December 15, 1963 314 N. Fremont St. River Falls, Wisconsin
Dear Ones All :
On friday the thirteenth, Betty went to the hospital for major surgery. While this was no immediate emergency, once the surgeons decided it had to be done some time, we said the sooner the better. Everything went as planned and expected and she is on the road to recovery. She should be home by Christmas and be able to return to teaching in about six weeks. With vacation coming up and all the “help” of having the family home, she should be over the hump before the rest of us return to our various jobs.
Merry is teaching High School Vocal Music at Menomonie 40 miles away and Bruce is at the State College at Eau Claire about 70 miles away. Since they are both on the Freeway 94 it is very convenient to get back and forth. Since it looks as though the State of Wisconsin is loath to build more such highways in the near future, we are glad that they did at least this much. Doug is a Junior in High School with one more year before college.
Last summer we took a thirty day trip to Nova Scotia. Merry was in Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin so just four of us went. We purchased the trailer mentioned in last year’s letter. It is a self contained unit, larger and much more luxurious than our first one. We purchased it just before the trip so that this was the maiden voyage. We travelled about 6,000 miles in all, with 1,500 of it on tollways. We were in the cities of Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec. We found nice private, residential courts here so that we could visit for a while. We saw the Gaspe country, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and of course Nova Scotia.
We made Truro our headquarters. This is a nice city of 12,000 which is in the middle of things and has a marvelous municipal park and trailer court. We saw the Evangeline country, Halifax, Cape Breton Highlands. We came home through the states. We visited in New York and Illinois, otherwise we were travelling quite constantly. We enjoyed Nova Scotia (eight days of it) as much as any trip we have taken, and really expect to return soon. We met many wonderful people and got close to a rugged way of life which made us grow a little too, we think.
For the boys, Cooperstown with the Baseball Hall of Fame, was the high spot of the trip. For Betty and Will the trip to Campobello to see the summer home of the F.D.R. family and the spot where President Roosevelt was stricken with Polio, and his subsequent struggle to health, had special importance.
After such a strenuous trip we expect next year to travel more leisurely. Again we will have a month to travel, so look out we may be your way!
You will understand if the letter is shorter this year than usual. Please write us and tell us about you and yours. The greatest fun at Christmas is to gather at least in memory, your old and new friends together for warm greetings.
Will, Betty, Merry, Bruce, Doug
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!