P.S. Walter
specifically says to say hello & good luck.[1]
8/26/44[2]
Dear Bob-[3]
As you can judge by the typewriter, it is Saturday night.
That’s the only time it seems that I run out of work to do here at the office.
Maybe it’s because I hate to start something new when I know I won’t be here
long enough to finish it. Aside from that I will have some time to kill for I
must stall around an hour until Walter gets off. And, begosh, he had better be
getting off on time or his name will be less than mud.
You see we are going on a wienie roast tonight – my first in
years and years. Don’t you wish you were around and could go with us? We are going
to the beach and have a fire and everything. There won’t be very many of us and
I do hope we have a good time. It may get cold along the ocean at night but it
will be a relief because it has been decidedly hot the last few days. Not as
hot as it is in Hondo, probably, but hot enough for me. The sun ripens Thompson
grapes and puts the sugar in them but other than that I have little use for a
hot summer sun
Your job sounds more interesting the more you write about
it. Do you really prefer it a lot to bombardiering? It sounds much more
complicated to me – and sounds like a lot of math involved. Are you learning a
lot of astronomy along with it – learning the constellations and all that? Or
have you done any night navigation - and so you really consider the stars when
you talk about celestial navigation? That’s a good big word, you know. Walter
and I both hope that all goes well – that you get a commission while you are at
it instead of the flight officer – and especially that all the trouble is over
before you have to use your new knowledge. Things are moving fast right now, so
that you almost feel you dare hope.[4]
Basic Magnesium is closing up as soon as the European war is
over, and they expect that before the first of the year. Of course, there’ll be
work going on for six months or so after it officially closes. All the money
the government has poured into that plant and the townsite – and then to close
it up! It is certainly a crime. And even now when they expect to close up they
are busy handing out raises. I don’t understand how some people do business. Of
course when it’s the governments money it is a lot easier to spend. Remember
Ray – at whose we stopped and who had the new baby? He has gone back to his
home town Chicago. The boss has quit and is going to Cleveland Ohio
I suppose you are in touch with Fresno as much as I am. Elizabeth is still not in her house but
Cornelia writes that it comes to court next Monday and then something definite
will be known. Cornelia is going north on a trip – Marion is quietly at home waiting. There
seems to have been quite a to-do about Marion ’s
coming to Fresno
because everyone thought it would be an imposition on mamma and mean a lot of
extra work for her. As mama says, one person always does make a little more
work perhaps and an extra dish or two to wash and wipe but she doesn’t wash and
wipe them so often so it comes out even and mamma seems quite contented to have
Marion there. She (Marion) is paying room and board and you know, for all Marion is young she has
been on her own enough to know how to take care of herself. You see, Walter’s
job in Chicago keeps him moving around a lot and sometimes he is out of town
for days at a time and that would have left Marion alone in a strange town much
of the time. Anyway, she is in Fresno ,
and no one seems to be commenting on it any more.
Is it the first part of September you expect to be through?
And hope to be having a furlough to Fresno ?
That’s practically day after tomorrow, isn’t it? I can’t very well get away until
perhaps the 22nd or so – because of vacations still going on here.
However, if you really are gong to be in California
earlier I ought to be able to manage things. I’m not indispensable around here,
that I know. No one is, which also includes Roosevelt
in the president’s chair. Bro. Walter says he is going to try to manage a trip
to California
in October - . If you come thru Hollywood
be sure to plan to stay a day or so. That will depend on you leave of course,
but there really is quite a bit to see around here if you want to. Make it a
weekend and we can go to the Planetarium – take in some good stage show – and a
broadcast if you have never been to one. Oh well, that’s in the future and
doesn’t have to be decided now. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Walter and I had
enough gas to drive up to Fresno ?
That’s what we are especially hoping to be able to do at Christmas time.
Thanks a lot for the offer to get me more Yardley’s but I am
pretty well stocked up. I have a bottle of Tabu, of Tweed, Confetti,
Yankee Clover, and some precious 4711 left over that Julius brought home
from his trip to Europe years ago. Mamma might
be interested – I know she looked longingly at my soap and I suppose I could
have given her a bar, but I didn’t.
I haven’t heard from Margaret and was interested to know she
was in Miami . We
were under the impression she might be coming back to California again before she went on East.
We have a check pool here at the office and I won three
dollars in it the other day. We pay in 25 cents a week and the highest poker
hand of a check number gets the pot. I bought the office cokes (which is the
custom) and then splurged myself on top sirloin steak dinner. It was good –
haven’t had a steak for weeks. I only have a half hour lunch period and it’s
rather hard to get much of a meal in the length of time. If I win again I’ll
have me another steak dinner.
I stepped outside the door here at the office the other and practically
collided with Charles Coburn. He had a big fat cigar in his mouth and looked
contented with the world so I said hello. He looks sort of surprised and
although he didn’t pat me on back and say ‘Hi, Lydia , how’s the family’ he did
acknowledge my greeting. I have yet to see any of the stars of greater
magnitude – they say Charles Boyer is around a lot but I have never seen him.
No great harm done, I know. I would like to see Paul Muni, or Bette Davis, or
Clark Gable –
If I had your address with me I would mail this tonight. As
it is, I’ll get it off tomorrow –
Sunday
Walter is working
today so I am on my own. He’ll be home about 5:30 or so, I hope, and we can go
out to dinner. So far I’ve had 2 cups of coffee (no, three) two pears and 3 bananas,
not substantial enough!
The wienie roast was grand – Walter
& I want to go some night alone & stay all night on the beach. A full
moon night would be grand!
I borrowed 5 books from a gal &
have been going to town on them. One is On Borrowed Time which was a
movie with Lionel Barrymore a few years ago.
Love
[1]
Handwritten cursive in upper left corner of first page.
[2]
Postmarked 28 Aug 1944
[3] Addressed
to: A/C Robert B. Richert, 44-12-9B Sec K, H.A.A.F., Hondo , Texas
[4] The
Allied breakout has occurred and the forces were moving rapidly across France . This is
before the winter stall and Battle
of the Bulge.
[5]
Postscript handwritten cursive. Return address: W. T. Smith, 1919 Beachwood, Hollywood 28, California .
Envelope is from Hotel Stewart, San Francisco with cross out and the about
return address handwritten.
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