314 N. Fremont St. River Falls, Wis. Dec. 18, 1957
Dear Ones All,
This summer was highlighted by a trip to the east. We were on the road from July 24th to August 20th. In that time we were in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario, and Michigan. The trip totaled 4,0001 miles. In the last two summers we have used Gabriel 83 days and traveled 9,329 miles. Every step of the way is recorded in, “The Log of the Gabriel”, as yet unpublished.
Ordinarily sight-seeing trips aren’t much fun for our family. Our preference is woods, mountains and lakes, but this was different than anything we had done before and turned out to be the treat of the year. Besides visiting in Madison, Milwaukee, Hastings, Michigan and Corunna, Michigan, we saw the Milwaukee Braves (biggest thing for the boys) Calumet Farms (Citation was the biggest thing for Merry, although to the rest of us he just looked like a horse!) Shenandoah Parkway, Williamsburg, Jamestown, five days in Washington, Corning Glass, Gettysburg (and Ike’s farm) Niagara Falls, Straits bridge and ferry. Most of the time the trailer was in city, state and national parks. This reminds us to inform the trailerites in the crowd that Washington, D.C. has an excellent place in east Potomac Park, which is a national park for trailers. It is fourteen blocks from the Capital and well equipped as well as being inexpensive. However if you are distrubed by huge planes going over at two hundred feet every thirty seconds, don’t go there. Only once when we drove until very late did we wind up behind a filling station (in Virginia) but it turned out to have better, “facilities'', than the park we were headed for.
Williamsburg was the most worthwhile two days of all, for all, from the sight-seeing point of view. We left the trailer at Lewis Mountain and took a cabin (The Godspeed) one night to do intensive sight-seeing. The cabin made us happy to get back to the greater convenience of our trailer. One of our friends refers to the difference as being, “Our own dirt”. The Jamestown festival was not very impressive. We ate four picnic meals in Williamsburg and each time beside the same family. This was an amazing coincidence which both families enjoyed. We were old friends the fourth meal which we shared. Another coincidence, the last day out, occurred when we stopped to swim and lunch and relax. This day we drove 600 miles. A trailer the size of ours drove in beside us and the driver immediately wanted to know if we had been at lake Geneva, Wis. 20 days before. You guessed it! Still another trailer family had by chance the same plans to drive to Niagara Falls, visit in the city and on to Ontario. Our paths crossed all day long, and again it became like seeing old friends.
The next most important event for us probably is in the line of house repair and improvement. First we had a 24 by 24 garage built for the car and Gabriel. Merry thinks now we can get a new car. Then we got busy and built a first floor bath. Today the plumbers are setting the fixtures. Now we have U-Know-What on all three floors. Let’s face it when you have a teen-age daughter you lose one bathroom. Dad tells her, “When you get married, we won’t be losing a daughter, we will be gaining a bathroom”.
Next summer Will will not teach summer sessions at the college here. There is a limit of two out of three summers. It looks like another college teaching job will be available, the question is whether to commit ourselves now or take a chance later in the year. Travel is fun, but they say that money is useful too. Not necessary, you understand, but useful. We will get in a trip somewhere.
The Annual Conference of our church, which is one-half of Wisconsin, met at our local church in June. This put quite a strain on our little town. We had eight people, ministers and laymen at our house for four days, which led to much stimulating conversation. The fellowship was wonderful and our children still mention the people by name and with affection. They speak of it as the time we had the “crowd” of visitors.
Bruce and Doug are big and husky. It looks as though they will both be as tall as their Dad but probably somewhat heavier. This year they had their first double-date. They took girls to the show and came home for refreshments after. It was all done with great aplomb as the French say, (I think).
We are all well and busy and planning on the day we can get your way on a trip. Won’t you come our way too?
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The Harrises, Betty, Merry, Bruce, Doug, Will