Personal Snippets 3 of 4

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There was a friend in Dallas who was wheelchair bound. Can you imagine, he had been a glider pilot during the Normandy invasion, many of those pilots had been killed or injured during the battle, but he was not injured at all. But, a few years later he fell out of bed during the night, broke his back, and was in a wheelchair from then on. He loved to bowl, so I went with him a few times, and bowled my normal 100 to 110 points a game. I seem to remember that one time, for one game, I bowled over 210, but I’m not at all clear on that subject. Perhaps I misremember it just as if it really happened, just like that other bowling story. (1954)
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These two comments were Letters to The Editor, in the LA Times, in the early 1950s. “What makes you think doing something worthless, is better than doing nothing at all?” This person didn’t like “Workfare” where he had to do menial jobs to get welfare money. Brother Jesse reminded me of the early 1930s in Lake Odessa and in Martinsburg, when our Dad required his sons move the wood pile from here to there, and back again, just to keep them busy. Another letter concerned an article that said how important it was to have a very good job, and be able to do what you like to do. The respondent said he did not like to work, had no intention of working, so why didn’t those who like to work, just give him enough money to live, and they would both be happy doing what they liked best. I didn’t write either letter.
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To have a selective memory is a great thing. I can’t tell you much about it because since I have one, I can’t remember what it is. But one example. I managed to talk the Army into sending me to their IBM school in Indianapolis, I had thought I could sneak to Chicago a few times, and that is exactly what happened. But the Army’s IBM school? I don’t remember even one slight thing that I was taught, or remembered from the week days, just the weekends when I went AWOL. I do remember that while I was there, I felt it was a complete waste of time, but I don’t remember what the “waste” was. My parents lived in Flora, Indiana, about half way between Chicago and “Naptown,” my beautiful Sweetie and I spent one weekend at their home. They loved her, of course. (1951)
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To read these Snippets you may get the idea that my Sweetie loved to shop and shop. Well, not quite. She was never one to spend a lot of time in department stores, in shoe stores, or whatever, but while we traveled, we considered antique stores and flea markets, in dozens of countries, to be living museums. I can’t remember her buying anything in a department store in Europe (she did look a minute, a time or two), just in a very few little stores and the living museums. She loved to get a beautiful reminder of the places we visited. Following my firm rule, “If Sweetie wants it, I will buy it,” that’s why we ended up with a couple of hundred fantastic reminders and collectibles. Many of the things we have and enjoy, most likely will not be found in any other home in this, or any other neighborhood. (1970-’80s-’90s)
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Unknown to Emmy, I had bought the two beautiful rings she had admired in stores at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. They were intended to be presents for Christmas and for her birthday. I didn’t want her to see them, so I smuggled them past the Customs officer in Miami. Wouldn’t you know it, the Customs man was really curious, questioned this and that, but luckily for me, didn’t notice the small bulge in my inside coat pocket. I don’t remember the cost of the rings, but it was well below the duty-free value permitted to be imported from the Virgin Islands. Customs would not like what I did, regardless. The surprise gifts got home OK, and to the scheduled recipient at Christmas, and on her 48th birthday, a week later, on January 2, as planned. (1975)
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We always kidded Sweetie for getting one thing mixed with something that was maybe similar. For example, when we still lived in Chicago, and were looking at the Dallas newspaper, trying to decide if we would move there, and saw the advertisements that mentioned houses with Cyclone fenced back yard. She didn’t realize chain link fence is often called Cyclone Fence, and said, “I don’t want to move somewhere that has Cyclones.” Well I certainly agreed, and didn’t want to live where there are Cyclones, another word for "hurricane" and "typhoon." We did laugh about that many times over the years when we bought and sold houses with Cyclone Fencing.
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We didn’t get a radio or a telephone until WW II. I remember the phone number was “52 R 12.” That means, on line 52, one long ring, two short. You listened to the ring for all your neighbors, to determine when you should answer. The radio was for news only, after brother Paul went into the Army. We always had electricity, at least since I was old enough to remember. Many farms near where we lived in PA did not have electricity, several relatives in Indiana didn’t either, but Grandpa Black had a “Delco Plant,” an electric generator and a bunch of batteries (I think) in the basement of his home, the only house around, with electric lights. My Uncle Jesse said his house was “wired” for lights, and it was, after a fashion — in each room there was a wire dangling from the ceiling where he could hang a kerosene lamp. (1942)
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We had our Chow dog Lady, since Dallas, she was getting older and we knew a replacement would be needed soon. We liked the looks of a Chow, but wanted something smaller, a lap dog. Emmy and Linda looked through a picture book, and decided that a Pomeranian, while much smaller, was a miniature of Lady. We got one and named it Pixie. Having this new dog around the house, seemed to take 10 years off Lady’s age, maybe she thought she had to compete. She did just fine for another few years. Lady was a wonderful dog. One time we watched while Lady laid on her side, a kitten sat on her nose, put its front legs around Lady’s ear, and licked the ear like an ice-cream cone. It was hilarious to see the look on her face, as she pleaded, but waited for our permission to get up and get rid of that stupid cat. (1968)
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We had told my Mother to select a place for lunch, so we were at K-Mart in Warsaw, Ind., in the ‘60s or ‘70s. We were discussing news stories of parachuting pallets, loaded with food, to feed hungry people. People were killed or injured by the pallets, and other pallets were “captured” by bandits or politicians, then sold, or kept from the people. The sight of the soda crackers in a package caught my eye. I said, “Why don’t they drop a million packs of crackers?” During the Berlin Airlift, they dropped candy, and no one got hurt, but children got fed. Why couldn’t they drop small food packages so people could be fed, but not injured by huge pallets. Later they did that. Each yellow container is called a Humanitarian Daily Ration. and includes enough food to feed one person for one day.
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We learned how to buy and sell Real Estate starting in Dallas. When we were going to move to Los Angeles, we sold our house on Dawes Drive to a man who needed a little more cash to complete the deal. So I met him just outside the Escrow Office and gave him the $250 needed to close. The people in the Office asked him where he got the money, but we forget why they asked, and what he answered, but it didn’t matter. That was just the second of over a hundred deals we were involved in, concerning Real Estate over the next 40 years. Never a problem, I learned from each, and never had to pay for advice. I usually gave advice, and it worked each and every time.
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We lived in Ft. Worth in 1952, I commuted to Chance Vought Aircraft (near Dallas), went house-hunting weekends. Bought a two bedroom house, one bath, large kitchen, nice backyard, for $7,200. Monthly payment $54 per month, would soon drop to $37. House was plain and simple, we added a garage, enclosed the screened-in porch into a den/sewing room. In 1955 it sold for $9,250, we moved to California. The house Emmy really wanted was beautiful, $10,000, near White Rock Lake, east of Dallas, white rock roof and turquoise trim. My drive to work would have been long, the monthly payments almost impossible. We later painted our Archwood house turquoise w/white trim, and our turquoise and white Plymouth station wagon matched. Emmy wore a couple of turquoise dresses so often we called them her uniform. I knew what she liked, I painted the house, I bought the car, and I bought the dresses. (1953)
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We moved from Sierra Vista, Arizona, back into the same house on Archwood Street in Canoga Park, where we had lived for several years. While the mover was unloading the furniture, he had a puzzled look on his face, and finally said something "funny" was going on. All the furniture fit where we told him to put it the first time, and when he was done it looked like it belonged. We told him that the furniture had been bought for this house, and we knew just where each piece fit. Interesting that he would notice something like that. (1962)
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We sent a test message over the production control network at Rocketdyne, each morning. A message I made up said, “People complain about the idle-rich, and the idle-poor. The one because they are idle, the other because they are rich.” This network consisted of two dozen teletype machines located near the rocket-engine production facilities, in several buildings. I had gone to an engineering company and helped them design (I did the functional design, they did the electronic design) a box about the size of a small refrigerator, that could translate the holes in an IBM card to teletype code. An IBM keypunch was modified to read punched cards, send that information to the special box, which then sent it over a telegraph line to the Teletype network. People visited from the USA and some from Europe, to see this operation. It was unique, there were as yet no on-line computer networks in the late 1950s.
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We shook hands and talked with President Gerald Ford two different times in Palm Desert (near where he lived). When I mentioned I was born in Lake Odessa, Michigan, a town he knew about, he just beamed. That was in the district he represented while he was a member of Congress, many years after we had moved from there. Once when Sweetie was shopping, Betty Ford and her Secret Service men came into the department store, and Sweetie was immediately ignored. We did feel safer when we found that one of the Secret Service agents was spending a lot of nights with one of our neighbors. (1980s)
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Well I haven’t had many medical problems, but who’s counting. In 1992 I fell on the tennis court and maybe broke my wrist. After two hours and a couple of dozen X-Ray pictures, I was told the good news was, my wrist was not broken, the bad news was, an arm bone was. The break was on the end, like splitting a stick with a wedge. The cast was needed for a month, and I was not looking forward to that. Thank goodness it didn’t bother my sleeping. (I’m not dumb enough to think anyone would care if I said, “… it didn’t bother my working!”) But in this case the timing couldn’t have been worse. We had repossessed a couple of houses that we had loaned money on, and they needed a lot of work. It’s amazing what can be accomplished with one arm, and one beautiful, very hard working Sweetie.
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We used to spent some Saturday nights at a ball game in Dodger Stadium. The Angels played at the same field, and often we not only didn’t know who the visiting team was, we didn’t know if the Dodger’s or the Angel’s were the home team. One time there was a fight on the field, players from both teams scrambled all over the place, and the umpires were very much involved. On the way home, the radio was on, and the announcer (most likely Vin Scully) was telling of the fight, and gave the name of one of the umpires, the famous Hank Soar, whose name Sweetie misunderstood. She then said, “I didn’t see any swords.” As I remember we paid $1 for parking, 50¢ each for Sweetie and Linda, (ladies night) and $1.50 for Ronnie and me. These days parking is $15, no idea what tickets cost.
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When I climbed the stairs at Bean Hill (pet name for Cove High School, at Martinsburg, PA) and entered the room where the test to go from 8th grade to high school was to be taken, I fell in love-at-first-sight with Genive. I don’t think she ever knew that. Come to think of it, about the only other thing I remember about attending Cove High was one day, as I neared the top of the stairs, Audrey was having trouble with her garter, and I helped her fix it. I’ll never forget that! Wait, yet another story. One teacher was concerned some lucky boy was going to see Mary Ellen’s panties reflected in her shiny patten leather shoes. Oh, if only I could have been that lucky boy! Mary Ellen now tells me she couldn’t afford patten leather shoes in those days. I didn’t know that, so I kept watching, just in case. (1943)
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When I lived in Akron, Ohio, in the mid ‘40s, I worked evenings and weekends at the Akron Beacon Journal. Although I would deliver papers to the office of Jack Knight, then owner of the Journal and later the founder of the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain, I doubt he ever really saw me. On the corner diagonally across the street was a building with a simple sign that said “International Business Machines” and nothing more. One day, while having a bite to eat at the diner on another corner, I sat on the stool next to a well dressed man who said he worked for IBM. He told me about 500 words or so about what they did, but that was all it took to get my interest. This was my simple introduction to IBM machines — I still hadn’t seen one. I had heard enough to pique my curiosity, and my ever flourishing curiosity rules the day. (1944)
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When I served in the Army the first time, and during the few months at college, my eyes changed so rapidly I needed new glasses every month or two. I could not read and study as needed, so had to drop out of college. Somehow I had been able to use my conversation with an IBM salesman in 1944, as the pretext to attend a class in 1949 (at most two or three times) scheduled for upperclassmen only, called “Machine Tabulation,” an introduction to the IBM machines at Indiana University. As a result, I determined that if I could get a job working with IBM equipment, I would be in an office environment, but would not need to strain my eyes, as in so many office jobs. That was certainly true, but how did I determine that? When I was called back into the Army in 1950, I had my chance to learn, and did I ever! (1940s)
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When I visit Disneyland, Las Vegas, Paris, or wherever, I like to look and see how it was put together, how it is used, and try to figure why they did this and that, instead of something else. I have been to Vegas on an expense account dozens of times, and I would often bribe someone to take my customers to the show. I don’t gamble (maybe a nickel or dime) or eat at the buffet restaurants. I enjoy visiting hotels and casinos to see what they have done — Las Vegas has architectural samples of Paris, Venice, New York, and more. Once I went to Disneyland by myself, didn’t ride any rides, just looked behind the scenes. Spent a month in Paris, nearly six months in France, have eaten an omelet in two restaurants, other meals in the RV, or at a sandwich shop, but I can tell you a lot about Paris, and more about France.
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When I was called back into the Army during the Korean War, at the Induction Center I met a Supervisor in an IBM Department. He said each time I was asked my job, say, “I'm an IBM man” (I knew nothing about IBM), when I met someone who did know, tell the truth. Exactly what I did at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, it worked. They needed someone to work with an Army report, in the IBM room. I had typed this report, when I was in the Army the first time, so knew it well. Given a key to the building, I spent nights and weekends learning all I could about IBM machines, before IBM computers existed. Somehow I convinced the Army to send me to an IBM school near Indianapolis, from where I went AWOL to Chicago, several weekends. We married 2 days after the course was over. (1950)
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We planned to get married on Saturday June 2. My Army class in Indianapolis was graduating Thursday May 31, if I could catch the early train to Chicago, Emmy could meet me, we could get the license and save a trip downtown the next day. I had permission from the Colonel, so had all my clothes already at the train station and my shaving kit hidden in the bushes near the Army Chapel. It would do no good to make the rush and not have Emmy meet me, so if I got to the early train I would call my sister Mary, and she would call Emmy — if I called her office, Emmy might not be available right then. I caught the bus, then ran the 6 blocks, gave the phone operator Mary's number and the right change, picked up the phone said “It's me,” and ran on to the train. In those days you could not dial long distance, operator assisted calls only. (1951)
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When I had completed the Army’s IBM school, and rushed to Chicago, Emmy was waiting at the train station. We got the marriage license, and on the way home, while waiting at the bus stop it started to rain, and boy did it pour. We both got soaked, but then who cared, we were in love and were going to get married on Saturday! Saturday night we checked into the Hotel Stevens (now the Chicago Hilton and Towers) into a very tiny room, about $9 per night. We still have the receipt. That was not much of a honeymoon, maybe two nights at the hotel. Since then we’ve had honeymoons most every year, I mean several times most weeks. (1951
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When I visited Minneapolis, while working for Control Data Corp., it was were always in “bad” weather (Compared to California). Maybe it wasn’t as cold, as snowy, as rainy, as icy as the last time, but always one or the other. I discovered in the winter time, the only thing dumber than getting on an airplane in Los Angeles with an overcoat, was getting off an airplane in Minneapolis without one. One morning several of us were in the lobby of a hotel in downtown Minneapolis, waiting for a taxi. Outside it was maybe 15 or 20 degrees below zero, with ice all over the place, and it was snowing and blowing. While we waited, the newspaper truck stopped, the man threw a bundle of papers at the feet of the doorman. The headline said, “Minus 40 Degrees in Bemidji,” (in northern Minnesota.) The doorman said, “Gee, Bemidji, ain’t a fit place to live!” What did he see just outside his window?
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When I was discharged from the Army in 1951, I returned to International Harvester in Chicago, and using what I had learned while in the Army, got a job on the night shift, in the IBM Department, rather than on the diesel engine assembly line, where I had worked before being called back into the Army for the Korean War. I remember the pay as $82.50 a week, a whole two dollars a hour, a fortune in those days. The name “IBM Department” is an interesting name for a job. If you worked with a car, you weren’t in the GM business, if you worked with a tractor, you weren’t in the John Deere business, but in those days, if you worked with IBM equipment, you were in the IBM Department, and in the IBM business.
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When I worked for Chance Vought Aircraft in Dallas, one day they were throwing a ton of old files, into trash bins. The papers were inside nice manila folders, and I thought I could use some at home, so emptied the papers, and headed for the gate with the empty folders. The guard confiscated the folders, as it was obvious I wasn’t taking any home work with me. I took the hint, and the next day I picked some folders from the trash, left a few pages of paper in the folder, when I got to the gate the guard looked, saw my homework, and passed me on. When I arrived home I put the papers in the trash, and had the file folders that was all I wanted in the first place.
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When Linda was born in Dallas, my sister Mary came from Indiana and stayed with us for a couple of weeks when Emmy got out of the hospital. I never did forgive Mary for telling Emmy that if she wore more clothes in the morning, maybe I wouldn’t bother her so much. Well, maybe Emmy was tempestuous once in a while, but never bothered. I said, “Thank goodness Emmy does not take Mary's advice!” And Thank goodness Sweetie never gave it another thought. Years later, October 4, 1989, Mary E. visited California and our daughter Linda’s home. Sister Mary Elizabeth met Granddaughter Christiana Elisabeth. One of them can’t spell Eli-abeth. (1954)
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When we arrived in Los Angeles in 1955, we rented a very nice small one bedroom furnished apartment over a garage near downtown LA, on 5th Avenue near Pico and Crenshaw. The price was $75 per month. I had a 40 hours per week job at RAND Corp., but never in my life had I worked only 40 hours a week. I always worked on a farm, worked a lot of overtime, or had a second job. It was almost impossible for me to get used to that schedule, and some Monday mornings I would almost be sick. It took several months to get over that. I still have that same problem — just can't bring myself to work 40 hours each week, or by now, even 40 hours each year!
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When we lived on Eccles St. in Canoga Park, in January 1979, we felt an earthquake. I telephoned Linda who lived on the second floor in an apartment about five or six miles south. Aftershocks continued, and as we talked she would say, “There’s another one,” and I would count to about four or five and say, “I feel it!” That would be a lot of fun if you could be sure that the only surprise would be, will I count to four, or will I count to five. We later found the earthquake was centered in the ocean, about 30 miles south of us, and Linda lived between us and the epicenter. The shake moved about two miles per second. That’s my guess, it’s not official.
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While at Control Data Corp. (a computer company in the early 1960s), I presented my idea for the use of video tape, if it could be written by a computer. Data reports that took hours to print, maybe daily, maybe weekly, and could be inches thick, could be replaced by a video tape and a television monitor. Video tape was two inches wide in those days, and the recording was done on the diagonal. They liked my idea, but it was never developed, computers weren’t yet powerful enough to do the job. Your little desktop computer can do that, and more at the same time, with no problem. These days on-line terminals, and desktop computers are able to access data in the huge data bases, stored in the memories in giant computers, the data base does not need to be printed.
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While at RAND Corp., in the mid ‘50s I worked on a computerized War Game that was used to train Air Defense RADAR operators. When I traveled, to Boston, North Carolina, and Washington, DC, etc., on several trips, my plane tickets and hotel reservations were in the name “Dr. James Humberd.” Most every one I traveled with had a Ph.D., so they didn’t want to admit there was a black-sheep in the group.
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While in the Army the second time (a couple of months after being married, my poor Sweetie), all my teeth were scheduled to be pulled, and plates made. Since I didn't have enough time left on my enlistment in the Army Reserve, I shouldn’t have been inducted in the first place. Other people with the same problem were suing to get discharged. (Oh my, I met Sweetie only because I was recalled to the Army.) As soon as anyone was being let out, I applied, and they were happy to let me go. But without teeth, not possible. I went to the Dental Colonel and said if I had teeth, I could get discharged. I told my Commanding Officer if I could get discharged, the Dental Clinic would rush the order for teeth. Neither talked to the other, I talked to both, got teeth and discharge, both earlier than scheduled. (1951)
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While in the Ohio State Guard Band in Akron, Ohio, the band included some of the greatest musicians, several had played in famous symphony orchestras, while I filled space. We spent two weeks at Camp Perry that summer. One night at Taps (bedtime bugle call), four musicians arrived back in camp, so drunk they could hardly walk. They picked up instruments — two trumpets, a trombone, and a bass horn — and played Taps. No one ever heard Taps played like that before, soldiers sleeping in tents after a hard day, cheered and applauded for an encore. A few minutes after the encore the commanding officer, in his pajamas, came to congratulate these guys, who could still hardly stand up. The next morning, sober, they tried and tried, even with the help of other excellent musicians, could not repeat the previous nights performance. The four man jam-session spectacular, dramatic musical arrangement required a fifth — of liquor. (1944)
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While lunching an elected official of the Nevada state government (I had obtained a contract to install an accounting system for the state), we were surrounded by slot machines and other gambling paraphernalia. I remarked that there were few places where one could legally dine in such surroundings with a government official. He laughed and said, “Well, many things are different in Nevada. The next time you’re in town, I’ll arrange for you to take the Whore-House Inspector to lunch.” Another great idea that never worked out. (1969)
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While on our way to Los Angeles to sail in the Merchant Marine in 1946, Brother Johnny and I made a special point of driving through northern Arizona so we could visit the Grand Canyon, but found the road blocked by a huge snow storm. We did take the time to stop and enjoy a tour of the Hoover Dam. Later that day we were driving through Vegas, expecting to get to Los Angeles very late at night. Johnny thought if we could rest until midnight, we would get to Los Angeles early in the morning, a much better arrival time. While eating an early dinner, Johnny asked the waitress if there was some place we could rest for a few hours. She answered, “I get off at 5 o'clock.” Believe it, we got to Los Angeles at midnight as scheduled.
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While my older brothers were off fighting the war, I hurt my back working so hard on the farm. That’s why I say that I have a WW II injury. Paul won a Bronze Star Award for his heroic efforts in the Battle of the Bulge on Dec. 20, 1944, and Jesse’s US Navy Destroyer sunk two Jap ships at Iwo Jima four days later, and neither of them got a scratch. Fertilizer came in 167 pound bags, and that bag, a ten gallon can of milk, and a bale of hay were rather heavy for the back of a 14 or 15 year old kid. And it still hurts. These days I am in such physical condition that I can touch my knees without bending my elbows. As for my tennis skills, I have made all the great shots just like the best professionals. The difference — I made them once in my life, they make them every match. (1940s)
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While stationed at Fort Monmouth, NJ in 1950, a lady I worked with told this story. New cars were still very difficult to find, but this lady and her husband bought a new car, then drove to New York City to see a Broadway play. They parked in a garage, and said they would be back at midnight, then went to dinner. At dinner they got in such a fuss with each other, they decided to forget the play and just go home. Upon returning to the parking garage at about seven o’clock, they were refused their car. They finally called the police who went upstairs and found their car high on a rack, with the new motor being removed, and an old motor that would fit, waiting to be installed. They didn’t go to the play, so had returned before the swap-job was completed. Aw, New York City!
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While there may be a wide variety of excuses and reasons why I had an excessive number of jobs with different companies during my pay-roll years, I counted the company names I can find in my records, and at least eight or ten are no longer in business, have been merged into another organization and disappeared, and/or have left the computer business completely. As I said elsewhere, “Was it coincidence or contagious, maybe I was a ‘Typhoid Mary.’ I often wondered.” That does not mean I am promiscuous in all things. In spite of my work history, I have had only one romance in my life, and nothing could compare to a life like that. The dictionary says — Romance: A love affair; an ardent emotional attachment; fascination; involvement between people; love; enthusiasm for someone; something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful. And that doesn’t even begin to describe my love affair with my Most Beautiful Sweetie.
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While visiting Corporate Headquarters of Control Data in Minneapolis in the winter time, we noticed that when we left the office to go to a restaurant for lunch, the men from California didn’t bother putting on heavy overcoats, just to walk from the office to the car, from the car to the restaurant, etc. Finally one of the Minnesota natives asked what we were going to do if by chance the car ran out of gasoline, there was an auto accident or whatever, and we had to get out of the car, in subzero weather, far from shelter. We took the hint, and wore our overcoats.
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While working in the computer business, I must have appeared before a crowd of from one to one thousand people, a thousand times, with never any stage fright. I was cured of that early in my life. In the early 1930s at the Church where my Dad was the minister, in Martinsburg, PA, I was to memorize a little poem, and present it from the platform, at the Children’s day ceremony. I was told over and over that I should not be scared, just stand there and recite. All went well until I got on the Platform, then I started to laugh and laugh, until my Mother got me quieted down, so I could give my little performance. Later, when I was asked why I laughed, I said, “You told me not to be scared, and when I got up there, I could see that I knew everyone in the audience, so why would I be scared!” That served me well.
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While working in the IBM room at Ft. Monmouth, whenever the Army had the nerve to assign me some other job like KP, guard duty, or to march in a parade, the IBM Supervisor would sign any paper I prepared, telling the powers above me that I was too important for that, as I had to “IBM that day!” It worked every time, too. The IBM maintenance engineer said that he knew to come to this office first thing Monday morning, so he could replace any burned-out fuse, and repair anything I had damaged over the weekend. I don’t think he was really kidding either. At times I learned more than I thought possible. (1951)
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Why me of all people, but at least three times in the past 45 years a recently divorced beautiful lady asked for my advice when the man they were dating wanted to hop in bed with them. They were all very nice ladies indeed. My six instructions, in this order were. — Don’t break up a happy marriage — Don’t get a disease. — Don’t get pregnant — Enjoy — Enjoy — Enjoy. And two of them later said my advice was perfect. Didn’t see the other one again.
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Years ago, when Grandson John was maybe two or three years old, we were at his home in Santa Barbara at Christmas time, opening gifts. The fireplace was ablaze with a decorative flame, and as each gift was opened, the colorful paper with stripes, flowers, stars, etc., was tossed into the fireplace. Everyone was watching, but no one was quick enough — when young John opened a package containing a colorful striped T-shirt, he happily threw it into the fireplace. Well, it didn’t look much different than what everyone else threw into the fire. (1984)
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You have seen TV pictures of the rooms full of special equipment, big TV-like screens, and buttons and lights of all kinds, in the room that is used to control the Space Shuttle program. While I was in Huntsville, AL, in the early 1960s teaching NASA about the RCA 110A Saturn computer, they were designing a launch control room. I was asked to sit at a mockup of a control terminal, then reach for this button and that button, to see how quickly it could be done, and how easy it was to hit the right one at the right time. Some of the equipment was represented by big cardboard boxes, with buttons and screens represented by wax crayon drawings on the box or on the wall.
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How do I end a book like this? The idea was to present my love for my Most Beautiful Lady, and the fun we had in our travels, and I hope that I have achieved that goal. The biggest disappointment in our travels days? The ship we sailed to Istanbul and the Black Sea was originally scheduled to be a two-week trip, with one week in Egypt and Israel. Due to a war-like occurrence in the Middle East, that week was canceled, we never got to visit the Earthly Holy Land together. But we will be in the Heavenly Holy Land together, in the very near future.
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I was in second grade in a 4 room school. I was just sitting there doing nothing that I knew of, when the teacher came and dragged me out of class. She then put her pointing finger and thumb in a circle and asked why I was doing that. I had no idea what she meant, so I later asked my mother, “What's the teacher's problem?” She said, “You will learn some day.” Several years later (in 7th or 8th grade) someone reminded me of that occasion, and said I had made the circle with finger and thumb and was moving my pencil back and forth in that circle, and someone told the teacher I was showing the sexual act. Well, I had 6 brothers and sisters, lived on a farm where cows, pigs, and chickens were being born all the time, but even in 7th or 8th grade, I had no idea what the teacher, or this kid, was talking about. But with my Sweetie, did I ever learn!!

Jim and Emmy’s
Travel Details,
Facts & Figures

Snippets About Travel Details, Facts, Figures

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Here are some Facts, Figures and Details that I find interesting, and a few I really do think are special. Most likely this will tell more about our travels then you need to know.

Each and every detail here is true, we lived them all, and wrote each and every word. It’s been fun, the 30 years in the computer business, our years of travel, and ESPECIALLY the nearly 55 years of working and enjoying life with my Beautiful Wife, Emmy.

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Our Travel concept includes:
If we have no schedule, we aren’t late.
If we don’t care where we are, we aren’t lost.
If we have no itinerary we’re just where we ought to be.
If we can’t see IT this trip, we’ll see IT next time.
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In the RV our clothes are on a hanger.
There are goodies in the refrigerator.
We know who used the toilet last.
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Our vacation is not a destination, it’s the Journey.
Turn here, explore there, relax and enjoy.
It ain’t what you got, it’s what you do with it that counts.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -At the end of each year’s European Travel Summary we had a closing comment — In 1970, “What a fabulous 28 day trip.” — The 1979 visit was “An outstanding 96 day trip.” — Our 1980 trip was “An exceptional 171 days in many fascinating places.” — The comment in 1983 was “What a wonderful 87 day trip.” — In 1985, “… our sensational 156 day trip.” — Then 1988 was “… a beautiful way to spend 130 days.” — In 1989 we said “… the best possible way to spend 115 days.” — In 1991 we “… flew home after as interesting 78 days as can be imagined.” — By 1995 we had determined, “All in all, our 107 day trip proved ‘It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there,’ is not a cliché, it’s the truth.”
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European Trip Number 1 — 1970 (August 18 to September 14) For our first European trip we purchased a new Volkswagen Camper Van through a local druggist, of all people. All the arrangements and payments were made in the US, and although our airplane was 24 hours late, the VW was waiting for us in the Frankfurt Airport parking lot. At the end of that 28 day trip, we shipped the VW home and sold it as soon as it arrived. The result was a net vehicle cost of about $500, plus gasoline and campsites for 28 days of travel for four people. We drove 4,500 miles through ten countries, stopping in Rome, Paris, London, Berlin and a hundred towns in between. We spent 19 nights in campsites, and prepared numerous meals and snacks in the camper.
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European Trip Number 2 — 1979 (August 23 to November 29) Our daughter Linda, and several of Emmy’s German Cousins met us at the airport in Luxembourg. We borrowed Cousin Bärbel’s car, and with Linda as interpreter visited used car dealers and RV rental offices. At the U. S. Army’s Benjamin Franklin Village, in Mannheim, Germany, we saw a 1977 Dodge Cobra RV with a “For Sale” sign in the window and only 9,400 miles on the speedometer. After contacting the owner, a Colonel in the US Army, we made a deal and went on our way. After 96 days in Europe, 56 nights in campsites, 10,900 miles through 16 countries, we garaged the Dodge in Mettlach, Germany, just a block from the home of one of Emmy’s cousins. “Ein Mark, Ein Tag.” (One D-Mark [40¢], One day.)
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European Trip Number 3 — 1980 (May 9 to October 26) Six months later we returned to Europe and after a battery charge the Dodge started just fine. This time we traveled 171 days and 17,500 miles through 17 countries, and spent 123 nights in campsites before selling the RV to an US Army high school teacher in Zweibrücken, Germany. The cost for the RV was $2,500 for nine months of travel (both years), for a total of 28,400 miles through 17 different countries, uncounted meals, 179 nights sleeping in campsites, plus gasoline and incidental repairs, a set of tires in Nice, France and a brake job in Vienna, Austria.
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European Trip Number 4 — 1983 (July 6 to September 27) When we arrived in Europe Emmy suggested we travel in a rental car and sleep in hotels and in bed & breakfast homes, instead of buying an RV. Three days was all she could stand of: “Look for restaurant after restaurant, find a (noisy) hotel room, pack and unpack” — so back we went to several US Army bases. This time we found a 43,000 mile, 1978 Dodge Transvan owned by a US Army Major at Nellingen Barracks south of Stuttgart. After buying a water pump in Merzig, Germany and a 220V refrigerator in Luxembourg, we drove 7,952 miles through nine countries and camped 50 nights (total of 87 nights in Europe). We again garaged the RV in Mettlach (40 D-Marks per month) expecting to return in six months.
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European Trip Number 5 — 1985 (May 30 to October 31) Our plans changed and we were not able to return to Europe until 20 months had passed. The Dodge started easily after the battery was charged, and there was no need to even add air to the tires, or water to the radiator. The only problem was that mice had feasted on paper bags of cocoa, chewing gum, and other such goodies. Off we went for another 16,400 miles in 17 countries, 102 nights in campsites (156 nights in Europe), a set of tires in Losheim, Germany and a new starter in Wettenberg, Germany. With the RV in the hold of the ship, we boarded the Polish liner T.S.S. Stefan Batory in Rotterdam, spent a day in London, ten days on the Atlantic Ocean to Montreal, then drove to California. (No Jet-lag this time.)
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European Trip Number 6 — 1988 (July 30 to December 6) Emmy’s Cousin Josef had worked for the Renault Automobile Company in Brühl, Germany, and two colleagues at the office wanted to sell a Renault vehicle with a Pilote RV. We then drove 8,400 miles through eight countries, and spent 70 of our 130 nights in Europe that year, in campsites. We parked it in a farmer’s barn in Borg, Germany, for about $1 per day.
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European Trip Number 7 — 1989 (March 10 to July 2) We returned to Europe about three months later. The Renault started just fine, and we were ready to travel 8,700 miles through 10 countries with 77 nights in campsites, out of a total of 115 nights in Europe. We sold the Renault RV to a dealer in Saarbrücken, Germany. It cost us $2,700 for 245 days and 17,100 miles of driving, 147 days cooking, and 147 nights of sleeping, during the two trips that we owned this vehicle. Add the cost of a couple of tires (one near Bordeaux, France, the other at Agrínio, Greece) and a front brake job in Merzig, Germany, and it cost maybe $13 per day, about the cost of renting a bicycle.
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European Trip Number 8 — 1991 (August 9 to October 25) This is the only time we rented an RV for our trip through Europe. We rented from the same company that had purchased our Renault in 1989, and we paid $50 per day. We were in Europe 78 days, spent 53 nights in the RV, drove 6,800 miles and visited six countries.
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European Trip Number 9 — 1995 (May 16 to August 31) This time we bought an RV with a buy-back provision. That would have been just great, but while we were in Europe the Dollar/D-Mark exchange rate changed for the worst, and our cost was about $60 per day. We drove 5,300 miles through eight countries, and spent 55 nights (total of 107 in Europe) in the RV.
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During nine European trips in twenty-five years (from 1970 to 1995), we enjoyed 968 nights in 32 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa — slept at least one night in 465 spots in over 380 towns, cities, and other locations. That includes sleeping 605 nights in 406 different places in our RV — 307 nights with 10 of Emmy's cousins in 2 countries — 23 nights in hotels — one night in a B&B — one night in a Hostel — by ferry overnight from Stockholm to Helsinki — from Sardinia to Sicily — and from Italy to Greece — four nights on a ship to several Greek Islands — seven nights on a ship to Istanbul and the Black Sea. In 1985, with the RV in the hold of the TS/S Stefan Batory, we spent ten days from Rotterdam, then London, and across the Atlantic to Montreal, Canada. Drove home to California. No jet-lag this time.
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Our years of travel have taken us to dozens of countries on 5 continents — 11 islands in the Pacific — 9 in the Mediterranean — 2 in the Adriatic — and 7 islands in the Caribbean. Included are 49 of the United States (except Alaska) — 10 cities in Mexico — El Salvador — Panama Canal — 9 Canadian Provinces — and 29 European countries. We have visited Colombia, So America — Morocco, Africa — and Turkey, Ukraine, and Crimea, in Asia. I visited the Philippines — Singapore — India, years earlier.
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Cruise ships and ferry boats, with us aboard, have touched at perhaps 124 different points on 5 continents, on about 40 countries or major islands. At least 50 ferry rides sailed to and from perhaps 70 spots in 20 European countries. Sixteen of our trips on a ship included at least one night at sea, over 100 nights in total. That includes a 6 week freighter trip to the South Pacific. As Emmy often said, “No wonder I’m tired.” That’s funny, I thought we were on vacation, were resting, and having a lot of fun. We were side by side, always.
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Sixteen of our trips on a ship included at least one night at sea, over 100 nights total. All were fun, except the last one one. From Los Angeles to Mexican Coast, 3 nights, 1969 — From Los Angeles to Acapulco, 10 nights, 1972 — Caribbean Sea, 6 nights, 1975 — Aruba, Panama Canal, 7 nights, 1978 — Stockholm to Helsinki, overnight, 1979 — San Francisco to South Pacific, 6 weeks, 1980 — Sardinia to Sicily, overnight, 1980 — Rotterdam to Montreal, 10 nights, 1985 — Italy to Greece, overnight, 1989 — Greek Islands, 4 nights, 1989 — Greece to Black Sea, 7 nights, 1989 — 49th Anniversary, Los Angeles to Vancouver, 3 nights, 1990 — Los Angeles to Mexican Coast, 3 nights, 1997 — 50th Anniversary, Los Angeles to Mazatlan, 7 nights, 2001 — 52nd Anniversary, Los Angeles to Mexican Coast, 3 nights, 2003 — Los Angeles to Mexican Coast, 7 nights. 2006. Without my Sweetie, it was terribly boring.
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These seventeen trips in the US are noted in our Travel journal. — Dallas to Chicago and Indiana, 1954 — Dallas to Los Angeles, 1955 — Travel the Western USA by Train, 1960 — First RV Vacation, 1963 — In Paul’s camper, visited the New York World’s Fair, 1965 — First long Trailer Trip, 1967 — Hawaii, 1968 — Hawaii on Business, 1977 — Trip on Eastern Airlines, 1978 — Sun Valley, Yellowstone, and Bryce Canyon, 1979 — To the Eastern United States, 1981 — Hawaii,1981 — German Cousins RV Trip in Western USA, 1982 — Hawaii with Cousin Toni, 1984 — RV Trip to Canada and to the Eastern USA, 1986 — RV Trip With German Cousins, 1987 — 55 day US Trip in the RV, 1990. Perhaps a hundred times, and more, we spent weekends or a couple of nights in San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Palm Springs area, Tucson, Phoenix, Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Grand Canyon, Yosemite Nat’l Park, and other places in the Western US.
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We enjoy seeing our European favorites year after year, for a few hours or an overnight or two, rather than spend a week or more to “thoroughly” see a place, then have no “need” to return. We have been in Paris, 24 nights, 9 trips — Heidelberg, Germany and the French Alsace, 12 or 15 nights, 9 trips — Venice, 20 nights, 7 trips — Rome, 12 nights, 4 trips — Mont St. Michel, Dinan, Normandy, Brittany, France, many nights, 4 trips — Berlin and London, each 9 nights, 3 trips — Vienna, 9 nights, 2 trips — Scandinavia 35 nights, 2 trips — and on and on. Whoops, almost forgot our most favorite, Emmy’s many Cousins 307 nights in two countries, 9 trips. Poor Cousins.
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We have arrived at and/or left these 40 countries and islands by boat, some many times: Aruba — Bahama — Belgium — Canada — Crimea — Columbia — Denmark — England — Finland — France — Germany — Greece — India — Ireland — Italy — Majuro — Mexico — Morocco — Netherlands — Norway — Panama — Philippines — Ponape — Portugal — Puerto Rico — Saipan — San Salvador — Singapore — Spain — St. John — St. Thomas — Sweden — Switzerland — Truk — Turkey — Ukraine — USA (+3 Islands on Hawaii) — Virgin Island — Wales — Yugoslavia.
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We have visited these 29 Islands, and every one is mentioned at least once in the Travel Snippets: Bahamas — Barbados — Corsica — Crete — Guadalupe — Guam — Hvar — Kauai — Korcula — Lanai — Majorca — Majuro — Maui — Míkonos — Molokai — Oahu — Pátmos — Ponape — Prince Edward Island — Puerto Rico — Rhodes — Saipan — Santoríni — Sardinia — Sicily — St. John — St. Thomas — Truk — Vancouver.
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We have visited these 41 countries, and every one is mentioned at least once in the Travel Snippets: Andorra — Austria — Belgium — Canada — Columbia — Crimea — Czech Republic — Denmark — El Salvador — England — Finland — France — Germany — Greece — Hungary — Iceland — India — Ireland — Italy — Liechtenstein — Luxembourg — Mexico — Monte Carlo — Morocco — Netherlands — Norway — Panama — Philippines — Poland — Portugal — Scotland — Singapore — Spain — Sweden — Switzerland — Turkey — Ukraine — United States — Vatican — Wales — Yugoslavia.
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We’ve been to these 74 European towns and cities (among thousands of others): Amsterdam 4 trips, Antwerp 2 trips — Assisi 4 — Athens 1 — Auschwitz 1 — Bamberg 3 — Barcelona 1 — Bellagio 2 — Berlin 3 — Bern 4 — Bonifacio 1 — Bonn 5 — Brugge 4 — Brussels 5 — Budapest 1 — Caernarfon 1 — Cagliari 1 — Carcassonne 4 — Copenhagen 2 — Dachau 2 — Dresden 2 — Dublin 1 — Dubrovnik 3 — Edinburgh 1 — Ephesus 1 — Florence 5 — Frankfurt 9 — Geneva 2 — Genoa 5 — Glasgow 1 — Hamburg 2 — Heidelberg 9 — Helsinki 1 — Herakleion 1 — Herculaneum 2 — Istanbul 1 — Lisbon 1 — Ljubljana 2 — London 3 — Lourdes 2 — Luxembourg 5 — Madrid 1 — Melk 2 — Milano 4 — Munich 4 — Nürnberg 3 — Naples 3 — Oberammergau 1 — Odessa 1 — Oslo 1 — Palermo 1 — Palma 1 — Paris 9 — Pátmos 1 — Pisa 3 — Pompeii 3 — Prague 3 — Reykjavik 1 — Rhodes 1 — Rome 4 — Rotterdam 4 — Santoríni 1 — Strasbourg 7 — Stratford-upon-Avon 1 — Stockholm 2 — Tanger 1 — Trier 9 — Vatican 4 — Venice 7 — Versailles 4 — Vienna 2 — Warsaw 2 — Yalta 1 — Zagreb 2. I bet I could draw a useful map of a dozen of these cities.
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We’ve visited these architectural jewels, 152 places of worship in Europe, and dozens more. Aachen — Amberg — Amiens — Angers — Angoulême — Antwerp — Assisi — Auch — Auxerre — Avignon — Avon — Avranches — Bamberg — Barcelona — Basel — Bath — Bautzen — Bayonne — Beaugency — Berlin — Béziers — Bologna — Bonn — Boulogne — Bourges — Bremen — Brugge — Brussels — Caen — Carcassonne — Cassino — Châlons — Chartres — Châteaudun — Chester — Clemont Ferrand — Comburg — Coutances — Coventry — Dresden — Dublin — Ebrach — Esslingen — Fecamp — Ferrara — Fiesole — Florence — Fougéres — Frankfurt — Freiburg — Freiburg — Fribourg — Glastonbury — Gdansk — Geneva — Ghent — Glasgow — Grasse — Halle — Hamburg — Hildesheim — Jumièges — Köln — Konstanz — Korcula — Kraków — Landivisiau — Lausanne — Le Mans — Leipzig — Limburg — Loches — London — Lourdes — Lübeck — Lucca — Luxembourg — Mantes — Maria-Laach — Melk — Mettlach — Metz — Milano — Modena — Mont St. Michel — Monte Carlo — Montefiascone — Moret — Mulhouse — Munich — Münster — Nantes — Naumburg — Nördlingen — Nürnberg — Oliwa — Oria — Orleans — Orvieto — Paderborn — Padova — Palma — Paris — Parma — Passau — Perigueux — Perouges — Perugia — Pisa — Poznan — Prague — Provins — Quimper — Regensburg — Rheims — Ripon — Rouen — Sacra di San Michele — Salisbury — Salzburg — San Gimignano — San Leo — Sarlat — Senlis — Sens — Seville — Siena — Soissons — Speyer — Spoleto — St. Denis — St. Lazir — St. David — St. Lo — St. Malo — Strasbourg — Toledo — Torino — Toul — Trier — Trondheim — Udine — Ulm — Utrecht — Venice — Vienna — Wells — Wetzlar — Wieliczka — Worms — York — Zagreb. The most amazing thing is, I could tell you something specific and unique about many of them. How many? That changes from month to month.
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