- a 200cc motorcycle he built and designed himself.

Have had fantastic summer and fall weather.  Do have a guilt complex enjoying it though since we need rain so badly and lots of snow this summer winter!

Had a neat garden.

Schneider's visited us for 2 weeks in September.   Anxious for their first grandchild!

I'm anxious to get out for a little job.  My back is sore from sitting here.  Needed very badly to get some long overdue letters off.  Was thinking, your name appeared, and decided I might as well wake you up.

Take care.

October 10, 1977 (Letter from Lar)

I haven't heard when the return flight will arrive in New York.  It come in on Wednesday, November 23rd.  I've been expecting to get a letter from Militair to tell me what time the return flight comes in.  I will write them a letter today.

It was Dad's birthday today.  Mom and Dad went to Alfie's in Jamestown for supper.

Today was a paid holiday for Dale.  (Columbus Day)

I'm pretty well set for the trip.  It's just a matter of getting everything together and packing.  I still have to get travelers checks.

As soon as I find out what time the flight comes in, I'll drop you a line.

You still plan on meeting me in New York on the 23rd, don't you?

October 8, 1977 (Letter from Renee)

We're finally settled in our new home & I just now managed to locate my address book.   Our move was smooth.  Had 15 people show up to help.  It took only 1 1/2 hrs. to load the truck & 1 hr. to unload.  I still don't have drapes or other accessories up yet and probably won't for another month. We're wallpapering & painting & what a mess!  It requires so much patience & is so time-consuming. Before we moved, I thought we'd have all our interior decorating done in 3 weeks! What a screwball notion that was.  I also had no IDEA how expensive wallpaper & paint were.  I budgeted $100 for the entire things & went $500 over my budget so far!

We've been super busy with football games, company, and many social activities.  Seems as though every time we try to get something done around here we have to drop it to go somewhere. Oh well -- that's makes life fun & keeps us going.

Paul, forgive me for making this letter so short but I have many to write yet tonight.  I promise to write again soon when I can find my typewriter so I won't get hand cramps & can write at length. Just wanted to let you know that we're all settled at this point.  Looking forward to hearing  from you soon.

October 2, 1977 (Letter from Barb N)

Hello.  How are you?

Mom wrote me and said that in January you were going to have a roommate.  Sounds like it is a good idea to help you live a bit easier.   Do you plan to move into a bigger apartment or stay at the same location?  I'm wondering if you still think it's a good idea to visit with you in January.  Will this move cause a lot of rearranging, etc. and would I be in the way.  I am looking forward to visiting you.  So if you can put up with me, I certainly am very flexible; especially after adjusting to work over these past two years.

I had two wisdom teeth pulled out last Wednesday.  By the morning of the 30th my mouth was the size of a golf ball.  It wouldn't' have been too bad if I didn't have to work two mid watches.  I have a hard enough time staying awake all night without trying to recover from oral surgery.  Tomorrow I go back to the dentist to get my stitches out.

I've been dreaming quite feverently for the past month.  I try to write my dreams on paper but a lot of time I wait until a later period and then I never remember details.  I have been experiencing a flow of emotions now that my security is slowing tearing away.  I don't want to make any added changes in my life as of yet.  I have been looking at my dreams and what they mean and at incidents with people in my life and I am trying to look at myself in the light.  For the moment I feel that I should stay alert.  I read a very good book recently on reaching people.  I want to reread the book because I feel I need to retain more thoughts from this book.

I have a lot of thoughts going through my head now.  I am trying to stay neutral to any activity these last few weeks.  Once I leave here and travel through Europe I am going to piece together these thoughts.  Maybe I can even envision a path for my life.  But I won't force it.

I bought a Marantz receive amp, 2250B for $300.00  I decided to get music for myself.  I want Dale to make me a pair of speakers.  I might buy myself a turntable over here before I leave but that depends on my finances.

I sold my car for $700.00  It only took me from the time I put the sign on the bulletin board until the time I turned around.  I was real pleased to get a buyer that quick.  He told me the day before yesterday that the loan came through and he had an appointment set up to transfer ownership.

Now all I have to do is finish sewing my sleeping bag.  I am 95% down with this project.  I will be on my three days off starting tonight so I will finish this project before I go back to work on Thursday.  It has turned out to my approval.

I'm reading an interesting book by Kathryn Watterson Urkhart called "Women in Prison".  It is a very good book depicting the lifestyle of women inmates.  Prison reminds me of boot camp.

Not much else to say.

Hope life is pleasant for you.

September 25, 1977 (Letter from Grayce)

The past few weeks have been quite phenomenal, in terms of travel, seeing new things & old friends, and rushing around trying to get things done.  Maybe I can explain better.  I'd rather tell you about our trip to California in person -- and that not a far-fetched idea.  We've moving to Rochester (we're not sure exactly when, but probably by the end of October).  You can look at it either as a nice birthday gift or as a terrible Halloween prank!  (Probably the latter, huh?)

Anyhow, Brook went out for an interview just before our trip & they offered him a job as a quality control engr. (which is what he did before).  We thought it would be a good area to explore (& hopefully we'll stay for awhile.)  Last week, after coming back from Calif, we had a few days to get ready for our house-hunting trip to Rochester. We got back yesterday.  We saw a few home we liked but nothing that we really liked -- enough to pay what they cost, anyway!!!  And none seemed quite so charming as the place we have now!  So, because of our limited time (& resources) we began looking for roomy townhouses & apts (which were expensive, too, but didn't demand a large down payment such as houses do).  We found one we liked in Fairport, N.Y., 15 minutes outside of Rochester.  We tried to find one right in the city, but the cheapest one we liked was $425/mo. & wasn't nearly as roomy as ours (although ours isn't a hell of a lot cheaper.)   The main reason for our worry about money is we will have to pay the mortgage on this house ($350/mo.) until we sell it -- and the real estate market here is flooded with places on sale!  (Just our luck.)  Oh well -- so I'll be using lots of bean recipes for awhile.

Brook & I haven't eaten red meat for quite some time, anyway, so at least we're used to it.  We mostly eat chicken, fish, and some meatless casseroles.  I still haven't gotten Brook to eat eggplant!! But I haven't given up yet!


I am really dis-oriented lately -- just the thought of the things that need to be done & (thrown out) before we move makes me think of other things to do which aren't' so boring -- which means I haven't gotten much of consequence DONE.  I really have to start pushing myself to send change of address cards & a bunch of other lovely stuff!!

I'm not much of a letter-writer, either, lately, so please forgive -- especially this one.  I'm not looking forward to writing to every single person & saying the same thing about moving, changing jobs, etc. Oh well....

One new address will be (probably by Oct 31st)

Harts Woods Manor
1 High Gate Trali
#2
Fairport, N.Y. 14450

That's about all for now.

September 25, 1977 (Letter from Mardi)

I'm mailing this letter via Warren Waterways.  I feel water-logged & soggy around the edges -- will the sun ever shine again long enough to dry things out?  That's the question!  Would you believe tornadoes in Edinboro & Erie?  I don't recall more than a few nice days since the weekend of the 4th!!!

Things are going fine here.  Marti is still working on Blackman's house & he's development a cold which has been bringing him "down".  We are all steering clear of him.  The work will be another week for sure & Blackman's house will look great & ours will have to be finished!  I am so afraid of winter -- YUCK!  I'm getting sweaters out, sweatshirts, wool slippers.  I have vision of walking around the house in my overcoat, mittens & neck scarf!

September 28, Wednesday

I can't seem to get a letter out in one day anymore!  Really not much going on these past couple of weeks.  Barb has only a few days left at work &^ should be moving in another week.  Rick was all set to come here, quit his job, etc. & then the whole thing went bad.  Barb cannot accept him on any of his terms & he's not "progressing" at all>  Supposedly, it is over.  Barb has got to get some momentum behind her & go -- she really has lost a lot of ground & I don't know how she'll survive going back to Boston.  She has no amount of money, no worldly possessions of any value.  If she doesn't get settled somewhere soon she'll  never get anywhere!  I felt for a long time I was being unfair, but it's definitely Barb.  For as long as she's been here in Warren she should have at least made an advancement in some way.  I realize materials things are not her scene but I'm not into materials things either but I want nice things for myself & my appurtenance, I want people to appreciate me, after all I'm now a wife, & mother and I represent my husband & children & I want them to be proud of me.  Barb seems to care less.  She could be much more attractive & acquire better "habits"?  Also, there is no reason I can see other than pleasing her own "routine" for leaving job after job.  She's got to settle in on one job & move herself forward either in some career or in a relationship -- maybe by some miracle -- both!  I, too, can only see more hassle for her & I'm afraid she is the cause of most of her problems -- she, herself, hurts her own cause!  I just can't say anything to her though.  I don't feel I can for some reason; but maybe I should speak my mind. Like you put it if a person has no definite goals formulated they are treading water & that's what Barb has been doing since 1970!  It drive me crazy that she has the intelligence, maybe not all the opportunities open to her but she doesn't make the opportunities for herself!  BLAH!!  Over the years I can say I've had the opportunities to develop my life & career in anyway I pleased, sometimes we can't see the opportunity till some time later!

Everyone is restless.  I'll always be to some extent.  You have to be to keep on keeping on, but right now I'm very content to be near home & take care of my family.  It is good to improve yourself individually & have your "own time" in which to do it.  One must be careful, however, not to become too selfish.  I think that's where I ran into a lot of problem always out for #1 & I really felt it was right to always be concerned about myself above all, that I (& I only) had influence on people & a particular experience.  But it's just as rewarding to lay back & experience the well-being of others & not trying so hard to obtain one's own spiritual well-being, to give of yourself to others & not expecting any "spiritual reward" from it, just a feeling of contentment.

September 29, Thursday

This letter goes out today!  Barb called last night & never got back to your eltter.  She went down to see Joan & Bill & they are doing fine.  Bill is taking the total role of housewife & Joan is working. The baby was born with brain damage -- don't know if Barb told  you.  When we heard I thought it was "the straw that would break the camel's back" for sure.  They took the baby to the Cleveland Clinic for tests last week & found that 3 areas of the brain were damaged & only 25% of the optic nerve was developed.  My heart breaks for the little guy.  They really can't tell how extensive the damage is until they measure his rate of progress & see if he has fallen behind, which unfortunately will happen more rapidly probably in the months to come.  I just can't believe it -- if I were Joan I'd be at the end of my rope.  She has had the worst luck, but they seem to be doing fine.  Barb & I were worried about Bill doing his share.

Well, I must close & get back to house & kids, kids, kids!   Matthew had a great 3rd B-day 2/ toys & too much cake & ice cream.  His really doing good.  The twins are crawling & rolling & rolling & crawling all over.  Can't believe that in only 3-4 short months they will be toddling & I'll be going crazy!

Haven't heard from Renee & Morrey yet.  They will be busy w/ the new house I'm sure!  I even wrote to Dody.  This letter writing can be exhausting when you're out of shape like I am!

August 28, 1977 (Letter from Lar)

I'm sitting at home in my recliner watching Jacques Cousteau on TV.  It's been awhile since I've written, so now is a good time.  I've been busy working as much as I can.  The extra money will help when I go to Europe.

I can fly round trip to Europe for less than $300 on a military flight.  I should be leaving Oct 27th and coming back on Nov. 23rd.  The weather will probably be cold but I plan on being prepared for it.

I bought a new sleeping bag.  It's a fiber-filled bag, I got it from L. L. Bean.  I need a good parka now.

Mike, Bruce, Monty and I had a corn and venison roast at Washington Park last nite.  We stayed there til after midnight.  We wanted to do something different for a change.  We had a good time.

My writing is kind of sloppy cause I've got the pad in my lap.

It's Monday afternoon now.  I'm going to try to finish this letter now.

It is thunder storming for the past hour.  We needed the rain, things were starting to dry up a bit.

Frank is on vacation for two weeks, so I'm working by myself.  Frank will be retiring next January.  It won't be long til I take the show over.  I'll have to have some help in the summer.

Bob Nelson moved into the small apartment at the Myers old house.  He will do yardwork for his rent.  I won't have to be mowing there anymore.

Mrs. Crary plans on having a showing of Mr. Crary's photographs on Sept. 16th.  We were framing some pictures today.  There is still a lot of little things to do before the exhibition.

It has stopped raining so I'll ride my bike to the store.