Wilson College - World War II

246 Tuesday May 1 - 8:30 P.M. My Dearly Beloved: This has been a dull day - but Wendy has kept me laughing since we woke up this morning. I took her into bed with me, and before we snuggled down to go back to sleep I took a big yawn - when I opened my eyes - Wendy was crouched beside me looking into my mouth with a very intent expression - looking for all the world like a little pixy dentist. When she saw me begin to laugh, her eyes crinkled up and she giggled delightedly along with me. For lunch, besides her regular menu, I fixed a tiny patt of ground steak. She made a funny face when I put a little in her [pg 2] mouth - then she stuck her tongue out and tried to look at it - not succeeding she took the meat off daintily between thumb and forefinger - looked at it, and popped it back in her mouth and started to chew. After lunch, I left her on the toidey for a minute, and came back to find her standing in the john - shoes and socks soaked- Later on after her nap - I was sitting her in the chair reading, when I looked up to see her, legs straight and apart, fanny up in the air, head down -and she was watching me between her legs- And so, on and on it goes all day long with hardly a minute’s rest - but I [pg 3] love it. Wendy is such a satisfactory young’un. She’s always happy, and looks it with her every ready merry smile. She’s just getting to the point where she does so many new things each day that it’s hard for even me to keep up with her. It would be better if she wasn’t with me so constantly - better for both of us - but I don’t see how it can be any other way just now. Yesterday I bought her a wooden bucket and shovel to take down to the beach. The shovel is red, and the bucket has dancing boy and girl, back and front - I suspect I’ll play with it more than she will, at least the first part of the summer - but any way she’ll get the idea. Bev phoned Bud in Hawaii, the other night, but said the connection was very poor. Ours was so good, I think I’ll feel terribly frustrated if we get a [pg 4] bad one next time. I think its easier for me to phone you from this end - but you might check on it if you do get back there, before you’re sent out again. Still have four of my gardenias floating in a bowl. I’m going to save them all - and use them for sachets in my box. Gosh sweety - I do hope you can get around to answering some of my letters soon - but I don’t want you to stay up late doing it. Brief letters now to Doug and Chris - then to bed and sleep I hope. I still haven’t gotten used to sleeping alone or the disappointment of waking up during the night, and not finding you beside me. Darling, I love you with all my heart- Bobby

211 Navy #3247 (Mil. Govt) FPO, San Francisco Tuesday 1 May 9 pm Hi Sweetie: You missed a good show tonight. One of the CB outfits brought a band with vocalists, a balancing bicycle act, a Negro dancer who made all the kids laugh with his funny motions (pecking and shuffling) as well as with the breaks to a high pitch in his voice, a magician with a doll-suspended-in-mid-air act, an expert harmonica player, and a trambelline - one of those jumping news that Bud and Bev told us about. The latter came on its own special 16-wheel heavy duty trailer. The crowd was terrific - seemed as though the whole camp must be there, was probably between 8 and 10 thousand. It was the first use to which our new school stage, built specifically for the occasion (but [planned?] for several months) was put-the stage wasn't quite finished, in fact, but everything worked out well. We had been so engrossed in getting the stage ready, in fact, that we completely forgot [pg 2] about procuring a microphone and sound system (whenever we have a movie, those things automatically come with the operator)-and when we woke up to the deficiency at 6:30 I had to hop in a jeep and tear all the way down to the -the CBS 7 or 8 miles away for the equipment. I got back at 7:15 - the show had been scheduled to start at 7; so not much time was lost. The stage, large enough to accommodate a good sized orchestra, couldn't cope with the trambelline (Ask Bev how the hell that's spelled) and people were crowded right smack up to the front of the stage - we’d left a place between chairs and “ [stage] but it too was jammed full, and the bouncing net on its trailer had to be used off to the side out of the lights. After the show was over, however, the youngster who did the bouncing obliged again - the kids loved his somersaults and twists and fallings down, of course-but the highlights of the evening was the antics of a middle-aged, fairly heavy-set CB who took a Japanese boy of about 12-14 on the net with him. Both the spectators and the boy himself [pg 3] got a big laugh out of it-they were awkward, went thru some unexpected motions; the CB gave a quick jump in such a way that the boy went sailing flat on his face, etc. All in all it was quite a successful evening, except from the standpoint of organization - there was a crowd of 4 or 5,000 there by 6 o'clock before any of us got there to see that they got to their proper places - they swiped chairs out of the kids’ area, took the painters’ scaffolding away from the school buildings which are finally getting their first coat of paint, to stand on; pulled all the tables and benches out of the Korean classroom tents, and broke some of them; was in general unmanageable. But not disorderly during the show. Building of the stage (equipped with footlights and overhead lights, also designed to hold the movie screen-farther back than the movie screen enlarge, the seating area so that now we can actually accommodate all school kids, teachers and a few invited guests within [pg 4] the coral walls, as soon as the latter are straightened out a little. We have more than enough benches not to fill the area - did I tell you about them? They’re the square, lightweight but strong metal crates in which bomb fins are packed, and are an ideal size for the purpose to which we put them. About 18” high and some dimensions square. We go out and dispersal areas and get them by the truckload; our military area movie theatre, too, uses them for seating. The above ink is Parker 51; this is ordinary blue. I like the Parker ink because it dries so quickly (by the time you've finished a line you can run your finger across the one above it), but not the funereal color, which is the only one obtainable. (It's supposed to ruin the rubber tubing, but that's a minor consideration-you can get new ones.) This is a new peer, a $10 Watchman for which I paid 5.50 at our new Ship's Service Store (which replaces the Army PX we've had till now, and has a lot more to offer.) This pen is a big broad one, about (top line just now dry) [pg 5] the size of our family institution, but chocolate brown in color with translucent amber tips. The point is not quite hard and flexible enough to suit me - it's classified as flexible medium, so I guess I’d want a long broad point. I like one extreme or the other - first a Parker 51, because in spite of the their line like this, it writes so effortlessly; or a big hard stubby one. When I can get a Parker I'll keep this for a second pen and get a broader point for it. Unlike my late streamlined Eversharp, which wrote nicely but broke down in about 3 months’ time (along with nearly matching pencil) this pen looks as tho it would last forever and make almost as good a teething device as our standby. Incidentally, is that the pen you now use for letters to me? If you can find some Parker 51 blue ink, I wish you’d send me a bottle. If in doubt as to whether it'll leak, just seal the top with china cement. Goodnight, sweetie - I love you Warren Oh-I received alarm clock, fixed small hand ([?] [?eaking] it off - can still see where it's pointing) and [c?fully] get up mornings at six after it rings from 1-3 seconds. That's not too long is it, for you to go back to sleep in peace?